We're Nate Tate and Mary Kate Tate, a brother and sister cookbook author team obsessed with all things China. We create authentic and accessible Chinese recipes for home cooks. See more...

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Tuesday
Oct132009

dragon fruit drinks

You know when you learn about something and then you start seeing it everywhere? Well, since I bought dragon fruit last week in Chinatown, I've seen them for sale at Dean and Deluca and I took a drink out of Nate's fridge at random (shhh... it was his roommate's!) and it happened to be dragon fruit flavored: Glaceau Vitamin Energy. It tasted sweet like the fruit, but carbonated with 2000mg of Taurine which if you don't know, is very good stuff. I don't really know what it is, or does, but it's in all my favorite energy drinks (red bull, tab energy, bawls) that keep me wide awake on days like today when my office desk starts to look soft, fluffy, kind of like a pillow.

I think dragon fruit could catch on as flavoring in drinks and things here in the U.S. It wouldn't even need the extreme PR treatment that the south american acai berries got a few years back because dragon fruit actually tastes good. IMHO acai berries are overrated and over marketed (and I'm a marketing person who likes marketing). See here where acai berries can cure you of ugliness and obesity and here's a CNN article about their hype and the rumor that they can cure cancer. 

Maybe dragon fruit prices will come down too. The dragon fruit I saw at Dean and Deluca cost $10 each and they were too ripe. I paid about $2 each in Chinatown. See our video on dragon fruit here.

Does anyone know of any other dragon fruit flavored drinks... candies... food?

-mary kate

 

 

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Reader Comments (7)

The first time I ever saw Red Bull was several years ago in China. I wonder if it's a Chinese brand. Did the energy drink work as well as Red Bull?
October 13, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterkNevins
I think there's a Korean dragonfruit candy but I can't remember. It's been a long time since I was in Asia. I'll give this drink a go.
October 13, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterAnonymous
Yes! I went to a korean restaurant in Plano Texas and the check came with a piece if dragon fruit candy. I haven't seen it anywhere else though.
October 14, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterBen
Ever since I read about the dragon fruit on the blog, I have been looking for it in the midwest. I'll start looking for it in candy stores now just to experience the flavor.
October 15, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterCocinaCook
So you think that the acai berry is a fluke?
October 15, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterCJ
I've tries dragon fruit flavored drinks...really good stuff!!
November 20, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterBecky Ahlers
Wow! $10 for one fruit. I was in China last week and was able to purchase the fruit for around $.50 per fruit. I hate how "exotic" fruit in the US is such a premium. I experienced the same sticker shock when I wanted to buy fresh lychee...

Great Blog!
November 23, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterThomas J.

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