Non-alcoholic cocktails for adults

[TAPrice]

Non-alcoholic cocktails? I know what you're thinking. Why bother? Well, I seem to be at that age when half my friends are pregnant on any given day. When I have people over for dinner, I'd like to include them in the pre-dinner cocktail.

Poking around the forums, I found this thread on Mocktails for kids:

Fancy Kid Mocktails

That's a start, but I don't really want to serve grow-ups a Shirley Temple. Might be a little insulting.

That same thread had a link to some non-alcoholic drinks by adults (he was looking out for the designated driver):

King Cocktail: Non-alcoholic drinks

Any other ideas?

[cdh]

Citrus juices, flavored syrups and seltzer, in various combinations do a fine job.

The classic British mock aperitif, the elderflower cordial, is nice and wine-y in a non-alcoholic way.

I'm a fan of raspberry syrup, lime juice and seltzer. A latter day lime rickey. I'd bet a further interesting accent could be achieved with a bit of green tea in there for tannic backbone.

Think about the flavor complexity of cocktails you like, and consider where you might get similar effects without booze. For a scotch drinker, a bit of lapsang souchong certainly evokes the smokiness... I wonder if you one-up that effect by adding a whisky barrel chip or two to some lapsang to create woodiness to go with the smoke. You might have to let that mellow for a week in a bottle before it got palateable since wood takes some time to meld with other flavors.

I'm back... just did an experiment that confirms my suspicions that green tea would be a nice addition to the lime raspberry mix. For the sake of communicating what I did I used a scale to measure parts: 50g of freshly brewed Li Zi Xiang tea, 15g of raspberry syrup, 7g of lime juice, over ice and filled with seltzer in a 12 oz glass. Came out very nicely tart and complex.

Edited June 26, 2008 by cdh (log)

[Chris Amirault]

Using some flavored simple syrups would help. I also think that a few dashes of bitters, while containing alcohol, probably wouldn't dismay your third-trimester friends too much, and they'd add dimensions that would make the drink taste more like a cocktail.

I'd give ginger beer, lime juice, a good dose of Angostura, and ginger syrup a whirl with some ice and garnish it with mint.

[brinza]

Using some flavored simple syrups would help. I also think that a few dashes of bitters, while containing alcohol, probably wouldn't dismay your third-trimester friends too much, and they'd add dimensions that would make the drink taste more like a cocktail.

I'd give ginger beer, lime juice, a good dose of Angostura, and ginger syrup a whirl with some ice and garnish it with mint.

←

You're absolutely right about using bitters. I agree that if you start with bitters of some sort and go from there, you'll usually end up with something that has a real cocktail taste. Too many non-alcoholic drink recipes are just fruit punch variations, IMO.

I also favor the Lime Rickey. I saw the link to DeGroff's website, but in his book he calls the Lime Rickey "the drinking man's non-alcoholic drink." To be sure.

If I'm making a non-alcoholic cocktail for myself, it's usually because I'm avoiding the calories more-so than the alcohol itself. Therefore, I try to come up with something that does not rely on a lot of sweetener. Sometimes I'll put a single sugar cube and a dash or two of bitters into a tall glass of club soda, and that works just fine. But when flavor is the main goal, yes, the ginger beer, lime, and bitters is a winner.

[KatieLoeb]

My housemade ginger beer in a very tall glass with a wedge of lime is always well received by pregnant guests at my restaurant. The other thing to do is make a virgin Madras and put it in a cocktail glass with a cherry. Doesn't taste like, but feels like a cocktail in hand. A dash of bitters would likely cure the former issue.

[Amarantha]

For a scotch drinker, a bit of lapsang souchong certainly evokes the smokiness...

←

Omg, that's genius! I was looking at a mocktail book the other day to get ideas for future pregnancy drinks, and was lamenting the fact that they all seem really sweet. I guess it's difficult to replicate the classic simplicity of a martini or manhattan with non-alcoholic ingredients. But I do love a good Islay whisky, and I do love a good lapsang souchong. I shall have to experiment...

For Campari fans, I remember getting some little bitters-and-soda bottles that were a non-alcoholic version of the little Campari-sodas. Can't remember what it was called, but if they do a version without the soda, that could be a useful mocktail ingredient.

*edit* Looked it up; it's Sanbitter by San Pellegrino, but looks like it's only available in soda form. Still might be good inna cocktail, I guess

Edited June 27, 2008 by Amarantha (log)

[TAPrice]

For a scotch drinker, a bit of lapsang souchong certainly evokes the smokiness...

←

Omg, that's genius!

←

That is pretty brilliant, although a lot of people I know would pass on drinking caffeinated tea in the evening (and a lot of pregnant women try to avoid or completely eliminate caffeine).

[andiesenji]

I have long been a fan of the Torani syrups which come in an amazing array of flavors.

Besides the drink recipes on the Torani site, I am sure you can think up numerous other flavor combinations which will satisfy just about any taste.

I agree that various types of tea lend themselves nicely to flavor beverages and the use of lapsang souchong is brilliant.

I use this smokey tea in certain fruit jams, both to cut the sweetness and to make the flavor more interesting, particularly when serving it with cheeses.

I am allergic to alcohol so a substitute for me is not just an option but necessary.

I should add that I prepared mock mimosas for a brunch on Easter Sunday, using the Torani raspberry syrup, fresh orange juice and sparkling grape juice. They were a big hit.

Edited June 27, 2008 by andiesenji (log)

[brinza]

For a scotch drinker, a bit of lapsang souchong certainly evokes the smokiness...

←

Omg, that's genius! I was looking at a mocktail book the other day to get ideas for future pregnancy drinks, and was lamenting the fact that they all seem really sweet. I guess it's difficult to replicate the classic simplicity of a martini or manhattan with non-alcoholic ingredients. But I do love a good Islay whisky, and I do love a good lapsang souchong. I shall have to experiment...

←

For the love of Jerry Thomas, don't! I had the idea that lapsang souchong and scotch might be a good combination so I tried it using Talisker. Worst thing I ever did. It smelled like dirty dish-rag and tasted nearly as bad. I think the problem is that the two kinds of smoke (wood smoke and peat smoke) are not the same and clash horribly. Lately, I've been toying with the idea of combining the lapsang souchong and Mezcal as their kinds of smokiness (both wood smoke) are much closer in nature and should combine more palatably. Pine is used for lapsang souchong and I believe they use oak for mezcal. Luckily, I have both at the moment, so I might try it this weekend. If you are brave enough to try it with scotch, please report your results (Maybe in the Drinks thread, since this getting somewhat off-topic).

[plattetude]

For a scotch drinker, a bit of lapsang souchong certainly evokes the smokiness...

←

Omg, that's genius! I was looking at a mocktail book the other day to get ideas for future pregnancy drinks, and was lamenting the fact that they all seem really sweet. I guess it's difficult to replicate the classic simplicity of a martini or manhattan with non-alcoholic ingredients. But I do love a good Islay whisky, and I do love a good lapsang souchong. I shall have to experiment...

←

For the love of Jerry Thomas, don't! I had the idea that lapsang souchong and scotch might be a good combination so I tried it using Talisker.

←

Um, the idea for this thread is *evoking* scotch with a lapsang souchong, not infusing it with the tea.

Right?

Christopher

[cdh]

Um, the idea for this thread is *evoking* scotch with a lapsang souchong, not infusing it with the tea.

Right?

Christopher

←

Bingo! Infusing one into the other seems like a very bad idea.

[Mickael]

I remeber when i last put my head down to create a Non-Alcoholic.

In Europe, there is an IBA contest called the Mattoni Grand Drink. It's a kind of World Championship of Mocktail.

I found the experience brillant. Also, I saw what you wrote before: many Non Alcoholic cocktails tend to use syrups to gain flavour.

When I did the comp, the category of drinks was "cobbler".

I've played with Mint, coriander and cucumber and I named it the Fresh Start.

With simple and affordable ingredients, you really can start to create and have a lot of fun with flavours. Plus, if you take your non alcoholic drinks seriously, then I'm pretty sure that your alcoholic cocktails are going to be excellent.

Here is the recipe, if you want to give it a try.

Cheers

Mick

The Fresh Start

12.5cl Mattoni Grand Grapefruit (gently grapefruit flavoured sparkling water)

10.0cl White Grape Juice

0.15cl fresh lemon Juice

1 slice of Cucumber (1cm)

10 Mint Leaves

3 Coriander Springs

Muddle the herbs and cucumber in a mixing glass. Add the rest and shake. Fine strain the content over the sparkling water that you pre-poured in a Colada glass filled with cubed ice.

Garnish: cucumber, mint, cherry, olive & Black pepper

http://magazin.mattoni.cz/english/mgd_2006.php#mgd

[brinza]

Um, the idea for this thread is *evoking* scotch with a lapsang souchong, not infusing it with the tea.

Right?

Christopher

←

Bingo! Infusing one into the other seems like a very bad idea.

←

Well, there are several cocktails that include brewed tea in the recipe.

[Benjamin B]

This thread seems to have been dead for a while, but...

I've recently quit drinking and although I still do wine tasting at work (spitting), I would like to do some drinks that are either Mocktails/NA Cocktails, or some sort of non alcoholic pairings that will match food (maybe something like the French Laundrys Non-Alcoholic Pairings?).

Anyone have recipes or suggestions?

[jk1002]

I am interested as well. I always search for something interesting to go along with the food I cook and I cook much more often then I like to drink.

For all Italian meals I have, current choice is Sanbitter with an few good splashes of lime juice to break the sweetness and crushed ice.

[dsoneil]

Not to self-promote too much, but the classic soda fountain produced a wide array of non-alcoholic beverages that were more than just mixtures of flavour syrup and seltzer.

The book I just finished writing has 450 recipes that fit the non-alcoholic category (mostly). Some of the interesting ingredients include gentian syrup, aromatic elixir, black pepper extract, cognac essence*, hop tonic, soluble flavouring extract, taraxacum elixir, tamarind syrup, etc. All the recipes, plus many more, can be found in the book.

Cognac oil is the component taken off the still after the water portion. This oil has the fruity aromas of cognac without the alcohol. It makes a wicked drink when a few drops of diluted cognac oil are added to lemonade. It is fairly expensive, but a little goes a long way. Just dilute the oil in vodka and use a few dashes like bitters.

Other drinks like the Cherry Phosphate and Angostura Phosphate are adult drinks that really do please.

Edited December 22, 2009 by dsoneil (log)

[runwestierun]

I am bumping this thread up to see if anyone has any new ideas for good adult non-alcoholic drinks since this thread was last fresh. I've read that the French Laundry has a non-alcoholic pairing of beverages with food, and I wonder if any of you can shed any insight into that. There is so much knowledge about pairing alcoholic drinks with food, I would love to do the same with non-alcoholic drinks. So much of it is so sweet. I am wondering if any of you have encountered anything delicious lately, something that would appeal to the older-than-12 crowd.

[judiu]

I prefer not to drink alcohol early in the day, and my go-to stand-by is a well made Bloody Awful (sorry; that's a Virgin Mary to you non-northeasterners...)with a good belt of Worcestershire sauce and just a drop or two of hot sauce. Also a virgin Bloody Cesar, made with Clamato or clam juice and tomato juice with lots of lemon.

[nikkib]

Non alcoholic cocktails i have added to cokctail menus in the past

Fresh lemon muddled with brown sugar and mint, topped with apple juice and ginger beer

a non alcoholic raspberry tom collins made with lemon juice, sugar syrup and fresh raspberries and topped with fizzy water

rocks shandy - lemon and lime with angostura and fizzy water

st clements - fresh oj and bitter lemon

ginger beer and Oj also works reall well

fresh mint lemonade - fresh mint blended with ice, lemon juice, sugar syrup and a little water

fresh basil shredded and shaken with elderflower cordial, lemon juice, sugar srup and water

thyme infused lemonaded (just infuse the sugar syrup with thyme and add to lemonade as normal)

blueberry and lavender lemonade (again infuse the sugar syrup with the lavender and shake with fresh blueberries and leomonade)

watermelon juice - just blend fresh watermelon and serve in martini glasses and you have a very pretty cocktail indeed

[runwestierun]

Nikkib,

Those all sound so good, I wanted to ask you have you made anything with pear?

[nikkib]

i have to confess no but look at the flavours you like to use when cooking and experiment - you could try it with apple juice and a spiced ginger, cinamon and clove syrup maybe?

[nikkib]

Now I'm essentially dry (living in Kuwait) I couldn't survive without these two favourites

aprox 60mls red grape juice

20mls raspberry purée

15mls lemon juice

15mls vanilla syrup

3dashes orange blossom water

shake over ice, serve topped with sparkling water (just about 50mls)

60mls pomegranate juice

15mls orgeat

15mls cinamon syrup

15mls lemon juice

top Ginger ale

almost good enough to forget the booze (oh who am I trying to kid?! But they are very nice indeed)

[EvergreenDan]

Sanbitter, seltzer, and lemon -- like Campari and Soda. (It's pretty sweet and floral right from the bottle.)

Seltzer, lemon or lime, and Angostura (ignoring the tiny amount of alcohol). Got this from an old, old Julia Child episode. Also works with any other bitters. Fee bitters generally do not contain alcohol, if you are really particular.

Fruit shrub and seltzer.

[Genkinaonna]

I'm having a picnic for my kiddo's first birthday and I thought I'd do a DIY italian soda bar with San Pellegrino and some home made syrups for mixing for the parents. I'm thinking rhubarb-vanilla, lemon verbena, and strawberry basil syrups. I have a recipe for the rhubarb, and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to figure out the lemon verbena, but I'm not sure about the strawberry basil. Should I do a strawberry syrup and a basil and mix them? Or make the strawberry and infuse the basil in it? Any help (and recipes) would be appreciated! It doesn't really have to keep for very long, and I'll be storing it in the fridge, if that helps...

[Shalmanese]

In Australia, Lemon, Lime Bitters is a local classic and a really excellent mocktail.

Edited July 7, 2011 by Shalmanese (log)