Rise Kombucha

Yesterday was the launch of Rise Kombucha's new flavours, Mint/Chlorophyll (it tastes a lot better than you think) and Rose/Schizandra (a berrie that stimulates senses and reinforces the nervous system).  The party was at La Maison du Développement Durable, where four professional mixologists, from pub Le Mile and Barroco, mixed two different drinks each, one with alcohol, the other, virgin, using the two new flavours.

Kombucha is made by fermenting tea leaves. It's been popular in Asia for more than 2000 years. It was traditionally drank for multiple purposes, like to prepare soldiers for battle.  That might explain why I came out of the evening thoroughly pumped up after tasting, re-tasting and trying again just to be sure all of the eight cocktails.


To officially decide what drinks were the best, a quartet of tv personalities landed their taste buds.  Geneviève Borne, Jacinthe René, Karine Vanasse and George Laraque had the difficult task of judging all the drinks and decide which one (with and without alcohol) would win.
Their choices were Bouquet, by Maxime Boivin, for the alcohol category, and Morning Surprise, by Gabrielle Pannacio for the non-alcoholic one.
You can try all the recipes here.  Make sure you make the Kombucha Julep, a solid drink with bold taste, perfect for an experienced drinker like me!

Other flavors of kombucha are available on the market (the maple/blueberry one is ridiculously good!) and can be bought in grocery stores, bars, specialized stores and at Crudessence, for 3,75$.

Rise Kombucha is a clean and fresh drink, brewed to perfection by experts.  It's sparkly and definitely original. For the health conscious, it's a perfect match.  Kombucha has detoxifying and antioxidant properties and helps digestion.  It's also only 75 calories per bottle.

Personally, all I can say is that the two bottles I got at the event are long gone and I'm getting some more on my next grocery trip, just in time for St-Patrick's Day... I can only hope that its digestive qualities will be enough when faced with the Irish weekend!

Forest of the World

Beauty and Hendrick’s

Ariane, George and Stef :P

* update: It's confirmed, a bottle of mint/chlorophyll is the perfect cure for a hangover.  It works way more efficiently than gatorade, and taste better too! 
~Stef, the day after St-Pat's~