Best of Summer
Fruit Looped
Spice Route stirs up a sangria with an orchard of vitamins and a gentle buzz By Stéphanie Verge
The latest venture from
impresarios Nick Di Donato
and Charles Khabouth
aims to bliss out the suit-and-
stiletto crowd with moody lighting, a hand-carved four-foot Buddha and trickling water features. In that spirit, the resto-lounge’s Asian-inspired cocktails offer a chill take on imbibing. The fragrant Zen-gria—their spin on the Spanish party fave—marries three kinds of alcohol with berries, citrus fruit and papaya juice. Health-obsessed hedonists can even pretend the pretty drink’s nutrients will counteract the liver-curdling effects of the booze.
$25 a pitcher. Spice Route, 499 King St. W., 416-849-1808.
1 1/2 cups of papaya juice: rich in enzymes; helps digestion
1 1/4 ounces of Asian pear sake: it's alcohol, but hey, it's made from fruit!
Blackberries and raspberries: screw All-Bran; get your fibre at happy hour
1 1/4 ounces of plum wine: more fruit!
Blueberries: the antioxidant movement's super-fruit poster children
Lime, lemon and orange: vitamin C-packing, free radical-kicking citrusy goodness
1 1/2 ounces of manderin vodka: there are residual nutrients in the simple sugars, right?
Photographs by Christopher Stevenson
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