Amé

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=== ~ Amé (The Name) ~ ===

'Amé' is derived from the Japanese word for 'gentle rain' so I think that the name comes from the ingredients, which contain spring water. It is mainly a blend of sparkling water with fruit juices and oriental herbs, all combined together to form that unique taste.

=== ~ Amé (The company) ~ ===

Amé is manufactured by Orchid Drinks Ltd. This company formed not long ...
...poured a huge glass of Amé (grape and apricot) and I really mean a big glass! I was really tempted to try this flavour.

It was very sweet and fruity and crisp, with a very noticeable sweetness. It was so sweet that I turned the bottle to see how much sugar is on the drink, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there was no added sugar at all! I really liked the marriage of the two fruits; it was very refreshing and ultra tasty ... more

I don't like alcohol, although I have never tasted it. Even when I was a child I have always had the same anti-alcohol opinion. I have never liked the look or the smell of it; alcohol was always related to drunken people to me!

As an example let me relate an old experience I had when I was growing up as a teenager: I went out with my friends and of course they hit the nearest public bar in the town. I went into the taverna with them and the first thing that came to my senses was the horrible smell of the alcohol. It was outrageously strong - I can't describe the smell - and I nearly fainted. What made it worse was that a drunken man fell on my feet and lost consciousness and looked like he was dead. My unconcerned friends tried to cheer me up and take my mind off the smell (or shall I say my NOSE?) and the hideous scene.

I stayed with them, but I never enjoyed my time that night. It was the worst night out I had ever had. What a pity that my first night out went so horribly wrong! I couldn't sleep that night (especially with some very SICK friends around me)!

So public bars and taverna quite obviously were not on my list of preferred destinations for a good night out, and after a quite few years with a very small circle of friends (due to the 'non alcohol drinker' Ami) some people simply DRIFTED away. With their narrow minds, they thought that this was strange or unusual to know someone who had never touched a drop of alcohol in her life (especially, seeing that I'm not that religious!). Some even thought that if you didn't drink you wouldn't have fun! And they are very WRONG! So I stayed as I was, without drinking alcohol; I never changed just to please others.

So How Did I Find Amé?

A close friend of mine invited me to her birthday party. I wasn't too sure about going, but she insisted, so I went with my usual expectation (or lack of expectation?). She gave me a glass to drink; at the beginning I thought it was alcohol, as it was the same colour . . . but she assured me that there was nothing alcoholic in it. I had a little sip . . . I was surprised! The colour was like red wine and the taste was pleasantly good! I asked her for the name of the drink and she laughed and said, "Ami…I would like you to meet Amé!"

I asked to see the bottle and decided to do a little research about the drink, before then running to the nearest supermarket to look for Amé!

~ Amé (The Name) ~

'Amé' is derived from the Japanese word for 'gentle rain' so I think that the name comes from the ingredients, which contain spring water. It is mainly a blend of sparkling water with fruit juices and oriental herbs, all combined together to form that unique taste.

~ Amé (The company) ~

Amé is manufactured by Orchid Drinks Ltd. This company formed not long ago, in 1992, as a subsidiary of Britvic.

The Varieties Available

There is a quite good selection of this soft drink (if we may call it that way).

• Grape & Apricot (my favourite): This is a unique mix, made from Grape Juice Extract from concentrate, Carbonated spring water and fruit juices from concentrate (Grape and Apricot) plus a great selection of aromatic herbal extracts; Lime flower, Schisandra (a shrub commonly grown in gardens, whose fruit is used by Chinese: translated as 'the five-flavour fruit' and used as a medicine!), Gentian and citric acid.
• Raspberry and Blackberry: Made from Grape juice Extract from concentrate, carbonated spring water, fruit juices from concentrate (Raspberry, Blackberry,) with the addition of the same herbal extracts Lime flower, Schisandra, Gentian and citric acid.
• Grape and Orange: Made from Grape juice Extract from concentrate, Carbonated spring water fruit juices from concentrate (Orange, Grape) and again herbal extracts (Lime flower, very aromatic and slightly bitter, Schisandra, Gentian) and citric acid.
• Elderberry and Lemon: Made from Grape juice Extract from concentrate, carbonated spring water, fruit juices from concentrate (Elderberry, Lemon) Herbal extracts (Lime flower, Schisandra, Gentian) and citric acid.

I bought all four varieties as they were on half price (at £0.99) a while ago so I could try them all.

~ Grape & Apricot ~

This is my favourite flavour.

COLOUR AND SMELL
Plain, clear colour, with no volume or thickness; this looks pretty much like water. The smell on the other hand is very aromatically strong; the sweetness of white grape infused with the mouth watering apricot complemented each other, for some reason I remembered apricot jam! Maybe because the smell of ripened apricot constantly reminds me of the orchards and fresh jam!

TASTE
After smelling that gorgeous smell I poured a huge glass of Amé (grape and apricot) and I really mean a big glass! I was really tempted to try this flavour.

It was very sweet and fruity and crisp, with a very noticeable sweetness. It was so sweet that I turned the bottle to see how much sugar is on the drink, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there was no added sugar at all! I really liked the marriage of the two fruits; it was very refreshing and ultra tasty with the added oriental herbs that gave it the aromatic and full perfumed taste and smell.

AFTERTASTE
No bad or unpleasant after taste: I was slightly thirsty but nothing major to mention. The smell and taste of the drink was still in my mouth for quite a while and no bad 'after-smell' afterwards!

• Smell 8/10
• Taste 10/10
• Aftertaste 9/10
• Recommended it? Yes.

~ Raspberry & Blackberry ~

COLOUR AND SMELL
The colour is rosy pink; very light textured and watery with no volume. The smell again is very sweet and very appealing; the mixture is well suited to the British tastes, so the smell is quite normal, but with a touch of the herbs to spice it up a little.

TASTE
To be honest, the taste was not up to my expectations. It was very bland and very normal as if I am drinking ordinary flavoured water with just a little fizz. It wasn't to MY taste at all but if you are into 'THE NORM', then give it a go.

AFTERTASTE
When drinking it, I tasted a slight bitterness; but as to aftertaste, it left a quite a bitter aftertaste with a dry mouth; I didn't like the aftertaste at all.

• Smell 6/10
• Taste 6/10
• Aftertaste 4/10
• Recommended it? No!

~ Grape & Orange ~

THE COLOUR AND SMELL
The colour is colourless and again it has no body or volume. What can I say about the smell? Very zesty, energizing, with a kick from the herbs: my senses are all awake and made alert.

THE TASTE
It's a combination between sweetness and sharpness made that drink extra special, it was very pleasantly tasty and with the amount of sweetness, it was on my good books!

AFTERTASTE
The aftertaste was slightly bitter which made my mouth a little dry and I felt quite thirsty; I'm not sure if it was the orange or the oriental herbs, but I still like it, after all.

• Smell 9/10
• Taste 9/10
• Aftertaste 7/10
• Recommend it? Yes

~ Elderberry & Lemon ~

COLOUR AND SMELL
This is a very deep colour, sort of maroon (I won't say red!) drink with no visible volume or body (just as the rest were). The smell is very exotic and very exiting, with the lemon juice there is a slight sharp smell, mixed with the sweet smell of grapes and topped off with a touch of elderberry. This is a very exotically perfumed drink indeed, and you expect it to be very refreshing.

THE TASTE
I can say this is a mix between sweet and sour. As for my personal opinion, I am not really into sour juices, as I prefer sweetness, but it is a nice refreshing drink and quite tasty.AFTERTASTE
I am not sure if it's only me experiencing a bitter after taste when having citric-type drinks but again there was a slight bitter aftertaste and my throat was as dry as a log!

• Smell 9/10
• Taste 7/10
• Aftertaste 4/10
• Recommend it? Yes and no!

Prices and Availability

Amé can be found in supermarkets, big stores and mini markets. Not all varieties are available at all outlets. The prices vary from 99p on special offer to over £2.50 for the 1L glass bottle.

ASDA currently have it on Special Offer '2 for £3' until 31st December 2008, but do not stock the Grape & Orange variety (according to their website at www.asda.com).

CONCLUSION

Amé is a light crispy, fruity, refreshing drink, gentle on the stomach with no morning-after effects such as you get with alcoholic beverages! It contains no artificial colours, no artificial sweeteners and no added sugars.

I was so happy to find this drink. It has made me a bit more confident to go out with my friends, or to come around to their houses and bring my own bottle with me. Alternatively, I can quite simply have a quiet night in, with the company of AMÉ!

Over all rate; 7/10

Overall recommendation; yes

Thank you for reading.

© Karimkha . . . . . . June 2008 

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