April is here, the sun is out, and it’s time to continue my smoothie research.
To make a Raspberry Doncaster, you will need:
200g raspberries
25ml ginger wine
5 fresh basil leaves
200ml semi-skimmed milk
Blend the ingredients and drink.
Results
Colour: 100
Texture: 76
Taste: 33
Overall: 55*
A beautiful, richly vivid deep pink sets the mouth watering instantly. Texture is good, not too watery, but not overly thick. One fundamental failing of the raspberry, however, is the presence of pip. These divide opinion in the smoothie world, some believing that they add pleasurable crunch to the drink, others, myself included, occasionally bothered by inter-tooth lodging. Taste was disappointing – what promised to be a sensual explosion ended up sour and a bit on the thin side. The ginger adds some welcome warmth to the post-swallow, but the basil was ineffective and the raspberries simply didn’t have the sweetness – or the sharp punch – to get away with being the only fruit component. Finishing the portion became more of an ordeal than a pleasure.
*the algorithm I’m using is taste weighted, for hopefully obvious reasons: (C + Te + 3Ta) / 5