Get up early, go to bed late, put on a hat and drink a lot. We know that we do it all summer long. However, we cannot easily escape the heat of the city. Today we are going to try a garden party. Friends suspect it: we are drinking apple juice again. They are happy about it because they know that it is mountain apple juice from South Tyrol. What they don't know: There is also beer, chilled in large buckets with ice cubes. And as a highlight, the "Beer & Mint" cocktail. Everything is ready: Torches among our fruit trees, wobbly garden tables, a hammock, the buffet with couscous salad, grilled vegetables, melon, ham and cheese. A party like in the 80s, a little retro, a little crazy, Beer & Mint fits perfectly. 

I wonder how apple juice and mint found each other. This is what Thomas Kohl said to me: 'I really like the clear, clean taste of our single-varietal mountain apple juices. This makes me even more critical when it comes to creating a cuvée. The bouquet of both juices has to intertwine and form a deep bond. This is how a new taste experience is born.' The full-bodied and aromatic mountain apple juice clearly takes the lead in the cuvée with an extract of apple mint. It carries the juice and gives it the desired fullness in the mouth. Mint, however, does not allow itself to be underestimated. It captures with its unmistakable fragrance and fresh taste and creates a long and very present finish. Delicate yet distinct, it frames the main actor of this juice composition. 

Apple mint is the 'light' sister of peppermint, it contains less menthol. Like all types of mint, it has refreshing properties and can supposedly also lighten the mood. If that isn't perfect for our party! Where does it come from? Thomas Kohl gets his mint from 'Fasui – Organic Mountain herbs from South Tyrol', a family business in Latsch in the Vinschgau Valley. Hansjörg Oberdörfer guarantees that his products are of high quality and biologically sustainable. It's easy to believe when you see the herb fields: They are located in the highest part of the Vinschgau Valley, in Burgeis below the Abbey Kloster Marienberg, in Mals and in St. Valentin auf der Haide (1,100-1,500 metres above sea level). The soils are light, permeable and warm, giving the herbs the right ingredients and a high content of essential oils. Like Kohl's mountain apples, the Fasui apple mint grows slowly and matures late, that’s how it is at this altitude. In return, it has no stress from civilisation and is a really strong daughter of the mountains. 

By the time the mint should be ready for harvest, Thomas Kohl has to be available. As soon as the call comes in, we can't waste any time: the day has come when the herbs have reached their peak of essential oils and aromatic substances. 

When the mint arrives at our farm on the Ritten, the process is as fast as lightning: it is soaked in mountain apple juice for a few days, releases its essential oils and our apple&mint juice is born. Which variety of mountain apple juice Thomas Kohl prefers to use remains his secret. Nothing else is added to the juice. Into the bottle and it's ready. 

I had chilled my first bottle of mountain apple juice & mint and had prepared the nice long-stemmed wine glasses. All perfect for the first date. Thomas Kohl recommends these glasses because the juice stays fresh longer and the aroma can develop well. We like them and think they make the pleasure of juice even more intense. My verdict: a wonderful summer juice! "Invigorating freshness, delicate taste, intense and refreshing aroma'. - writes Thomas Kohl on his website and I can confirm this. The cocktail idea intrigued me: mixing apple juice and beer sounds rather adventurous. And since such an experiment is more fun with friends, it will be the cocktail at our party. 

The sun is setting, everything is ready, some guests have already arrived. It's time for our surprise: "Beer & Mint". Now the mint will show what it can do in combination with beer and other ingredients. The party can start, the night will never end. 

Beer & Mint

Today in the spotlight: "Beer & Mint" - an unconventional drink for fresh moments, mixed with elements that promise joie de vivre. Created by Wolfgang Mayer, Bar and Lounge Manager at the Swiss luxury hotel "Der Widder": fresh and delicate, flowery, fragrant and aromatic. A fun combination that exudes joie de vivre: beer with mint, apples, herbs. 

Ingredients for 1 glass 

4 cl KOHL mountain apple juice & apple mint 

3 cl Chartreuse Verte 

0.5 cl freshly squeezed lime juice

1 dl beer (light) 

GARNISH: mint leaves, a white chocolate ball 

Add all ingredients except the beer to the cocktail shaker and shake. Then pour into a highball glass with ice cubes and top up with beer. Garnish with mint leaves and a white chocolate ball.