Cocktails will be ice and tasty

Karai Wall will feature snap frozen cocktails at food show. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Frozen cocktails will be the coolest thing in town this week.

Internationally known mixologist Karai Wall's Nitro cocktails will be among the top draw at the Taste of Auckland festival at Victoria Park from Thursday to Sunday.

They're drinks that are snap frozen in liquid nitrogen to create a sorbet texture, which foodies can enjoy with a spoon from a martini glass or a cone.

Wall was inspired by the drinks during a visit to Spain's famous El Bulli restaurant.

"It has a very almost dessert-like mentality, which combines a range of alcohol and non-alcoholic ingredients. When you add the liquid nitrogen and rapid freeze everything it becomes like a very sorbet or ice cream consistency," said Wall.

"But I'm doing my own thing with it and my own style to go for a very Kiwi flair and flavour, while adding a summer feel to it."

Wall's creations have such names as toffee pop and pineapple fruju.

The festival gives people the opportunity to get up close and personal with well-known chefs, including Kiwi-born Josh Emett who was recently named as one of the new Masterchef New Zealand judges and runs Gordon Ramsey's Melbourne restaurants.

Other chefs include Sydney's Matt Moran and Warren Turnbull, as well as Kiwi Peta Mathias who is back from her recent trip to France.

The event also gives foodies a chance to give to charity by purchasing meals from the DineAid stall. All funds raised from this stall go to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch City Mission food banks.

In the DineAid kitchen, chefs from such posh eateries as Mollies, Sid Art and 215 - which was recently named the New Zealand Culinary Show Restaurant of the year - will create a number of impressive dishes for festival foodies.