All posts tagged: Drink

YETI food and drink essentials have a whole new look for autumn

YETI food and drink essentials have a whole new look for autumn

Published by Daniella Wilson

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in YETI was born from the founders’ need for a durable cooler that could handle the Texas heat. That dedication to hardy, high-performance products is what makes the brand a go-to for all kinds of outdoorsy pursuits today. From cliffside rambles to evenings fireside, its bags, food and drinkware are ideal for all adventures, and now, it’s got a new look. Arriving for autumn, the new Riverhead Collection takes cues from coastal landscapes and rugged seas and blends warm seasonal colours – think maroon, beige and a soft green – with heritage-style herringbone. While the revamp may be new, the products boast the same durability and quality design we’ve come to expect from the brand. From insulated coffee cups – which would be just as at home on a blustery weekend outdoors as on the morning commute – to waterproof accessories for wet and windy adventures, lunch bags and more. Whether …

From milk to sausage rolls: how vending machines could help tackle UK ‘food deserts’

From milk to sausage rolls: how vending machines could help tackle UK ‘food deserts’

Published by Sam Flores

Fizzy drinks, packets of crisps and bars of chocolate: for decades, vending machines were known as a place to grab a quick snack. Now one family of farmers is trying to change that by bringing vending machines offering fresh milk and local produce – including scotch eggs, sausage rolls and brownies – to villages and other rural locations. Mark James, 70, and his sons Sam, 39, and Jacob, 36, first trialled vending machines as a way of selling their milk directly to consumers, giving themselves more control over the price they receive. “For the first time ever, we’re price makers rather than price takers,” Mark says. “If we weren’t doing [the vending machine business], we’d have to think about giving up milk.” Just under a third (30%) of the 4,500 litres of milk produced each day by the family’s herd of 130 dairy cows at Bodenham in Herefordshire is sold at their 17 Whole Moo World vending machines, located across Herefordshire and the neighbouring counties of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Shropshire. The remaining 70% is sold …

Why spicy and savory cocktails are the hottest drink trend right now

Why spicy and savory cocktails are the hottest drink trend right now

Published by Daniella Wilson

Spicy cocktails are enjoying a significant moment, evolving far beyond the classic spicy margarita and Bloody Mary. Bartenders are now pushing creative boundaries to craft innovative drinks with a fiery kick. “The same way that you want to season a steak or a pork chop, you want to add multiple layers. And I think spice does that if you do it the right way,” explains Turner Greaves, a bartender at New York’s Sip and Guzzle. Among these is Greaves’ Doctor Green, a tequila highball he describes as “super-herbaceous, vegetal, a little bitter.” This unique concoction features tomatillo, green apple, shiso, and horseradish. For those seeking an extra jolt, a serrano pepper can be added, with customers receiving a small spice dropper to customize their drink’s heat level. The Doctor Green is a tequila highball he describes as ‘super-herbaceous, vegetal, a little bitter’ (AP Photo/Guido Neira) Cocktail tastes are changing from sweet to savory James Stevenson, co-founder of Brutes of Mayfair cocktail bar in London, says drinks were very sweet when he started out 20 years …

Best places to eat and drink in Hong Kong

Best places to eat and drink in Hong Kong

Published by Sam Flores

A fine place to stop for a milk tea-centered breakfast or lunch after exploring the labyrinth of African, Indian and other international shops and food stalls inside Chungking Mansions — one of the last remaining film locations in Wong Kar-wai’s iconic “Chungking Express,” where Brigitte Lin’s drug-dealing retired actor is seen conducting her business in a blond wig, trenchcoat and sunglasses. Lan Fong Yuen, in the basement of Heath Mall (which is technically part of Chungking Mansions but has a separate street entrance), has its own historic pedigree. Late founder Lam Muk-ho is credited with originating silk-stocking milk tea (it’s strained through a long cloth filter), and possibly yuenyeung (milk tea mixed with coffee), at the still-operating Gage Street stall he opened in Central in 1952. He’s also said to have popularized the thick-cut Hong Kong-style French toast and pork-chop buns so familiar in our own San Gabriel Valley cafes, as well as “lo-ding” instant noodle dishes, especially the chicken-chop version. The Tsim Sha Tsui location opened in 2009 but has an older diner aesthetic …

8 Of The Best Apéritifs To Drink Before Dinner

8 Of The Best Apéritifs To Drink Before Dinner

Published by Akaay Pradhan

Nothing beats a pre-dinner drink to whet the appetite. The apéritif was once the domain of the 1980s dinner party, but it has stormed back into popularity. Designed to stimulate the appetite, these drinks are dry and crisp, refreshingly bitter and often herbal. Here are eight great examples to get your taste buds going. Americano This lighter version of the Negroni offers a refreshing, lower-alcohol alternative to its traditional sibling. A marriage of equal parts Campari and sweet red vermouth, it is topped up with soda or sparkling water. In a Negroni, gin is used instead of water, so with an Americano you still get that warming, bitter flavour profile, just without the boozy punch. The Americano predates the Negroni by some 60 years. This classic Italian apéritif was created at Gaspare Campari’s bar in Milan and named the Milano-Torino. Locals later renamed it when the drink became popular with American tourists visiting during the Prohibition era in the 1920s. This decade also saw the birth of the Negroni, when Count Camillo Negroni ordered an …

This is the best time for your last caffeinated drink of the day

This is the best time for your last caffeinated drink of the day

Published by Daniella Wilson

Everybody handles caffeine differently, but there is a general consensus that drinking coffee and other stimulating beverages late at night can keep you up way past bedtime. So, is there a cut off for the last cuppa joe or caffeinated tea? Experts say it’s at around nine hours before you intend to go to sleep. That’s because it can double the amount of time you need to be able to fall asleep and get the 7-9 hours of shut-eye adults need for the best overall health, according to federal guidance. “If you plan to go to bed at 9 p.m. If you are sensitive to caffeine, I would say to stop drinking it around noon,” Roberta Anding, registered dietitian and an assistant professor at the Baylor College of Medicine, said in a previous statement. “Drinking caffeine before bed will impact your sleep. The average person takes about 10 to 20 minutes to fall asleep. If you have caffeine in your system or are sensitive to it, this amount of time can double,” she explained. While …

Where to eat and drink near SoFi Stadium in Inglewood

Where to eat and drink near SoFi Stadium in Inglewood

Published by Sam Flores

Making a rib stop on the way to a game and then eating your barbecue inside your car — or, better, on the hood of your car if you don’t want sauce-stained seats — has been a classic move since the days the Lakers used to play at the Forum in Inglewood. Lately, however, it’s getting harder to find old-school L.A. barbecue — the wood-smoked ribs and links and small ends that have long powered this city. Luckily, Inglewood is home to two outposts from the first family of L.A. barbecue: Woody’s (see separate entry), started by the late Woodrow “Woody” Phillips and Phillips Bar-B-Que from Woody’s cousin Foster Phillips, who still inspires younger pitmasters. Where Woody’s has patio seating, Phillips, in traditional barbecue style, is a take-out-only shop with a tightly packed parking lot off Centinela Avenue. It’s the only location that remains after the 2024 closure of Phillips’ Crenshaw spot. Recently, I stopped in for pork ribs so tender the meat easily came free from the bone; small ends, a meaty cut Phillips …

10 Korean dishes to savour now – from fried chicken to kimchi dumplings and stuffed pancakes

10 Korean dishes to savour now – from fried chicken to kimchi dumplings and stuffed pancakes

Published by Sam Flores

From sizzling bowls of comforting bibimbap to crispy, hot, sweet pancakes, Korean food is exploding in popularity in the UK. Demand is rising for the country’s bold and punchy flavours, which feature soy sauce, sesame oil, the tangy, fermented kick of kimchi, raw napa cabbage and gochujang, a sweet and spicy chilli paste that elevates dips and gives an umami boost to sauces. Last year, Waitrose reported that sales of gochujang had increased by 71% since 2024. Jamie Oliver uses it to flavour his chicken burgers while Nigella Lawson adds it to her pasta sauce. In March, Korean fried chicken was named one of Just Eat’s top 10 takeaways of 2026, while there were long queues this month at Jung, a Korean food festival in London. Britons, it seems, can’t get enough of Korean cuisine. So, which dishes should you be seeking out – and where can you find them? Korean fried chicken Photograph: ma-no/Getty Images/iStockphoto It’s the satisfying crunch that makes Korean fried chicken so addictive. Unlike American fried chicken, “the coating is very …

What Flavour Is Cola? This Is What Gives Soft Drink Its Distinct Flavour

What Flavour Is Cola? This Is What Gives Soft Drink Its Distinct Flavour

Published by Sam Flores

If you had to guess what the secret behind that distinctively malty Biscoff flavour is, you probably wouldn’t say sugar ― but that’s likely what it is. Similarly, red velvet cake’s earthy, tender flavour isn’t created by crimson berries or beetroot; traditionally, it’s the action of buttermilk and vinegar on Dutch-processed cocoa and baking soda that gives it its signature taste and hue. It also contains vanilla. So, it shouldn’t have shocked me that cola’s taste is partly down to an unexpected source; namely, the kola nut (yes, there is such a thing). What’s a kola nut, and what other flavours are involved? According to beverage company StrangeLove, “cola brands guard their own secret formulas with their lives, using generic terms such as ‘artificial and natural flavours.’” Talk of Coca-Cola’s top-secret “7X” ingredient seems to confirm such theories. Nonetheless, some ingredients stay constant, StrangeLove explains. “Cola generally is a carbonated beverage which consists of these key ingredients; kola nut, citrus oils, vanilla and cinnamon,” they say. This is usually mixed with a caramel base for …

Want to Challenge How Much You Drink?

Want to Challenge How Much You Drink?

Published by Jenni Sidey

With distillers experimenting with alcohol-free spirits, bartenders getting wildly creative with mocktails, and study after study debunking myths about the health benefits of moderate drinking, it is striking how many people still report having several drinks each night to unwind. I always ask about the amount of alcohol and substance use at the beginning of therapy, because if someone is addicted to—or even dependent upon—a substance, the impact of therapy can be limited. In these situations, the main help I can provide usually relates to aiding a client’s realization that they need to seek substance abuse treatment. How should therapists address and assess for substance abuse disorders? And has the assessment equation changed now that it has become increasingly clear that alcohol may be far more harmful than previously believed? One strategy I find helpful is encouraging clients who report daily or near-daily use — especially those who rationalize higher levels of consumption — to read This Naked Mind by Annie Grace. She opens with a provocative question: “What if, by reversing years of unconscious …