La non-alcoholic Basque drink known as pét-nat tea can be a revolution in haute cuisine. It comes at the time of the non-alcoholic wines to offer us an alternative that drivers can also drink. How is it and how is it not like Kombucha?
Does pét-nat tea sound familiar to you?
It is unlikely that you have heard of pét-nat tea before, even if you are from the Basque Country. Lately it has become the companion of the delicatessens of the best restaurants. It may be because of the little competition it has between non-alcoholic beverages. Very important: it is not wine! It looks nothing like it, except in the fermentation it requires. In fact it more closely resembles the Kombucha.
Why? Well, because it is a fermented tea. The result is a somewhat frothy drink with less than two degrees of alcohol. It is in these luxury restaurants where it is served that more and more chefs are looking for reduce alcohol content for your pairings.
Love brewery
The company Love brewery specializes in this kind of Basque drink. He has created seven varieties of pét-nat tea different. Each of them has required a different type of tea. However, at the moment it only markets four of them. The names chosen for these are not very original. Despite this, they are representative of its roots: bat bi hiru y lau. The meaning of these words is none other than "one, two, three and four" in Basque.
It is not only the name that reflects the Basque spirit. The very design of the bottle is based on the perception that foreigners have of the Basque Country. The decoration aspect is interesting, since it is succeeding more outside than inside the home. In the places where it prevails, it is used in a similar way to the different kinds of wine.
To begin we can refer to Bat. It is perfect for the aperitif, unlike Bi. The latter is designed for cocktails. hiru It is the most versatile of all, since it allows more play at the table. Finally, Lau (in addition to being indescribable) is the most complex of all.
How is this non-alcoholic Basque drink made?
If you are interested in starting a pét-nat tea business, you will be happy to know that it takes much less time than wine. If a good wine requires decades, this drink only needs a year and a half. Each dice días this tea is "harvested" before being stored for the amount of time mentioned. It should rest in bottles in an upright position. As in kombuha, the key is to have tea for it. In the case of Ama Brewery, it comes from Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Taiwan y Japan.
It is precisely the same bacteria and yeast colonies found in kombucha that do the trick. They come into contact with the tea and ferment it. However, we cannot claim that the two drinks are the same. The Basque drink is marketed in the surroundings of foodies. It is synonymous with good food. It has nothing to do with the approach related to health of the kombucha. This aspect is relegated to the background despite the fact that the two prepare in the same way.
This non-alcoholic Basque drink it is usually consumed with tasting menus, as well as alone. It is seen that it is not just a drink, but also a ritual. The price also differs in both. Thus, petroleum-nat tea is considerably more expensive. For example, the bottle of Ama costs more or less 24 euros.
The conclusion
And you? Would you exchange a gran reserva wine for experience with this drink? Whatever your answer, from our newsroom we encourage you to try it if you have the opportunity to enrich your palate. Do not let them tell you. Do not miss it!
