photo by Ming Chao
photo by Ming Chao
photo by Ming Chao
photo by Ming ChaoDuring the opening of the Gin & Tonic season at restaurant Mercat on 19 May, Mister Cocktail launched its new product concept ‘Gin & Tonic Collection’. Nowadays there are many types of gins and tonics and it is unclear which combinations are possible. The Gin & Tonic Collection consists of nice gins and six different matching tonics and gives a good overview of the different styles gins and matching tonics. The collection consists of handcrafted, small batch, copper distilled gins and 100% natural tonic water. The Gin & Tonic Collection gives the consumer a ‘perfect serve’ recommendation.
More and more people grow their own vegetables in a garden at home. It is now also possible to grow your own mushrooms on recycled coffee grounds. GRO Mushrooms has developed a home cultivation kit that allows consumers to grow fresh mushrooms within 10 days. The DIY Mushroom Farm Kit is packaged in a handy takeaway box and filled with leftover coffee grounds from coffee bars. You just open the bag, put it in water and occasionally spray it with water. The DIY Mushroom Farm Kit is available at the Coffee Company, Artis Amsterdam and UVA Amsterdam Science Park 904.
In February we posted an article about ten original sweets with coffee or tea, recently we spotted Chocodate, a delicacy that can be served as coffee snack. Chocodate is a date filled with roasted almonds, covered with a layer of white, milk or dark chocolate and is originally an Arab snack from Dubai. Dates support the balance of your metabolism, almonds regulate blood pressure and chocolate contains natural antioxidants, this makes the Chocodate a healthier snack. The Chocodate is available at Chocodate Benelux.
When the sun shines, people love to eat ribs and burgers from the barbecue grill. Those who want to have a culinary barbecue can try the surprising and innovative barbecue pot by Casper Tolhuisen. The barbecue pot is a ceramic pot with a spout to cook stew dinner. You need to fill the barbecue pot with ingredients, seal it with a lemon and put it on the barbecue. Steam is created and the taste of lemon will be mixed with the ingredients through the smoke. The barbecue pot originated in Güveç and is a traditional Turkish preparation method. The ceramic bowl is filled with ingredients, sealed with a dough and cooked in the coals of the fire.
In August 2013 we’ve spotted the brand-free advertising of TBWA Paris for McDonald’s. The campaign consisted of various close-up images of popular McDonald’s products without branding. The latest campaign of TBWA Paris for McDonald’s consists out of simple graphic illustrations of McDonald’s products. The items Big Mac, cheeseburger, fries, Sunday, chicken nuggets and filet-o-fish are expressed in a simple illustration without text but only the small ‘M’. The simple and colored graphic illustrations are set against a white background, so they are immediately recognizable.
On 4 June pop-up insect restaurant ‘Pestaurant’ will open in Utrecht. Pest control company ‘Rentokil’ opens the pop-up restaurant to ask attention in a playful way for pest control. A chef cook specialized in preparing dishes with insects will make mini muffins with Buffalo worms, chocolate grasshoppers, sour cream crickets and barbecue mealworms. The entomologist of Rentokil will also tell the latest trends and developments in the field of insect pests and pest control in the Netherlands.
The sun is shining and the terraces are full again. Last year the Aperol Spritz and summer beers were a big hit on the terrace, but what will we see this year? Perhaps the sparkling cocktail ‘Limonsecco’. The Black & Bianco Limonsecco is a wine cocktail of limoncello and prosecco. The drink has a subtle bubble with a fresh twist of lemon. The Limonsecco is served cold and contains 5.9% alcohol.
‘De Kookfabriek’ has three locations in the Netherlands: Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam. At these locations large groups, both business and private, can cook and eat in the kitchen. ‘De Kookfabriek’ organizes especially for individuals various Masterclasses of well known Dutch chefs. During the 4,5 hour master classes the chefs will guide the cooks in making their own four-course seasonal menu. The master classes of chefs Julius Jaspers, Sandra Ysbrandy, Jos Grootscholten and Alain Caron cost € 75,= per person and the master class of Niven Kunz € 99,= including his latest book Niven 80/20. The video shows the master class by Julius Jaspers.
To reduce food waste, several applications are developed, earlier we spotted the ‘Hospitality Waste Coach’. Unilever Food Solution comes with the ‘Stop Wasting’ tool to deal more effectively with the waste in the kitchen. There are three types of food waste: the waste inventory, the waste during the preparation and the waste on the plate. The app suggests menus that can reduce waste by 20% and chefs can use the app to determine the amount of food waste divided in breakfast, lunch and dinner. The progress can be tracked and they can read / share tips.
SCiO is a new device that allows customers to scan products and get information about the chemical compositions. The SCiO is developed by Consumer Physics and has the size of a USB drive. Constomers can not only get information about medicines and plants but also about the nutritional value of their food and for example if the avocado is ripe enough to eat. The device sends the information through Bluetooth to the smartphone and there are several apps available. The goal of the Kickstarter project has already been achieved but when you order the SCiO you will get all new apps for free the next two years.
Soft drink brand Pepsi has launched a new interactive can with the famous footballer Robin van Persie, as part of the ‘Live For Now’ campaign. The free augmented reality app ‘Blippar’ brings Robin van Persie to life. Through the app some football tricks of the footballer are shown and consumers can download music, watch video’s and play an interactive game. The limited edition cans of Pepsi are widely available in the Netherlands as of Monday. Last March, Pepsi surprised waiting people at a bus stop with an augmented reality bus shelter.
On 10 July, two lying concerts take place at ‘Het Concertgebouw’ in Amsterdam. Visitors can listen to the famous Dutch classical piece Simeon ten Holts Canto ostinato while lying on the floor. Pianist Jeroen van Veen and four friends will perform the concert on four grand pianos. Before the concert there will be a relaxing yoga class by yoga teacher Jan Kuiper.
A glass served too full costs money. The operators of industrial screen printing company ‘Logoforma’ solved this problem in an elegant way. They print wine glasses with logos that functions as a tick mark. Under the name ‘Wijnwinst.nl’ they sell glasses which the entrepreneur can provide 20 to 30% more profit on wine. sses.
The possibilities with the Google Glass are endless now Google also wants to strike the culinary world. The portable computer in the shape of glasses are not yet available in stores but are tested by several people, like Roy Choi. The Korean-American chef is the founder of the Korean taco food truck Kogi BBQ in Los Angeles. During the national holiday of Ireland ‘St. Patrick’s Day’, Google launched a promotional film of Roy Choi cooking a burrito with the Google Glass on. He is searching for the recipe, cooks the dish, calls his mother and his cooking is also filmed. The Google Glass is not only useful for a chef to find recipes and multitask but consumers literally get a look through the eyes of a chef cook like the video above shows.
Approachable inspiration, trends and highlights from 2025 that can be easily applied to your own business in 2026. A whitepaper to scroll through when you read more
We’ve been enjoying glorious summer weather for a few weeks now, and the popular seasonal drinks are already known. Mocktails, cocktails, spritz variations, rosé, and read more
A new ice parlour, Polka Gelato, designed by Vonsung, opened in London. The interior of the ice parlour is colorless and mainly natural materials are used. The only colours you can find, are the colours of the ice cream.
All in-one: a restaurant and supermarket, located in a mall in Skokie, Illinois. The restaurant covers almost 3,000 square meters and offers 18 counters where you can find organic, seasonal en local dishes and products. Guests can dine and doing their groceries afterwards.
Turntable Kitchen is started by a couple from San Francisco, who combine music and food. Every month they create a Turntable Kitchen Pairings Box, which includes a 7-inch vinyl single with tracks of their favourite bands, several recipes, local premium dried ingredients and suggested pairings. This box will be send monthly to their members.
After de frozen yogurt ice cream, we now see the ice cream parlours where the ice cream is prepared by using liquid nitrogen of a temperature of almost –200 Celsius degrees (-320F). Nitro Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt opened two flagship stores in New York. Guests can compose their own ice cream, by choosing the base (regular, soya, yogurt, sorbet), then they can choose the taste and finally they choose the topping.
The winecard gift card gives the opportunity to order online a self-selected wine. You can choose between 250 wines. The gift card is available in amounts of € 10,= to € 50,=.
Create your own personalized coffee blend. That is possible at the British company EightPointNine. You can create and order your own blend at the website, by giving an indication of your favourite tastes. Or your can order one of the pre-selected blends of EightPointNine. Weekly, you will receive your blend.
Nivea introduced in 2010 a sun indicator to enjoy the sun responsibly. This iPhone application tells you how and where you can enjoy the sun best, based on your skin type and the UV strength at your location. In addition, the timer indicates how long you can still enjoy the sun.
Gimme Pops are freshly made, natural ice pops, without the use of artificial ingredients. The ice pops are available in the tastes Mango Chili, Berry Basil, Mojito, Carrot Cake, Minty Pineapple, Razz Tarragon, Ginger Melon and Banana Curry. Gimme Pops are available at several events.
Commissioned by the Indianapolis Musuem of Art, Visiondivision is creating a project for the Fairbanks Art and Nature Park. In order to sacrifice something, to make something new, a large tree will be rebuild to several tables, chairs, swings and a kiosk.
Seen on several menu’s in America – freshly baked cookies – at the Top Notch Hotel in Vermont, served as ‘The Cookie Monster’ with a healthy glass of milk! Given by the number of (small) children who were eating this, it is clearly a hit! But also spotted in other restaurants – a bowl of freshly baked nuts, chocolate and coconut cookies, – also fun to share. If you order this dessert by yourself, it is wise to order a doggy bag as well!
At the end of August, four small Dutch family breweries, will present a new beer: the taste of Real 2011 (De Smaak van Echt 2011). The great thing about this beer is, that the best individual ingredients are being used. And what we understood from their tasting notes, they succeeded in making an ambercolored beer fermented with 6% alcohol, not too dry, with a pleasant bitterness.
MobiCcino opened his first CoffeeQube (an espresso bar) in an officebuilding of a big Dutch company in Amsterdam. We, of Horecatrends, are jealous, imagining having a barista in the canteen! At 6 square meter, espresso made by the Mirage machine and a barista. MobiCcino is working on the CoffeeQube XL and XXL. Although we like the CoffeeQube we prefer the MobiCcino (smal red car), it’s such a great eyecatcher!
The ultimate dessert for kids: Camp Fire Smores! Roasted marshmallows with biscuits, hot chocolate and fresh red fruit, it is finger-licking good. This is often served in America, the photos were taken at Harbour Sixty Steakhouse in Toronto. Easy to make and kids do want to come back! So if you ever visit Toronto with kids, go to the Harbour sixty steakhouse for a great steak and delicious dessert!
Homemade cocktails by VinCo. By mixing the pre-mix with a white wine and ice cubes you create the perfect fresh and light alcoholic cocktails. For the non-alcoholic version, mix this with Indian Tonic, or to create a stronger version, mix it with tequila.
Last week we spotted a 20 minutes newspaper at the website of Ads of the World (created by the Miami Ad School in Madrid). During our holiday in America we noticed that newspapers are still served at the hotelroom door. At the Topnotch resorts we were served the New York Times Digest, a ten-page synopsis of The New York Times. TimesDigest is designed and edited to provide a balanced selection of the Times’ top stories and editorial comment, along with sports, weather, business news and the celebrated crossword puzzle.
A barbecue and herb-garden in one. Perfect for the (smaller) terraces, balconies, or just because they look nice.
Spotted in august 2008, but until today still possible at some Westin Hotels, the work-out rooms. Westin offers the special option of booking a guest room equipped with a treadmill, a stationary bike, dumbbells, fitness DVDs, resistance bands, stability balls and bottles of water.
An effort from coffee brand Maxwell House in Canada, serving free coffee, positive stories and performances by musicians to the people of Toronto at their Optimism Café. Open for the month of July, and part of their “Brew some good”campaign, (with tv adds etc.). With the campaign they are trying to make Canada feel more glass half-full and in the meantime building brand awareness. At the Optimism Café musicians and artist appeared. Take a look at their website with a video explaining set up of the campaign. The add above is the optimistic result of the campaign.
Frozen Pints, icecream made of different kinds of beers.
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French baker Jean-Louis Hecht has rolled out a 24-hour automated baguette dispenser, promising warm bread for hungry night owls, shift workers or anyone else who doesn’t have time to pick one up during their opening hours.
The owners of the foodhall Eataly in New York do invite President Obama to visit. They have a banner hanging in their foodhall with the invitation to come and toast at his 50th birthday with a 1961 Barolo. An original way to invite a President! A beautiful food hall by the way where you can eat Italian food and buy it!
Spotted in august 2010, but it’s a good initiatif! In the parc where we walk our dog, a lot of prunes are rotting away. And of course our labrador (^Marjolein) eats them till he gets sick, if he gets the possibility. So this project in Toronto could work! They launched a project last year to prevent local grown fruit to perish. Volunteers pick fruit in the gardens of people who do not want to do this themselves. One third of the fruit is meant for the owner, one third goes to the volunteers and one third goes to charities in the area.
Vandenberg: Life below the surface, an art gallery at a underwater shipwreck. Austrian Photographer Andreas Franke did use strong magnets to attach 12 digitally layered images (in 3 millimeter pexiglass) at the starboard side of the former military ship Vandenberg. All at a depth of 93ft offshore at Key West, Florida. We saw statues under water in Mexico but this is a new gallery. The website of the project will be ready end of august 2011.
The Ticketometer works as follows: the artist announces his or her show on the site by entering the city, date, ticket price and (essential for the use of Ticketometer) the “set-off point” (minimum number of tickets needed to sell to make the show profitable). The concert or festival is promoted and fans purchase tickets through Ticketometer. Once the set-off point is reached the artist confirms the event, and fans are charged. If the set-off point isn’t reached no harm! A couple of advantages: transparant, risky towns are worth a try, negotiations with venues are more transparant. Benefits artists, fans and venues.
“Tea-time”, designer Pengtao Yu created a simple but yet convinient set combining tea leaves, water and steeping time. You put tea leafs and hot water into the first part of “Tea-time”, twist the timer to set the steeping time and the tea slowly trickles down to the bottom beaker. The timer/filter hold back the leaves and your cup is ready to sip.
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