Nokan joululounas 2.-19.12.2024 / Nokka Christmas Lunch 2.-19.12.2024

Non-alcoholic drink options

The drinks developed by Cold Brew Master Iina Peltonen offer non-alcoholic options to accompany the dishes. Adventurously combined flavor pairs support the natural flavors of Nokka’s dishes.

The drinks developed by cold brew master Iina Peltonen offer non-alcoholic options to accompany the dishes. Adventurously combined flavor pairs support the natural flavors of Nokka’s dishes.
Host Iina Peltonen has worked at Restaurant Nokka for nine years and has been awarded the PRO award for customer service. Iina is also a trained chef and has experience working in a restaurant kitchens, but the desire to focus on customer service and the opportunity to create comprehensive dining experiences for people drew her to work in the dining room.
The background as a chef is useful in developing the flavor combinations for cold brew extracts, since combining multidimensional flavors is familiar from cooking.
Cold brew experiments started for Iina at home, when she started combining tea and wild herbs she collected herself. The experiments progressed quickly to the point that drinks made from extracts were also tasted at Nokka. They have been available as non-alcoholic alternatives to food pairings for a year and a half already. Nowadays, in addition to working as a Host at Nokka, Iina also works as the Cold Brew Master and is responsible for creating and producing the non-alcoholic drinks.
Cold brew drinks are based on tea leaves that have been brewed for a long time in cold water. Depending on the tea variety and the desired flavors, this takes 5–15 days. After that, the extract is filtered and the tea leaves are dried for the second round of extraction.
The choice of tea creates the basis for what kind of food the cold brew should be served with.
Green tea may have a slightly sea-like taste, and is therefore suitable for pairing with fish dishes and lighter appetizers. Restaurant Nokka is famous for using rockweed in its dishes. Adding rockweed to the green tea extract further emphasizes the sea-like flavor. Or if there is juniper berry in the fish dish, it can also be added to the green tea brew.
Black tea contains tannins, which creates an excellent basis for strong-flavored extracts served with meat dishes. Acidic lingonberry juice and pepper can be added to cold brew, which pairs well with dark meat dishes and rich sauces. To be served with reindeer, Iina developed a custom brew with smoked tea, lingonberry and rosemary.
White tea, on the other hand, makes the best drinks for desserts. The drinks at the end of the meal can be light and sweet. And if there are marigold flowers in the dessert, why not use them in the brew designed for the dish as well.
Not all of Ravintola Noka’s non-alcoholic food drinks are tea-based. Their base may also be just juices – or even tomato water made for a house-made cheese dish, which gets an additional kick from basil.
”I like developing new cold brew flavors to pair with different dishes. Cold brews are very adaptable and the range of different combos is endless,” says Iina.
”I consider it particularly important that – in addition to a extensive wine selection and carefully considered wine pairings – we are able to offer a competitive and customized selection of non-alcoholic options.”