Nasty Cats vs Spicy Food

I struggle to pronounce foreign languages, but German seems especially tough, as many words are often combined into one and spoken at lightning-fast speed. A simple example: feuerzangenbowle, which means “fire tong bowl” and involves burning rum-soaked sugar so it drips into mulled wine. We wrote about that one here.

Photo source: Jim Boyce

Another is Naschkätzchen, a fruity yogurt-y drink that is sold by CHEERS and that I find far easier and fun to call Nasty Cats, although a more accurate translation is Nibbling Kittens.

My first glimpse of these vivid cherry-, peach- and strawberry-flavored drinks made me apprehensive. That liquid looked more like lava lamp filler than something to put in my belly.

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Photo source: Jim Boyce

But a taste test changed my mind. I did it with one of China’s best bartenders, Frankie Zou, known from Maison Boulud, TRB and Botany Bar. He immediately said the flavors were fun and used them to create a tasty new cocktail that included his own VICU gin.

VICU Gin from Botany Bar. Photo source: Jim Boyce

This week, I had another idea. The Beijinger’s annual Hot & Spicy Festival is in May —CHEERS will have a booth--and that means plenty of burning tongues in need of a soothing solution.

Nasty Cats to the rescue!

We already know contestants in the festival’s chili-eating contest are given yogurt drinks when they finish. So why not a fruity yogurt-y Nasty Cat for those looking seeking to soothe mouths?

Image source: theBeijinger 

Last night, chef Jeff Powell brought out the hottest sauce at his bar, That One Place, and we gave the strawberry Nasty Cats a try. Todd Kuhns, who does the horror movie podcast “2 Guys and a Chainsaw”, joined our tasting group. Yes, it was an eclectic group.

The result? Nasty Cats pounced on that spice and tamed it. The combination of slight sweetness, creaminess and fruitiness, with an appealing yogurt flavor, did the trick. I’ll be doing further fiery taste tests, including with Sichuan food, ahead of the festival to see just how much heat the Nasty Cats can handle. And will also soon write about what wines you can pair with spicy food, too.

GIF source: GIPHY

Original by Jim Boyce, Grape Wall of China 葡萄围城

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