‘Sweety salty’ is something that I first discovered on holiday in India about 5 years ago. We were picking up some snacks en route to the beach one day when I spied a packet of biscuits called Krack Snack. On the front of the packet were two perfectly jolly characters proclaiming “Sweety” and “Salty” and the snacks were described as ‘Sweet and Salt biscuits’. I thought this was a slightly random and peculiar taste combination, after all, biscuits are exclusively sweet or savoury, non? The idea of combining the two together seemed like saying a shop is open and closed simultaneously, or after last week’s post, like having mozzarella on a marinara pizza. A chance to experience such exotic gustatory experiences cannot be passed over, so I bought a pack.
They lived up to their name, although I doubt the name ‘Krack Snack’ was decided upon because of their crack cocaine like addictive qualities. My girlfriend even gave a name to my smiling, full mouthed but purse lipped expression when attempting to surreptitiously cram another handful into my mouth during beach visits, boat and tuk-tuk rides. That face is now known as ‘sweety salty Krack Snack face’ and once the pack had miraculously evaporated, it left me wondering if I had ben a bit cynical about the whole ‘sweety salty’ thing, because it tasted good.
Since then, I’ve become a big fan of another sweetly salty phenomenon and one of the most refreshing things to ever be poured into a glass, fresh lime soda. After a long, hard, hot day of doing absolutely sod all on a beach, there is simply nothing more refreshing than a fresh lime soda. If you order one in India, you might be asked “sweet or salt?”, at which point you have to decide whether to take a leap into the addictive sugariness of sweet or go for the mouth puckering salty option. However, my favourite, like the Krack Snack, is the combined sweety salty version we occasionally came across, whereupon drinking it you can feel your body rejoicing as it absorbs the water, sugar and salt, replenishing your tired, heat ravaged body. It’s the perfect simple rehydration drink, which is why it simply tastes better and better as the temperature climbs.
Since first discovering Krack Snack and the sweety salty phenomenom I’ve noticed it in other foods such as peanut butter cups and salted caramel. I’ve even implemented the combo in my feta hazelnut crunch spread, which was published in The Guardian newspaper, by combining salty feta with syrup coated nuts. However, in a drink there is something uniquely refreshing about this combination which is unparalleled, so why not get some limes and fizzy water on your shopping list and give sweety salty a go while the summer’s still here!
How do you squeeze yours?
I passionately dislike kitchen gadgets, cynical to the end about their usefulness and ability to end up languishing at the back of a cupboard. Until we were given an Eddingtons Lime Squeezer
as part of a set and I was converted. These are simply the quickest and most efficient way to squeeze lemons, limes and oranges and extract more juice per fruit, quicker. They are one of my few ‘must have’ kitchen tools which has seen my reamers, juicers and squeezers go out, usurped by these fabulous squeezers which leave your fruit fully juiced and dry in seconds. 
Sweety salty fresh lime soda
By Gavin Wren
Serves 1
Uses a lime squeezer
PDF recipe card to download or print
Ingredients
Juice of 1 lime (about 35ml)
1 teaspoon of your sweetener of choice, I’ve used agave syrup here.
1/4 teaspoon salt, use the best you have.
Ice
200ml fizzy water, such as soda, sparkling mineral water etc.
Directions
Take a tall glass and juice your lime into it. Add the sweetener and salt then mix really well until combined.
Half fill with ice, then top with 200ml fizzy water.