MxMo LXXXV April 21, 2014: Temperance

[haresfur]

FrogPrincesse announced this MxMo in our previous Mocktail Thread but to save the cocktail blog world from having to wade through it I thought I'd start this thread for our entries (or entry at least).

 

 

In spite of some skepticism expressed by the eGullet cocktail crowd, I was kind of pumped for this topic.  Scott's announcement points out that many classic cocktail books had sections for for non-alcoholic beverages. But in addition to that, many old cookbooks had either sections for cocktails or had alcoholic beverages mixed in with non-alcoholic refreshment. Preparing a good drink was seen as an important skill, booze or no booze.  

 

Typical choices for designated driver drinks in bars are often pretty dismal - coke, water, or if you want to live on the edge, orange juice. But in Australia there is another choice - lemon-lime and bitters.  What you usually get is a premix from Schweppes or Bundaberg like you can buy at the grocery (You can also get Angostura brand) that is basically lemonade (Sprite to you North Americans) with some bitters added. Still, it has bitters and that has to be worth something.

 

 

A while ago, I was at a bar in Adelaide and went to get a lemon-lime and bitters for a friend.  It was a revelation when the bartender made it using a big bottle of Angostura, a lime, and lemonade.  I'm not sure whether it was any better but it was classy.

 

So my MxMo contribution is a variation - Bitter lemon-lime and bitters:

 

Start with a fresh lime:

 

 

 

Add a healthy dose of Angostura and Peychauds bitters to an ice filled glass, top with bitter lemon soda and garnish with a lime slice.  Bob's your uncle.