by Rachel Worthy

Created on: March 02, 2007   Last Updated: January 16, 2012

Although Agave Nectar has been used by Mexicans and Latinos for centuries, it has only been recognized as a sweetener in the United States during the past few months. As the popularity for ethnic and exotic foods in the United States increases, so does the willingness to use exotic ingredients such as Agave Nectar as substitutes to artificial sweeteners and flavorings.

From a recent Bevnet.com, "Your Source for Beverage News & Reviews," article released January 1, 2007, the upcoming LIV sports drink has just launched a poster campaign called "Truth," directly challenging consumers to explore the ingredients in their sports drinks. The article explains the company is making waves with its new sports drink that uses agave nectar instead of high fructose corn syrup and is "positioned to dominate leading sports drinks in taste and health benefits."

The article continues by stating "Made with agave nectar, a natural, unprocessed source of sugar that the body breaks down more slowly enable(s) LIV to provide better, more balanced recovery after exercising or any other strenuous activity."

According to a column published on Journalnow.com, a division of the Winston-Salem Journal dated December 27, 2006, food editor Michael Hastings writes about the benefits and the natural goodness of "cooking" with natural ingredients such as agave nectar.

"The idea behind the raw bar is that they retain all the beneficial enzymes destroyed by cooking," Hastings wrote. "They contain no cholesterol, trans fat, preservatives, artificial ingredients, soy products or genetically modified ingredientsthe bars consist primarily of nuts and fruit. They get added sweetness from agave nectar and extra protein from brown-rice proteinAs a result of their unusual composition; Pure Bars have a soft, almost gooey texture, with bits of nuts suspended in a fruit paste."

Aside from health products and beverages made from whole, natural ingredients, such as agave nectar, food connoisseurs and critics alike are using the natural sweetener as a substitute to corn syrups and table sugar to enhance natural Mexican and Latin American cocktails such as mojitos and the Old Fashioned.

A recent edition of the Miami Herald included a commentary on the Miami nightclub trend to use innovative ingredients such as agave nectar in the most popular drinks such as the mojito. Food writer Madeline Marr's article "clink There's Method to the Mojito Madness" provides insight to the versatility of agave nectar.

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