In early December, a group of writers gathered at one of New York’s hottest restaurants, Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi, for an unusual food and drink pairing.
The featured beverage: tap water from Aruba.
With no major, natural source of fresh water, the island creates potable water by desalinating seawater, pushing it through an extensive filtration process, treating it with UV light and remineralizing it to absorb oxygen and calcium. The result: a surprisingly delicious beverage that fairly sparkled under the lights at Tatiana.
The Aruba Tourism Authority is so proud of the island’s drinking water that it’s bringing it into its marketing, with a splashy catchphrase: Paradise on Tap.
But Aruba’s tap water isn’t just tasty and free to drink. There’s a sustainability focus, as well. Many travelers have been conditioned to avoid drinking tap water when they travel, and most would reach for a plastic bottle of water on their way to the beach or excursion — a bottle that might end up in a landfill or blown into the ocean.
The tourism authority is encouraging travelers to ditch single-use bottles of water. It has new Paradise on Tap packages at the Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort and the Boardwalk Boutique Hotel, where guests receive reusable water bottles on arrival so they can “enjoy Paradise on Tap anywhere the tap can be turned on,” plus other inclusions like massages and beach yoga.
It also urges travelers to e-sign the Aruba Promise pledge to be respectful, engaged and environmentally friendly while on the island — for example, by bringing a reusable water bottle.
But if you don’t take their word for it, take the word of Martin Riese, a water sommelier and advocate, with whom Aruba has partnered to talk about the quality of its tap water and to promote good water-use practices. Riese, who has a Mineral Water Sommelier certification from the German Mineral Water Trade Association, joined us at the dinner in New York and was positively buoyant when talking about water.
A promotional image of Aruba’s Paradise on Tap campaign featuring water sommelier and advocate Martin Riese. (Courtesy of Aruba Tourism Authority)
And even those of us with uncultured water palates could appreciate Aruba’s offering. Tasting notes fail me, but it seemed softer, sweeter than the local tap (New Yorkers tend to be proud of their drinking water; the city’s website says it’s “world-renowned for its quality.”)
“Ever since I was a child, I’ve been passionate about water, and my mission to educate people about the importance of clean, delicious drinking water,” Riese said.
He described Aruba’s offering as “super smooth on the palate.”
If you want to geek out over Aruba’s water process and history, a detailed timeline is available at the country’s water authority, Webaruba.com.
Of course, water isn’t merely a standalone drink. The welcome cocktail at Tatiana made with Aruban water was also unusually smooth. We also sampled Aruba’s Balashi pilsner which, as the brewer says, “is made with the island’s pristine desalinated water.” For those who are lucky enough to sample Aruba’s water on location: The brewery also gives tours.
