ZERO PROOF DRINKS AND MORE: 100 Recipes for Mocktails and Low-Alcohol Cocktails
Maureen Petrosky
Robert Rose
January 15, 2021
$24.95/Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-0778806752
Maureen Petrosky appears regularly as an Entertaining & Lifestyle Expert on NBC’s Today Show. Author of The Wine Club
and The Cocktail Club, she’s also a popular columnist for today.com and thekitchn.com. She currently resides in Bucks
County, Pennsylvania.
Maureen Petrosky, an Entertaining & Lifestyle Expert, shares over 100 no-alcohol and low alcohol recipes for cocktails, spritzers, ciders, coffees, shandies and radlers,and a whole lot more. ZERO PROOF DRINKS & MORE offers delicious and mindful drinks for every guest and every occasion. The reasons for no- and low-alcohol drinking are as varied as the drinks themselves — ranging from religious belief to pregnancy to living a healthier lifestyle to the role of “designated driver.”
With ZERO PROOF DRINKS & MORE, you’ll be prepared — with the perfect pour for every guest, along with easy tips and tricks for creating on-trend and delicious drink solutions for entertaining or simply winding down after a long day.
• Over 100 on-trend recipes for no-alcohol and low-alcohol drinks.
• 52 percent of Americans who drink alcohol report that they are actively trying to cut back. Witness the rising popularity of Dry January and Mindful Drinking, and the growing number of Sober Curious millennials.
• Reasons for low-alcohol/no-alcohol drinks: health concerns; calorie reduction; religion; cultural
Hot Noddy
Makes 1 drink
Hot cocktails are lovely for a chilly night by the fire. This recipe calls for masala chai tea, which is packed with spicy sweet aromas — perfect to warm you up.
- 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) vanilla soy milk
- 3⁄4 cup (175 mL) strong brewed masala chai tea, freshly brewed (see Tips)
- 1 oz (30 mL) Cinnamon & Anise Spiced Syrup (see below)
- 2 to 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- 2 star anise pods
In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat soy milk until steaming. Pour into a heat-proof mug.
Add tea, Cinnamon & Anise Spiced Syrup and bitters. Garnish with star anise pods.
Tips
- If you prefer another milk to soy, you can replace the vanilla soy milk with an equal amount of dairy, almond, oat or coconut milk. Use a sweetened or unsweetened variety, depending on your preference.
- Chai tea bags tend to be much weaker than, say, English Breakfast tea. To get all that yummy chai flavor, I suggest that you make it stronger than you’d think. To make strong brewed masala chai tea, use 2 tea bags for 3⁄4 cup (175 mL) water.
Cinnamon & Anise Spiced Syrup
Makes about 11⁄2 cups/375 mL (12 oz)
- 1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (250 mL) fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
- 1 cup (250 mL) water
- Four 3-inch (7.5 cm) cinnamon sticks, cracked in half (see Tips)
- 4 cloves
- 6 star anise pods
In a small pot, combine sugar, mint, water, cinnamon, cloves and anise. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, until all of the sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat and let cool completely. Using a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, strain out all the solids.
Pour the syrup into a squeeze bottle or a container with a lid, such as a mason jar. Store for up to 4 weeks in the fridge.
Tips
- Cracking the cinnamon sticks in half before using will intensify their flavor, especially if they’ve been hiding in your cupboard for a while.
- Swap this syrup for the sugar in your favorite cup of hot tea, for interesting layers of spice. Or, for a summer brunch, add it to your iced tea and garnish with fresh mint or candied ginger.
- Instead of drinking this syrup, use it as potpourri! Just skip the sugar and mint and simmer the spices.
- Feel free to omit either the cloves or the anise, or skip them both and just use cinnamon.
No-groni
Makes 1 drink
There’s a drink called Sanbitter, a glowing red Italian soda that comes in doll-sized glass bottles. It looks playful but pours up a serious bite. Mix it with some cherry juice, a homemade syrup and club soda, and you’ve got a No-Groni, the zero-proof version of its boozy sister, the Negroni.
- Ice cubes
- 1 1⁄2 oz (45 mL) Sanbitter
- 1 oz (30 mL) tart cherry juice
- 1 oz (30 mL) Juniper Berry Syrup (see below)
- 1 oz (30 mL) club soda
- 1 thick piece orange peel (see Tips)
In a glass half-filled with ice cubes, combine Sanbitter, cherry juice and Juniper Berry Syrup. Add club soda and stir.
Run the skin (orange) side of the orange peel around the rim of the glass. Then twist it to further express the oils and drop it in.
Tips
- Your piece of orange peel should be as free as possible of pith (the white part), which is bitter. Try using a vegetable peeler and don’t press too hard.
- If you want to make a pitcher of this drink to keep in the fridge, hold back on the club soda and orange peel. Add them to each glass just before serving.
- You can substitute pomegranate juice for the cherry juice for an equally delish sip.
- If you don’t want extra sweetness, skip the Juniper Berry Syrup. If you still want the juniper flavor, crush 3 tbsp (45 mL) juniper berries with the flat bottom of a pot to release their flavor and place them in a pot. Add 1 cup (250 mL) cherry juice and bring to a simmer. (Or use a muddler to muddle the berries and cherry juice in the pot before simmering.) Remove from heat and let cool overnight. Then, using a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, strain out the juniper berries. Use the infused cherry juice to make your No-Groni.
Juniper Berry Syrup
Makes about 11⁄2 cups/375 mL (12 oz)
- 1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (250 mL) water
- 2⁄3 cup (150 mL) fresh juniper berries, crushed (see Tips)
- 4 thick pieces orange peel (see Tips)
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh rosemary leaves
- Muddler (optional)
In a small pot, combine sugar, water, crushed juniper berries, orange peel and rosemary. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, until all of the sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Using a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, strain out the berries, orange peel and rosemary leaves, pressing the berries with the back of a spoon to get all the liquid out.
Pour the syrup into a squeeze bottle or a container with a lid, such as a mason jar. Store for up to 4 weeks in the fridge.
Tips
- Juniper berries need to be crushed because of their firm texture. A muddler works well, but in this case a wooden spoon doesn’t, since you need something with a flat bottom. I like to do it right in the pot, which keeps the berries from scattering. You could also simply place the berries on a cutting board (to protect your counter), cover with a clean kitchen towel (to keep them in place) and press down on them with the bottom of a flat pot or sauté pan.
- Your orange peel should be as free as possible of pith (the white part), which is bitter. Try using a vegetable peeler, and don’t press too hard.
Courtesy of ZERO PROOF drinks & more 100 Recipes for Mocktails & Low-Alcohol Cocktails by Maureen Petrosky © 2021 www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. Available where books are sold.
Image credit: Photographs by Levi Miller
Contact: Megan Brush
mbrush@robertrose.ca