4 great ideas for mocktails from Charlotte food and beverage gurus
A few times a year, I do a detox. Between events, dinner with friends, special occasions, and dates, I just need a break. Although I may not drink alcohol for a month, that doesn’t mean that I want to stick to just water and kombucha (shout out to Lenny Boy’s Lost Rose Kombucha). Every once in a while I want a fancy drink… a mocktail, if you will.
The last detox I did was in February. Yes, I strategically picked it because it’s the shortest month. I was surprised by how many bartenders would go the extra mile to make me an amazing mocktail. Gone are the days of thoughtless club soda, muddled strawberry and cucumber drinks. Today’s mocktails are fancy and delicious.
After my eye-opening foray into the world of mocktails, I thought I would reach out to some of Charlotte’s most creative mixologists and other food industry reps to talk about mocktails… some even shared their favorite go-to recipes for the readers of CharlotteFive.
From Blake Pope, general manager at Kindred Restaurant
I love making all kinds of drinks for guests, alcoholic or not. It can almost be more challenging making great, non-alcoholic beverages. Ultimately, many of our guests seek the same quality in a mocktail or a housemade soda at Kindred. If you’re focused on the hospitality of it all and creating something special for a non-boozy occasion, it’s that much more fun.
I’d encourage more guests (and bartenders alike) to order mocktails regularly. They’re so much healthier than sodas and let’s be honest, we could all use a night off from the booze here and there.
When creating a mocktail, I usually take the Tiki route. Most classic Tiki cocktails were based around fresh juices and syrups, making it easy to skip over the r(h)um. And nothing says refreshing like a fun Tiki mug and an umbrella in your drink, am I right? I don’t really have any names for any mocktails, but if I was making a friend one on the fly I might go with something like this:
1 oz. Lime juice
.75 oz. Muscadine juice
.5 oz. Pineapple gum syrup
.5 oz. Orgeat (almond syrup)
.25 oz. Honey syrup (1:1)
Top with splash of Fever Tree ginger beer
From Stefan Huebner, co-owner of Dot Dot Dot
Mocktails are a very important part of any restaurant. Whether it is for a guest who doesn’t drink, someone who is pregnant, or for your designated driver, the mocktail is a great inclusion to the social experience of drinking. That guest deserves the same experience as your drinking guests.
My go-to mocktail is the Basil Snap:
7 Leaves of basil
1 oz. Fresh lime
1 oz. Simple syrup
Dash of cayenne pepper
4 oz. Topo Chico (club soda)
Shake basil, lime, simple syrup, cayenne, and double strain. Top with Topo Chico and serve over ice in a Collins glass. Garnish with fresh basil.
From Sarah Turner Wells, marketing, events and community engagement at FS Food Group
Mocktails aren’t only a fun alternative to a potential hangover. They are a culinary experience and experiment! Also, whoever said those who have struggled with substance abuse, or those who are on a diet, OR those who don’t want to drink can’t have a well-crafted, thoughtfully sourced, and well-intentioned creation?
I was inspired by Bob Peters’ class at the PCG symposium [in March] on how to design a cocktail. He describes it in three sections: base flavor (which often is your base spirit), modifying flavor and sub modifying flavor. The example would be rum, coconut and lime. But why do you need a liquor, how about coconut, lime and mint?
I think using kombucha and fun simple syrups are great ways to show whimsy without the need of booze. Here is a great mocktail recipe using kombucha:
From Russ Johnson, bartender at Stagioni
I think creating an interesting mocktail can be as difficult, if not more so, than creating a cocktail with spirits. You have to really know the flavor profiles of different fruits, vegetables and juices to know how they will work together.
I think there are many contributing factors when trying to distinguish a good bartender from a great one when mocktails are involved. What do you have access to? Do you have a variety of fresh juices at your disposal? What kinds of fruit, spices, herbs, even tea do they have to work with? These can make or break any cocktail — even the ones with little to no alcohol.
My favorite mocktail to make is the same as my favorite cocktail. I want to make a drink you are going to enjoy. I want to create an experience. Whether you want something simple or complex in its profile, I want you to be happy with what I’ve concocted for you. I feel that too many craft cocktailers get lost in their craft sometimes that they forget it’s about the customer and their experience not the other way around.
I have found there are several ways to “make up” for the loss of “flavor” that you can typically get from adding spirits. I feel the best way to compensate is through a shrub. No, not the small bush lining the building outside, but a concentrated juice derived from the zest and juice of different fruits and vegetables combined with various types of vinegars. It’s a great way to add complexity and depth to any drink, especially a mocktail.
You can have sweet to savory and add layers to your drink you might not be able to with simple juices. Adding freshly grated ginger or ginger beer can bring some nice bite to your drink. I like to use kombucha when available to bring even more complexity to the drink as well. Even a dash of bitters can make a good mocktail a great one.
Photo: Courtesy of Blake Pope, Russ Johnson
This story was originally published August 7, 2017 at 12:00 AM with the headline "4 great ideas for mocktails from Charlotte food and beverage gurus."