The Spirits: Mocktails can be fancy

Richard Godwin's cocktail adventures lead him to reconsider the mocktail
28 November 2013

Owing to family circumstances my household has undergone a steep fall in alcohol consumption over the past few months. Some of us have tried to maintain 2012 levels, but for the 50 per cent of inhabitants who are pregnant, the drop-off has been quite marked. Cocktail hour has become read-aloud-from-Babycentre.com hour. Drunch has become brunch again. And so the circle of life continues.

It’s funny how your perspective shifts. I now find One Born Every Minute way more exciting than Homeland. Painting items of nursery furniture is deeply fulfilling. And, most strange of all from the perspective of my January self, I have come to see the worth in that most mockable of liquids — the mocktail.

I had always seen the non-alcoholic cocktail as a contradiction in terms. I mean, Dr Pepper, orange juice, PG Tips, etc… these are all great beverages, why even try? However, more often than not, the best thing about making a cocktail is not that first rasp of alcohol but the anticipation — the cold-fingered minutes stirring something specifically designed to delight. At the same time, the challenge of making something with the impact of a Chartreuse Swizzle but the alcohol content of a jellybean is irresistible.

It’s a challenge that London’s bartenders have been taking up. At the Grain Store, the non-alcoholic cocktails outshine the boozy ones, including the French Blonde: grape juice, elderflower cordial, lemongrass and verjus. Hawksmoor, White Lyan and Mark’s Bar at Hix have all put a lot of effort into their no-alcohol lists.

Meanwhile, on Portobello Road, the Redemption claims to be London’s first dry bar, catering for those who, for whatever reason, don’t drink but still want to see friends, pull, dance, etc. Creations include the Coca-Rita, which is a bit like a Margarita with coconut juice in place of the tequila, and the Pomms, which is pomegranate juice with mint and fruit, topped with soda.

The Pomms is not dissimilar to my go-to no-alcohol cocktail — which is really a zhuzhed up version of a Shirley Temple. It is named after the famous child actress and it consists of grenadine (pomegranate syrup), ginger ale (or lemonade) plus a maraschino cherry.

Grenadine is among the most useful non-alcoholic ingredients in the bar, though sadly most of the commercial stuff is the colour of a kill in Jaws 2 and tastes of an unhappy birthday. But it’s quite easy to make your own: shake up one part fresh pomegranate juice with two parts sugar and it will keep for a month or two in the fridge. My own Shirley Temple is one shot grenadine, a squirt of lemon and a glug of Angostura bitters topped with fizzy water. (Yes, bitters are alcoholic but barely!)

The most successful experiment, with honourable mentions to the Tea Julep and the Ginger Martini, was the Pineapple Fizz. Crush two or three green cardamom pods in a shaker. Add two shots of pineapple juice with a spoon of brown sugar and a very generous glug of Angostura bitters and shake vigorously. Strain over ice and top with fizzy water. Garnish with lime and more bitters.

Pineapple, when shaken, produces a lovely foam, the bitters add tropical spice, the cardamom a whisper of aroma.

To be perfectly honest, it’s much better with a pony of gin in it, but there you go. Sometimes, it’s the thought that counts.

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