Enhance your cocktails… without alcohol

Non-alcoholic beverages are experiencing a craze never seen in Quebec. This is particularly the case for non-alcoholic spirits which are, according to several cocktail designers, essential for making quality non-alcoholic cocktails. Three professionals tell us their secrets and recipes for getting the most out of these alcohol-free bottles.

Karyne Duplessis Piche
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The bar Le Royal, in Montreal, is deserted in this freezing month of January. Due to restrictions, the establishment cannot receive customers. But it is not empty: behind the counter, the head mixologist Manuel Ruiz is preparing for the reopening by reviewing his menu of cocktails with and without alcohol.

“It has become a necessity to have a non-alcoholic cocktail menu,” he notes. People want more choices than non-alcoholic beer and cocktails are a great option. »

Mixing required

Max Coubès is also of this opinion. This cocktail maker (mixologist) quit drinking two years ago. He finds that with the addition of non-alcoholic spirits, mocktails (mocktails) are as complex as those containing it.

“When your friends share a bottle of wine or they drink negronis, you don’t want to have the impression of drinking a juice for children, illustrates Max Coubès. By adding a non-alcoholic spirit to your cocktail, you respect all alcohol codes. »

Non-alcoholic spirits are relatively new. The English brand Seedlip was the first in 2015 to market drinks intended to replace gin or vodka.

Max Coubès nuance however: unlike traditional spirits, these drinks should not be consumed alone. “Since there is no alcohol or sugar and zero calories, if you drink it alone, you will find it flat”, explains the one who is also an ambassador of Seedlip.

Advantage

Cocktail designer Claudia Doyon also considers the absence of sugar to be an asset. Unlike juice, these drinks allow you to add taste, aromas and spices, without adding sugar. This is why the mixologist finds it easier to create a good mock tail with a non-alcoholic spirit.

Behind his counter, Manuel Ruiz would not want to do without these new products either. Because the aromatic framework of spirits, with or without alcohol, is often the starting point for the creation of cocktails. All that remains is imagination and talent to find the right recipe.

Three recipes for non-alcoholic cocktails (mocktails)

“Good Vibes”

The Italian brand Martini has been marketing an alcohol-free aperitif liqueur for two years. Made with dealcoholized wine, this drink is sweet. Cocktail designer Manuel Ruiz loves its bergamot aromas, but also its bitterness. For aperitifs in a hurry, he recommends mixing this drink with sparkling water to prepare a spritz without alcohol. To wow the gallery, he suggests this shaker recipe.

The Italian brand Martini has been marketing an alcohol-free aperitif liqueur for two years. Made with dealcoholized wine, this drink is sweet. Cocktail designer Manuel Ruiz loves its bergamot aromas, but also its bitterness. For aperitifs in a hurry, he recommends mixing this drink with sparkling water to prepare a spritz without alcohol. To wow the gallery, he suggests this shaker recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Vibrant Martini
• 2 oz hibiscus tea
• 0.5 oz simple syrup
• 0.25 oz lime juice
• Wintergreen Harrington Sparkling Water

Preperation

• 1. Put the ingredients in the shaker, except the sparkling water.
• 2. Shake for a few seconds and strain into a tall highball type glass filled with ice.
• 3. Top up with Harrington Wintergreen Sparkling Water.
• 4. Garnish with an orange zest.

“Between Kebek and Istanbul”

Claudia Doyon did not take a drop of alcohol in January. She took advantage of this downtime to taste non-alcoholic spirits and fell in love with Alphonse produced by the Appalaches distillery. “Its rose scents remind me of Turkish sweets,” she says. She offers a trip to Istanbul by bringing together the exotic flavors of saffron and chilli in her alcohol-free cocktail, recalling that all these ingredients are also produced in Quebec.

Ingredients

• 2.5 oz from Alphonse, Appalachian Distillery
• 1.5 oz honey and saffron syrup
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1 egg white or a few drops of emulsifier
• 2 dashes of Bitter Flowers
• 1 pinch of fleur de sel
• Hot pepper powder to garnish

Preperation

• 1. Prepare the syrup by bringing a quarter cup of honey and half a cup of water to a boil. Remove from the heat and add a few strands of saffron. Leave to infuse for a few hours, then remove the filaments using a sieve.
• 2. Once the syrup has cooled, combine all the ingredients, except the chilli powder, in the shaker.
• 3. Shake without ice until foam forms.
• 4. Add ice to the shaker and shake again for a few seconds.
• 5. Strain into a cup and add a dash of chilli powder to decorate.

“Green Chiller”

Seedlip soft drinks are the best known in the world. The company offers three products whose scents and flavors are very distinct: spicy, floral and herbaceous. It is the latter, the Garden 108, that Max Coubès chose to use to prepare an alcohol-free cocktail, but full of crisp flavors.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz of Seedlip Garden 108
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 0.75 oz coconut milk
• 6 mint leaves
• 1/2 tsp. matcha powder
• Ginger ale

Preperation

• 1. Pour all the ingredients into a shaker except the ginger ale.
• 2. Add ice cubes, then shake vigorously.
• 3. Double strain into a small old-fashioned style glass over ice using a fine strainer.
• 4. Lengthen with the ginger ale.
• 5. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a slice of cucumber.