I thought ‘out to lunch’ was a little too obvious a metaphor to describe the latest collab between a manufacturer and a foodservice practitioner. But maybe not. Heinz and the Smoothie King are launching a new Ketchup Smoothie!
I’m not saying, “Run out and try this one!’ That, as always is up to you. But I did think faithtful readers deserved fair warning that it’s ‘on the streets’…
Dispense with the obvious…
I’ll pass over the obvious, “Can you believe it?” comments and get right to the meat – or at least – condiments of the matter…
It’s real, and it’s out there. And at least one reviewer says it… might … actually be good.
‘Just the facts, ma’am’
As a famous TV detective use to say… The benighted thing is actually out there (at participating Smoohie King locations) and it’s real. It’s available only in 20 oz. / 590 ml size, and it’s a princely (US)$5.70 (depending where you live).
The rationale?
The rationale for creating such a product is simple: But maybe not the relying on the strongest of logic…
The smoothie is boldly billed as being made of, “Real Fruits and Organic Veggies,” while containing, “No Artificial Preservatives, Flavours or Colors”.
Good enough. But what about the flavours and colours you DO get?
The official glam promo pix are pretty conclusive: Looks enticing! In fact the ‘red’ hue I see is almost an intense orange, if you stretch your imagination…
Flavour another thing?
The flavour, however, may be another thing.
I think everybody has heard, by now that commercial Tomato Ketchup is pretty heavy on on salt and sugar. Flavour-wise, tht might be a good thing, overall. One of the other major ingredients is vinegar. And that sounds, to me, like a flavour disconnect in a smoothie.
I fear that a tomato-based, definitely-swavoury, excessively tangy flavour experience might turn off BOTH sweet and savoury fans. And I can’t see it achieving the ‘quenching’ response on the palate that the concept of ‘smoothy’ promises. If anything, I have a strong suspicion that it would just make me thirstier!
What else does it have?
The big question, I guess, is, “What else down it have in it?”
“It’s a surprising ingredient, but maybe not that far-fetched,” Food & Wine reviewer Stephanie Gra-valese observes. “Ketchup is, after all, made from tomatoes, which are botanically classified as a fruit, even if we tend to treat them as vegetables in the kitchen. This launch leans all the way into that logic, blending açai sorbet, strawberries, raspberries, apple juice, and Heinz’s signature ketchup into a sweet-tart drink with a distinct tomato finish.”
So… After hearing all that, I’m wondering just how much Tomato/Ketchup there actually is in it?
My take
Remember the huge kerfuffle over the Canada Dry ‘scandal? How one intrepid mom discovered – and proved to a court’s satisfaction – that there wasn’t sufficient ‘Real Ginger’ in the beverage for the maker to claim it’s ‘Made from Real Ginger’ on the label?
As the prison warden said in Cool Hand Luke (1977), “Looks like what we got there is [another] failure to communicate!”
Nevertheless… It calms my frazzled nerves enough to drop my blood pressure back into the ‘normal’ zone to learn that, overall, Ketchusp may not be a single majority ingredient in the product!
I’ll be looking for detailed taste tests and reviews of this whacky product as the summer wanes…
~ Maggie J.