Twelve in Berkshire Living
November/December 2007
Designated Drink
For some, approaching the bar at a charity gala or wandering into the kitchen during a dinner party in search of a thirst-quencher can be a bit of a bummer: if you're not knocking back Pinot or sipping on Scotch, the alternatives—club soda and lime, ice water—can be, well, pretty weak.
“There isn’t anything for adults,” Rhinebeck, New York-based entrepreneur Joe Faso opines, noting the clear gap in sophistication. “Pellegrino, maybe?” He wrinkles his nose and proffers a frosted bottle of Twelve, the sparkling, non-alcoholic punch he created with the help of some top palates: Alfred Portale of Gotham Bar and Grill; another famed Manhattan chef, David Burke; and senior instructors at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.
The potion just might solve the dilemma of displeased designated drivers everywhere: it’s not too sweet, with notes of cardamom, coriander, and fennel rising from a base of organic white, green, and black teas. Also smacking of pineapple, peach, and white grape, the sixty-calorie beverage complements a broad range of cuisines—“noon to midnight.” Yet still, like other teetotaling-friendly quaffs including cranberry or ginger ale, Twelve can be spiked with the best of ’em: hotshot bartenders in the Bay Area blend it with Square One organic vodka to make the to-die-for “Twelve Squared.”
© 2009 jcw