Foco Tamarind Juice 350ml

Tamarind is the brown, pod-shaped fruit that gives South East Asian food much of its sourness, and Foco has turned it into a drink. The taste sits somewhere between dates and prunes, with a clear acidity behind the sweetness – denser and rounder than citrus juice, and without the sharp edge. The can holds 350 ml, about one good glass.

The drink should be cold. Put the cans in the fridge a few hours before serving, or pour over plenty of ice – at room temperature it turns too sweet. Shake lightly before opening, since the pulp settles at the bottom. It goes well with hot food, where the acidity cools the chilli in a different way than water does, and it also works as a base in drinks with lime and a little sparkling water.

Unopened, the can keeps in a dry cupboard until the best-before date. Once opened, pour the contents into a glass or bottle, keep it in the fridge and drink it the same day. If you want tamarind for cooking rather than drinking, you will find paste and sauce in the tamarind range.