On June 18th, the Cranberry Marketing Committee (CMC)launched a Media Appreciation Event at the Boxing Cat Brewery (BCB), a leading micro/craft brewery in Shanghai, to promote cranberry juice summer consumption.Cranberry super fruit ale, a special beer presented by BCB, was featured alongside wide selections of cranberry drinks developed by prominent master mixologist Eddy Yang.
At the opening reception, 23 members of the media were welcomed with the classic‘Cosmopolitan’ cranberry cocktailand greeted by remarks from ATO Shanghai’s Director Ms. Valerie Brown, delivered in a stimulating Q&A format. Attendees heard from Mabel Zhuang, CMC’s China representative, the history, growing regions, harvest, and unique health benefits of cranberries, as well as their diverse product forms and applications.
On behalf of BCB’s brew-master Michael Jordan, Eric White, a fellow brewer at BCB, discussedthe cranberry super fruit ale, which was freshlybrewed in collaboration with CMC. This unique beer had a tart flavor and ruby red color. The use of imported malts contributed to the beer’s pleasant malt sweetness and light caramel note, balancing the cranberry flavorwhich still shone brilliantly through the final product. White also informedthose present that brewing the cranberry ale took a total of three weeks, using 9 liters of cranberry concentrate in the process. This cranberry ale has beenavailable on tap at all three of BCB’s outlets in Shanghai and promise to be a popular seasonal beer throughout the summer months.
Eddy Yang, master mixologist, gave the audience a detailedintroduction into mixology applications for cranberries in various product forms including juices, cocktail mixers, frozen, and dried cranberries. Eddy demonstrated these applications by preparing 4 different types of cocktails: alcohol-free, low alcohol, classic cocktails, and unique cocktail creations.Members of the media were impressed by the versatility of cranberries and how they could be mixed with all kinds of different drinks. One member of the media was even invited from the audience to try makinga cranberry Cosmopolitan by herself. The event was concluded by the taste-testing of a cranberry punch made by Zack Henderson, Deputy Director of ATO Shanghai, under the direction of Eddy Yang.
