As Europe braces for another heatwave, some people are seeking relief from an unlikely source: salt. The humble seasoning has become a key ingredient in the battle to cool down, with salty drinks gaining popularity as thirst quenchers during this scorching summer in the UK.
Commonly found in countries including India and Mexico, these traditional street corner drinks are being hailed as a salve in a heat-soaked Britain. The trend is driven by a preference for savoury over sweet flavours, alongside a growing interest in premium salts.
Salt in cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks
At Jikoni in London's Marylebone, fresh lime is teamed with black salt, then topped with sparkling water. Taking inspiration from Indian-style lemonade nimbu pani, Jikoni's head of drinks, Jade Harman, says the addition of salt is refreshing "because it lessens your perception of bitterness in the drink and improves hydration."
Elsewhere, Jackson Boxer's latest opening, Vesper, in east London serves up icy soft takes on gin and tonics that feature Pentire, a non-alcoholic spirit distilled from coastal botanicals and Cornish sea salt. Matcha fans are also attempting to draw out its umami taste even further by adding coarse flaky sea salt.
Cameron Malik-Flynn, co-founder of the food and beverage agency Malik Acid World, whose clients include Burberry and Nike, describes salt as a key taste on its flavour wheel. He recently teamed up with Ellie's in Dalston to create a zingy sour watermelon tequila soda that comes topped with a salted matcha vegan cream. "Salt within a drink really pulls through the flavour of the other ingredients," he says. "You get these big bold flavours throughout the palate. It makes a drink feel more adult and considered."
Shift away from sugar
Malik-Flynn credits the salty surge to a wider shift away from sugar. "Savoury flavours are big right now. People want freshness. They are becoming more aware of and moving away from drinks made from pre-packaged syrups and terrible modifiers filled with E-numbers."
These posh salty drinks reflect a growing interest in the ancient mineral. Similar to the fancification of olive oil, the humble pantry staple is now experiencing its own glow-up. Forget a giant tub of fine pouring salt; nowadays aspiring chefs are more likely to spotlight designer boxes and beautiful jars of salts spanning everything from rosy pink flakes to tiny grey grains. In The Devil Wears Prada 2, the product placement list even included two boxes of Maldon sea salt flakes.
Premium salts on the rise
"Natural sea salt offers a cleaner, more rounded flavour and a far more intentional way of seasoning," says Caleb Tennant, who works for the Dorset Sea Salt Company. "It's the difference between simply making food salty and actually building flavour." Its salty offerings, hand-harvested from the Jurassic Coast, come in chef-style tubs and neat glass jars that can be easily stacked. Meanwhile, Halen Môn, which harvests its salt from the island of Anglesey in north Wales, packages its flavoured takes, including charcoal and vanilla, in tiny ceramic jars that come with a matching spoon.
Elsewhere, the New Zealand condiment specialist Apostle places its red wine and plum herb salt in glass jars with labels that riff on Roman Catholic artwork, while the Scottish-based brand Goat Rodeo Goods' "salty b*tch kimchi" and "pickle tickle" salts come in small colourful tins designed to be displayed rather than stashed in the back of a cupboard.
"Premium salts certainly follow the trajectory of elevated pantry goods, which we've seen with olive oil, tinned fish and tinned beans," says Lisa Harris, co-founder of Harris and Hayes, a food consultancy. "In times of economic uncertainty, a pinch or a drizzle of something special feels like an achievable everyday indulgence."
Expert tips on using salt
Malik-Flynn describes pink Himalayan salt as "mimicking a citrus flavour" while sea salt has a "herbal and briny effect." He also likes lava salt for a "subtle earthy smoky flavour" but cautions that when it comes to using salt, less is more. "You have to be really careful with the dosage of it all otherwise it just moves into something that's too salty."
