Kava: New York millennials swear by this semi-narcotic concoction

In a world marred by stress and cut-throat competition, New Yorkers seem to have found a novel way to unwind and destress. The 'Big Apple' has around three cafes selling a concoction that is being touted as the 'new-age alcohol'.

Undeniably, the past decade has seen a departure from the mainstream, while exotic ingredients like quinoa invade our plates replacing staples like the classic white rice, another one to join the league is kava -- giving tough competition to alcohol.

Kava is the new kid on the block; the semi-narcotic drink is believed to have an intoxicating effect and may also help alleviate stress and anxiety.

Kava is a crop typical to Western Pacific regions. Its roots are ground into powder and used to produce the concoction.

The drink is known to have mildly 'sedative, anaesthetic, euphoriant, and entheogenic' properties, one of the reasons why more and more people in the West are now turning to the drink as a healthier alternative to alcohol -- after all, who doesn't want to live the "high" without having to battle the horrible hangovers?

Experts believe kava to have been shrouded in veils of obscurity owing to which the plant and its produce was never really studied to the fullest. Some of the first trials and tests linked excess kava consumption to severe health repercussions including liver-damage.

"Unlike in the 1990s, the scholarly understanding of the plant is much better. It has been widely studied and it's generally perceived as safe and beneficial," researchers at the University of Auckland, New Zealand note.

According to an AFP report, in 2002, the US Food and Drug Administration warned against the "rare" but potential risk of severe liver injury associated with kava-containing products.

According to reports, kava exports from Fiji witnessed a boom, almost doubled from 2012-16. Kava may have slowly begun to make its mark but food experts see its ambitious flight a rather less emphatic one. In a megacity like New York, that has thousands of bars and cafe sprawled all across, just three outlets offering kava is simply not enough to leave a mark for this 'new-age' drink.

However, those who deal in kava products, especially the ones owning kava cafes in the bustling city, have faith in the concoction's humble start.

Brooklyn's first kava bar, House of Kava, describes the drink as "traditionally brewed and served by the South Pacific natives, used as a social ceremonial gathering to bring the community together to relax, unwind and let go of the stresses of our everyday life".

The cafe has an exhaustive, extensive menu dedicated to specially kava crafted cocktails and meticulously brewed kava drinks.

So, does it all come to marketing in the end? Only time will tell! Just how our very own haldi-doodh was marketed as an exotic beverage and sold as the 'golden drink' in the West, kava's popularity will also catch up soon among the millennials.

Japanse matcha was also met with some initial reservations and reluctance, until recently when the magical, health-promoting powder invaded almost all aspects of gastronomy starting from desserts, beverages to ice creams, shakes, chocolates, among others.