Gavin Newsom shakes it up
Photo by Michael Bauer
Gavin Newsom's Green Tea Milkshake
They call it "Personality in a Cup." The folks from the Got Milk campaign polled some celebrities — including Mayor Gavin Newsom — for their favorite milkshake, and then asked Mariah Swan of BLD restaurant in Los Angeles to come up with recipes.
Newsom's idea was for a green tea milkshake.
Curious minds wanted to know: Why green tea, and mixed with chocolate?
I emailed Angelina Valencia, senior account executive for RL Public Relations & Marketing, and asked a few questions. She promptly replied:
To give you a little more background on the shake, we contacted Gavin Newsom's office asking them what ingredients he likes for a good old fashioned milkshake. We saw this as a summer type of story. We were told he has a green tea daily, so our chef worked with him to create a special drink for him. He wanted a very San Franciscan treat with some flair, so we added chocolate. These are the ingredients he chose to highlight because they represent him.
For the record, here's the recipe
Gavin Newsom San Francisco Green Tea Milkshake
3/4 cup green tea ice cream
1/4 cup vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
To finish: whipped cream and cinnamon
Blend everything together and pour into a chilled glass. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Of course that raised even more questions: Why green tea? (Angelina said it represented his stance as an environmental advocate)
Why so much chocolate?
What does this high-fat treat say about his Healthy San Francisco platform?
The Chronicle
An analysis of a "Healthy San Francisco" milkshake
So we tested the recipe and analyzed it (at left). It has a whopping 700+ calories a serving; and frankly, the staff wasn't that pleased with the taste. It seems the chocolate dominated everything else and buried any hint of green tea. Lots of calories for not much reward, we thought.
So what does this concoction say about our Mayor?
The powdery residue left from the cocoa powder hints at his grit as a politician, overlaid with his smooth, cool demeanor. The cinnamon adds spice and the green tea — well perhaps his environmental concerns have been eclipsed and buried by all the other problems thrown at him. Maybe he needs a different milkshake.
| August 19 2009 at 05:07 AM
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