Ice, baby!

Get up early, go to bed late, put on a hat and drink plenty. We know the drill, we do it all summer long. Yet escaping the heat of the city is no easy feat. Today we are trying a garden party.

Our friends suspect it: we are serving apple juice again. They are happy about it, because they know it is KOHL mountain apple juice from South Tyrol.

What they do not know: there is also beer, chilled in large buckets with tons of ice cubes. And as the highlight, the "Beer & Mint" cocktail.

Everything is ready: the string lights between our fruit trees, the wobbly garden tables, a hammock, the buffet with couscous salad, grilled vegetables, melon and prosciutto. A party like in the 80s, a bit retro, a bit crazy – "Beer & Mint" fits perfectly, I say.

The Art of the CUVEE

I wonder how apple juice and mint found each other. Here is what Thomas Kohl told me about it: "I very much like the clear, pure taste of our single-variety mountain apple juices. That makes me all the more critical when it comes to creating a CUVEE. The bouquet of both juices must interlock and form an intimate bond. That is how a new taste experience is born."

The full-bodied, aromatic mountain apple juice clearly takes the lead role in the CUVEE with an infusion of apple mint. It carries the juice and gives it the desired fullness on the palate.

The mint, however, refuses to be overshadowed. It captivates with its unmistakable fragrance and fresh taste, delivering a long, very present finish. Delicately yet unmistakably, it frames the star of this juice composition.

Apple mint is the milder sister of peppermint; it contains less menthol. With its very name alone, it adorns itself beautifully for the CUVEE. Like all mint varieties, it has cooling properties and is said to brighten the mood. If that is not perfect for our party!

Thomas Kohl sources the apple mint from "Fasui - Südtiroler Bio Bergkräuter", a family business in Latsch in the Vinschgau valley. "Ols bio" promises Hansjörg Oberdörfer in dialect on his website. Meaning "everything organic". You believe it readily when you see the herb fields: they are located in the uppermost Vinschgau, in Burgeis below Marienberg Abbey, in Mals and in St. Valentin auf der Haide (1,100-1,500 m above sea level). The soils are light, permeable and warm, giving the herbs the right nutrients and a high content of essential oils.

Like the mountain apples from KOHL, the apple mint from Fasui also grows slowly and ripens late – that is just how it is at this altitude. In return, it has no civilisation stress and is a truly strong mountain child.

Around the time when the apple mint is expected to be ready for harvest, Thomas Kohl must always be available. "Then we have to expect the call to come and we must not lose any time. Hansjörg gets in touch when 'the balsamic moment' has arrived: the day when the herbs have reached their peak of essential oils and aromatic compounds."

When the mint shipment with the freshly harvested herbs arrives at the fruit farm on Ritten, things move fast: the mint is steeped in the mountain apple juice for a few days, releases its essential oils, and an intense mint infusion is created.

Which variety of mountain apple juice Thomas Kohl preferably uses for this remains his secret. Nothing else goes into the juice. Into the bottle and done.

I had chilled my first bottle of mountain apple juice & mint and set out the beautiful, long-stemmed wine glasses. Everything was ready for the first rendezvous.

Thomas Kohl recommends these glasses because the juice stays cool longer and the aroma can develop well. We like them and find they make the juice experience just a touch more refined.

My verdict: a wonderfully beautiful summer juice! "Invigorating freshness, subtle spice, marvellously cooling, rich aroma." – that is what Thomas Kohl writes on his website, and I can only confirm it. The cocktail idea made me curious: mixing apple juice and beer sounds rather adventurous. And because such an experiment is even more fun with friends, the cocktail will be served at our party.

The sun is low, everything is ready, a few guests have already arrived. Time for our surprise: "Beer & Mint". Now the mint can show what it can do in combination with the bitter beer and the other ingredients. I suspect that is quite a lot. The party can begin and the night shall never end.

Beer & Mint

In the spotlight today: "Beer & Mint" – an unconventional drink for cool moments, mixed from elements that promise joie de vivre. Created by Wolfgang Mayer, Bar and Lounge Manager at the Swiss luxury hotel "Der Widder": fresh and mild, floral, fragrant and aromatic.

Ingredients for 1 glass

4 cl KOHL mountain apple juice & apple mint

3 cl Chartreuse Verte

0.5 cl lime juice, freshly squeezed

1 dl beer (lager)

Garnish: mint leaves, a white chocolate sphere

Preparation:

Pour all ingredients except the beer into the shaker and shake. Then pour into a long drink glass with ice cubes and top up with the beer. Garnish with mint leaves and a white chocolate sphere.