Mocktails are a tasty, refreshing alternative to cocktails. If you’re all boozed out after Christmas, we have some delicious recipes for you to try in the new year.
Mocktails have many benefits for your health, waistband and wallet. Why not start off with these three tantalising concoctions?
Lee Westcott’s Non-alcoholic Aperol Spritz
700ml of Aperol
100 ml of water
4g of malic acid
Rhubarb soda
Ice cubes
Add the Aperol to a pan and use a low heat to reduce it to a syrupy consistency; this will remove the alcohol. Leave it to cool, then return it to a clean bottle.
Add the malic acid to the water and stir until it dissolves, then add it to a dripper bottle.
Add 15 ml of reduced Aperol into a glass with ice cubes, then add three drops of malic acid solution. Top with rhubarb soda, stir and enjoy.
Georgina Fuggle’s Rosewater, Apple and Rhubarb Mocktail
600ml of apple and rhubarb juice
400ml of soda water
3-4 tsp of caster sugar
1 egg white
2 tsp rose water
2 limes – 1 juiced, 1 sliced
Crushed ice cubes
Mint leaves
Paint your rose petals with egg white and sprinkle caster sugar on both sides. Leave to dry overnight on parchment paper.
Combine the apple and rhubarb juice, rose water, lime juice and soda water in a large jug and stir. Add ice to four tumblers, then pour the mocktail over it. Top with the rose petals and sliced lime.
For extra flavour, try adding food flavouring. Companies such as http://www.foodieflavours.com provide natural raspberry food flavouring.
Simon Rogan’s Rosemary, Lemon, Apple and Cranberry Mocktail
10g of lemon verbena
50g of rosemary
100ml of cranberry juice
Raspberries
Ice cubes
100ml of apple juice, Pershore
Apple marigold leaves
Raspberries or raspberry food flavouring
Ice cubes
Orange peels
Preheat a water bath to 50℃. Add the sugar, water, rosemary and lemon verbena to a vac pac bag. Remove the air and place into the water bath for one hour. Pass the mixture through a strainer once cooled.
Pour the lemon, cranberry and apple juice into a shaker and add 20ml of the syrup. Shake and strain the mixture into a glass and garnish with raspberries, apple marigold leaves and orange peel.