7 ms·

What makes a great mocktail? (2018)

74 points by amarcheschi 2y ago

zamalek 2y ago
I have found kombucha to be unreasonably good at adding an interesting mouthfeel to cocktails. It's reminiscent of alcohol, but definitely not a perfect imitation. Grapefruit juice is also a regular ingredient of mine.
- blinded 2y ago
  Agreed.
- Etheryte 2y ago
  Grapefruit has a flavor kick for sure, but I would strongly advise against putting it into cocktails, at least without being very upfront and clear about it. Grapefruit has very strong interactions with such a large number of drugs, that even just the interactions themselves have a separate page on Wikipedia [0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit%E2%80%93drug_interactions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit%E2%80%93drug_intera...
- echelon 2y ago
  > mouthfeel This word is so gross I find any foods described using it as immediately and viscerally less palatable. I love kombucha, but my sense memory did a gross little convolution for a second. The concept of this word is important and otherwise hard to convey, but it's such a weird word.
  - Y_Y 2y ago
    On the subject of words, I was really expecting "convulsion" rather than "convolution" there.
  - maxwell 2y ago
    You can just call it "texture," but it's a fun term d'art. As with "automatic memory collection" for those grossed out by "garbage collection."
- TylerE 2y ago
  Typical commercial kombucha is about 0.5% ABV. Not exactly not alcohol.
  - dmoy 2y ago
    A lot of "NA" beers are also 0.5%. Incidentally, freshly baked bread is also often around 0.5% depending on the type of bread, as are very ripe bananas. If you want a not-really-beer that's trivially easy to make at home, I suggest kalja Just mash 100% dark rye (weyermanns chocolate rye) for.... some arbitrary time period (hours, and you don't even really need to keep temp up), maybe with some sugar for speed, and then ferment for... days (? 2 days? whatever), strain, and bottle (if you don't care about carbonation, just use mason jars), and stick it into the fridge for another couple days. It's anywhere between 0.1-0.7% ABV depending on temperature, length of fermentation, etc. Bonus, compared to kombucha, it doesn't look like some alien growth thing while fermenting
    - lostlogin 2y ago
      > 5%. Incidentally, freshly baked bread is also often around 0.5% depending on the type of bread, as are very ripe bananas. I’ve heard this before, but how can it be true? Bread is baked at a high temperature, I do it as 250C, but would go higher if I could. My father bakes at 500-600 degrees. How would alcohol stay in the bread? Or is the measure taken pre baking?
      - xhkkffbf 2y ago
        This makes sense to me. Most of the water leaves as vapor too.
      - zajio1am 2y ago
        I guess it is contained and cannot leave easily. Water also stays in the bread as water vapor, so it is not completely dry after baking.
      - nilram 2y ago
        "Does the booze really cook off?" No, not all of it. Even a long-cooking stew can have 5% of the alcohol that was added at the start. https://www.isu.edu/news/2019-fall/no-worries-the-alcohol-burns-off-during-cookingbut-does-it-really.html https://www.isu.edu/news/2019-fall/no-worries-the-alcohol-bu... And, somehow, the smell of my mom's fresh-baked bread ties in with my adult sense of the odor of alcohol to say--yeah, there was some alcohol there, even if a small amount.
- ErigmolCt 2y ago
  Are there any specific combinations you’ve found that really work well together?
  - zamalek 2y ago
    Roughly, I don't really keep track of precise amounts: 1 cup of water, 1 cup sugar, 1 tbsp salt, a few sprigs of lavender (dried lavender works almost as well). Bring to boil and simmer for 15min to form a simple syrup. This will keep in the fridge for about two weeks. This simple syrup is a pretty fantastic ingredient overall. 40:30:10:20 mango juice:kombucha:grape fruit:soda. Simple syrup: 1.5 fl oz (shot/tot glass) per glass is a good starting point. Something acidic like yuzu vinegar (or whatever clear vinegar you have on hand): a few tbsp. In a tall glass with ice. I use flavored kombucha, I have found Trilogy by Synergy (available basically everywhere in US) works well with this recipe - but experiment with whatever you have. Pineapple juice also works really well.
    - ErigmolCt 2y ago
      Thanks for sharing! The lavender syrup caught my attention; I never would have thought to use that in a drink
bigstrat2003 2y ago
Why recreate the burning sensation, by far the worst part about drinking alcohol? This seems like something where you could do better than the original by leaving out the unpleasantness. I guess maybe people actually like that (taste is subjective and all), but I personally hate it and it's why I don't drink much at all.
- drekipus 2y ago
  I love a bit of the burn, and I've been looking for a way to recreate it without alcohol. (probably impossible) Alcohol feels like the only "adult drink" you can have which isn't sugar based (ironic because a lot of alcohol is sugar) other that it's just tea, coffee, and water.
  - sojournerc 2y ago
    Ginger kombucha has a nice spicey burn to it that I enjoy. Not quite the same, but similar enough.
    - genewitch 2y ago
      The pre-mixed kombucha dry tea I bought was super sour, like an arnild palmer. It hit like lemonade on the first tingly fizzy sip. My wife was sensitive to smell so I stopped brewing. I haven't found any kombucha that had that degree of lemonade and icea tea going. I decant into growlers so I actually get a pretty violent pop, even after refrigeration. What I don't understand is why all kombucha is refrigerated, I only drank mine cold because it is smoother that way, but straight off the 78° bucket was fine too!
  - Y_Y 2y ago
    Alcohol is sugar!? I guess you mean alcoholic drinks often contain lots of sugar, but you can have something like vodka which is pretty much water and ethanol. For sure that ethanol was made by yeast processing sugar, but the amount in the final product is up to you!
    - 2y ago
A_D_E_P_T 2y ago
Angostura bitters are seriously magical. They improve everything. A few dashes are basically non-alcoholic, too. The best mocktail, which even a grown man can enjoy without feeling silly, is as simple as bitters + tonic.
- channel_t 2y ago
  It really is great, and something that can be ordered at just about any bar anywhere. Excellent as a stand-in between alcoholic beverages to avoid getting too plastered, or if rolling completely alcohol-free, enough to feed the oral fixation that comes with being in any typical drinking situation.
- amarcheschi 2y ago
  The book Zero by alinea has recipes for spirit free bitters as well,I'm sure you can find similar recipes online for free I bought just now some liquid smoke and I wanna try it so much for spirit free whiskey
  - genewitch 2y ago
    Liquid smoke is a poor substitute for smoke in food I can't imagine mixing it for effect in a drink. For humans? They sell little bits of pre-charred and corrugated wood that you can put in "crappy whisky to make it taste fancy", which is what I'd use, except I'd use a bernzomatic and a piece of oak from my yard. I bet lump charcoal would work, too, if you had a filter stage afterward.
    - amarcheschi 2y ago
      I've never tried it, so it might suck. If it does, I'll just use it for food and buy toasted oak chips
- cheeze 2y ago
  Mocktails taught me what an _incredible_ solvent alcohol is. It's hard to replicate alcohol for flavor extraction. Luckily, the mocktails I'm making are fine to have a tiny amount of alcohol (my wife just doesn't drink, but it's not religious or health related). Bitters make things so much easier.
oidar 2y ago
Shrubs are a fun addition as well. They seem to have fallen out of favor in the last couple years.
- sleazebreeze 2y ago
  I could never get into shrubs because the vinegar smell was overpowering. They tasted fine-ish, but no thank you.
nate 2y ago
I feel like if someone could figure out an "alcohol" that doesn't metabolize like alcohol or kill you will be a somethingillionarire. Or at least a beverage/food company another mountain of money. Like discovering fake sweeteners.
- jcul 2y ago
  You mean the same inebriation effects but without the same health risks? I believe there are drugs that act on similar receptors, and are not as toxic or at least don't need to be taken in such high doses for the same effect. My understanding is that the drug GHB has very similar effects to alcohol, in lower doses, but unfortunately in higher doses is used as a date rape drug. Alcohol has the benefit of being somewhat naturally occurring. I don't see many other recreational drugs being legalized or so widely used.
  - nate 2y ago
    Ah. no. sorry. i meant really just tastes like alcohol. but no inebriation or health effects. I really like the taste of alcohol in a drink, but don't want any of the effects.
    - jcul 2y ago
      Ah OK, I often thought the opposite, that people mainly drink for the sugar in beer etc, as well as the alcohol. But I always felt like the kick of the alcohol was just something people came to like as it preceeds the effect. Otherwise more people might drink vodka and water.
  - genewitch 2y ago
    "Kava" is supposed to mimic a drunk, in the way that Kratom mimics opiates and kanna mimics MDMA. I only know that if you're not careful with kratom it will hurt you thru the exact same mechanisms that opiates do. No idea about dosing or anything on kava or kanna. I tried kanna but only low micro doses. It is like a slight mood elevator at low dosages, like I imagine "a beer with dinner" elevates mood slightly. 2.5 grams of kratom feels exactly like an oxy, down to wanting to tell everyone you really love them and is that shirt felt well it is now
4dregress 2y ago
Apple Cider Vinegar is a great base for mocktails.
nate 2y ago
I gave up drinking 5 years ago. Just didn't want it in my life anymore. Started just feeling ick more often than not even with just a couple drinks. Just stopped feeling worth it. But I loved cocktails. So we've been experimenting with a ton of things. By far the most fun one is this: https://weareraisingthebar.com/ https://weareraisingthebar.com/ It's pricey, but they expose me to all the new non-alcohol things out there. It's great if you just want an easy way to get fun new things without thinking too hard about this category. Also, our very own Justin Kan, is a founder of Woody's Wine (NA): https://woodys.wine https://woodys.wine So many good NA beers now. Athletic, Guinness, Heineken, all play well here. Still looking for a good fake bourbon. My favorite so far is Free Sprits https://drinkfreespirits.com/collections/non-alcoholic-spirits/products/the-spirit-of-bourbon https://drinkfreespirits.com/collections/non-alcoholic-spiri... Fair warning though. None of these fake alcohols drink well on their own. I don't think anyone has a bourbon anyone is going to like on the rocks or neat. But it does well in mocktails.
- EGreg 2y ago
  In that case, may I recommend a completely ... different type of experience? https://www.adagio.com/ https://www.adagio.com/ Before you engage, you can have in your head this 3 second clip on YouTube that I uploaded a decade ago :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeUARKgSWJw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeUARKgSWJw
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - amarcheschi 2y ago
    Oh, that store sells samples for a small price, that's kinda cool, I'm probably gonna try some of their teas
  - satvikpendem 2y ago
    Adagio is not really that great, take a look at the r/tea wiki for better options [0]. [0] https://old.reddit.com/r/tea/wiki/vendors/page_01 https://old.reddit.com/r/tea/wiki/vendors/page_01
jasonpeacock 2y ago
So far, the best NA cocktail I've found is Phony Negroni - their negronis and amaro are quite good: https://stagrestis.com/pages/non-alcoholic https://stagrestis.com/pages/non-alcoholic
meew0 2y ago
I feel like you could do even better than chilies/ginger for replicating the burn. The burn from chilies feels completely different than the burn from alcohol, because ethanol is much more volatile than capsaicin. Plausibly, using a more volatile TRPV1 agonist such as allyl isothiocyanate (from horseradish/mustard) would produce an even closer effect.
- fellowniusmonk 2y ago
  Back in 2022ish a non-alcoholic bottle shop opened up across from my house so I went in with a group of 7 friends and we bought one of each bottle they carried at the time, their Amethyst Lemon Cucumber Serrano bottle was the only one that we all really loved and felt and tasted like a real spirit. They've expanded their selection since then but I haven't tried another round since I am not dry. I still walk over and get that bottle for parties though to accommodate my dry friends, it's amazing.
- amarcheschi 2y ago
  To me, alcohol burns a lot at first, in a similar way to wasabi, then it settles down to something more akin to capsaicin/ginger burn in the throat
idlewords 2y ago
Alcohol in cocktails is like MSG in cooking. Sometimes you just have to sneak some in there to tie everything together.
why_at 2y ago
The article is interesting, but I didn't come away with it feeling like I have any idea how to replicate the flavor of alcohol in a non-alcoholic drink. >If you've been following along, you may have concluded that you should be brewing up a batch of bitter, spicy, slightly sweet tea the next time you serve as designated driver. Gross. >But, there's no need to do that. Ok, so what do I actually do lol? I think this advice is useful for mixed drinks which already have a lot of flavorful non-alcoholic ingredients like a bloody mary, but I doubt anybody is going to come up with a good substitute for a dry martini any time soon.
codr7 2y ago
Scanning the list wondering why opioid addicts haven't figured this one out yet; less drugs, more fun. I've actually been semi-addicted to grapefruit juice.
kylehotchkiss 2y ago
Trader Joes Jalapeno Lemonade as base
soneca 2y ago
The article seemed very promising to me. I don’t drink and would like to have something fancy, innovative to drink some times when I bored of water, juices and soda. But then the article starts saying the goal is to mimic alcohol taste. I don’t drink precisely because I hate the taste of alcohol. Bummer.
ErigmolCt 2y ago
There was a period in my life when I gave up alcohol for two years. And how few places make good mocktails! Sometimes, they’re even more expensive than alcoholic cocktails
layer8 2y ago
“Tasting like alcohol” is a bit beside the point, IMO. What limits mocktails is that many ingredients and flavors dissolve in alcohol that don’t dissolve well in water.
- giraffe_lady 2y ago
  Yeah, though you can largely get around this if you don't have a reason to strictly avoid alcohol per se. A bit of bitters in a mocktail is not going to give you any of the physiological effects of alcohol consumption. If you're in AA or a practicing muslim or have some other thing going on you know your business about it and probably (?) wouldn't do this. But for most people it's fine.
bpev 2y ago
I drink alcohol sometimes, but at fancy experimental places, I feel like mocktails are often MORE exciting than cocktails, because they are more willing to stray from the alcohol-tasting flavor palette. There's just so many cool flavors that are left somewhat unexplored because fancy drinks tend to skew so much to alcohol.

74 points by amarcheschi 2y ago

I have found kombucha to be unreasonably good at adding an interesting mouthfeel to cocktails. It's reminiscent of alcohol, but definitely not a perfect imitation. Grapefruit juice is also a regular ingredient of mine.

blinded 2y ago
Agreed.
Etheryte 2y ago
Grapefruit has a flavor kick for sure, but I would strongly advise against putting it into cocktails, at least without being very upfront and clear about it. Grapefruit has very strong interactions with such a large number of drugs, that even just the interactions themselves have a separate page on Wikipedia [0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit%E2%80%93drug_interactions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit%E2%80%93drug_intera...
echelon 2y ago
> mouthfeel This word is so gross I find any foods described using it as immediately and viscerally less palatable. I love kombucha, but my sense memory did a gross little convolution for a second. The concept of this word is important and otherwise hard to convey, but it's such a weird word.
- Y_Y 2y ago
  On the subject of words, I was really expecting "convulsion" rather than "convolution" there.
- maxwell 2y ago
  You can just call it "texture," but it's a fun term d'art. As with "automatic memory collection" for those grossed out by "garbage collection."
TylerE 2y ago
Typical commercial kombucha is about 0.5% ABV. Not exactly not alcohol.
- dmoy 2y ago
  A lot of "NA" beers are also 0.5%. Incidentally, freshly baked bread is also often around 0.5% depending on the type of bread, as are very ripe bananas. If you want a not-really-beer that's trivially easy to make at home, I suggest kalja Just mash 100% dark rye (weyermanns chocolate rye) for.... some arbitrary time period (hours, and you don't even really need to keep temp up), maybe with some sugar for speed, and then ferment for... days (? 2 days? whatever), strain, and bottle (if you don't care about carbonation, just use mason jars), and stick it into the fridge for another couple days. It's anywhere between 0.1-0.7% ABV depending on temperature, length of fermentation, etc. Bonus, compared to kombucha, it doesn't look like some alien growth thing while fermenting
  - lostlogin 2y ago
    > 5%. Incidentally, freshly baked bread is also often around 0.5% depending on the type of bread, as are very ripe bananas. I’ve heard this before, but how can it be true? Bread is baked at a high temperature, I do it as 250C, but would go higher if I could. My father bakes at 500-600 degrees. How would alcohol stay in the bread? Or is the measure taken pre baking?
    - xhkkffbf 2y ago
      This makes sense to me. Most of the water leaves as vapor too.
    - zajio1am 2y ago
      I guess it is contained and cannot leave easily. Water also stays in the bread as water vapor, so it is not completely dry after baking.
    - nilram 2y ago
      "Does the booze really cook off?" No, not all of it. Even a long-cooking stew can have 5% of the alcohol that was added at the start. https://www.isu.edu/news/2019-fall/no-worries-the-alcohol-burns-off-during-cookingbut-does-it-really.html https://www.isu.edu/news/2019-fall/no-worries-the-alcohol-bu... And, somehow, the smell of my mom's fresh-baked bread ties in with my adult sense of the odor of alcohol to say--yeah, there was some alcohol there, even if a small amount.
ErigmolCt 2y ago
Are there any specific combinations you’ve found that really work well together?
- zamalek 2y ago
  Roughly, I don't really keep track of precise amounts: 1 cup of water, 1 cup sugar, 1 tbsp salt, a few sprigs of lavender (dried lavender works almost as well). Bring to boil and simmer for 15min to form a simple syrup. This will keep in the fridge for about two weeks. This simple syrup is a pretty fantastic ingredient overall. 40:30:10:20 mango juice:kombucha:grape fruit:soda. Simple syrup: 1.5 fl oz (shot/tot glass) per glass is a good starting point. Something acidic like yuzu vinegar (or whatever clear vinegar you have on hand): a few tbsp. In a tall glass with ice. I use flavored kombucha, I have found Trilogy by Synergy (available basically everywhere in US) works well with this recipe - but experiment with whatever you have. Pineapple juice also works really well.
  - ErigmolCt 2y ago
    Thanks for sharing! The lavender syrup caught my attention; I never would have thought to use that in a drink

bigstrat2003 2y ago

Why recreate the burning sensation, by far the worst part about drinking alcohol? This seems like something where you could do better than the original by leaving out the unpleasantness. I guess maybe people actually like that (taste is subjective and all), but I personally hate it and it's why I don't drink much at all.

drekipus 2y ago
I love a bit of the burn, and I've been looking for a way to recreate it without alcohol. (probably impossible) Alcohol feels like the only "adult drink" you can have which isn't sugar based (ironic because a lot of alcohol is sugar) other that it's just tea, coffee, and water.
- sojournerc 2y ago
  Ginger kombucha has a nice spicey burn to it that I enjoy. Not quite the same, but similar enough.
  - genewitch 2y ago
    The pre-mixed kombucha dry tea I bought was super sour, like an arnild palmer. It hit like lemonade on the first tingly fizzy sip. My wife was sensitive to smell so I stopped brewing. I haven't found any kombucha that had that degree of lemonade and icea tea going. I decant into growlers so I actually get a pretty violent pop, even after refrigeration. What I don't understand is why all kombucha is refrigerated, I only drank mine cold because it is smoother that way, but straight off the 78° bucket was fine too!
- Y_Y 2y ago
  Alcohol is sugar!? I guess you mean alcoholic drinks often contain lots of sugar, but you can have something like vodka which is pretty much water and ethanol. For sure that ethanol was made by yeast processing sugar, but the amount in the final product is up to you!
  - 2y ago

A_D_E_P_T 2y ago

Angostura bitters are seriously magical. They improve everything. A few dashes are basically non-alcoholic, too. The best mocktail, which even a grown man can enjoy without feeling silly, is as simple as bitters + tonic.

channel_t 2y ago
It really is great, and something that can be ordered at just about any bar anywhere. Excellent as a stand-in between alcoholic beverages to avoid getting too plastered, or if rolling completely alcohol-free, enough to feed the oral fixation that comes with being in any typical drinking situation.
amarcheschi 2y ago
The book Zero by alinea has recipes for spirit free bitters as well,I'm sure you can find similar recipes online for free I bought just now some liquid smoke and I wanna try it so much for spirit free whiskey
- genewitch 2y ago
  Liquid smoke is a poor substitute for smoke in food I can't imagine mixing it for effect in a drink. For humans? They sell little bits of pre-charred and corrugated wood that you can put in "crappy whisky to make it taste fancy", which is what I'd use, except I'd use a bernzomatic and a piece of oak from my yard. I bet lump charcoal would work, too, if you had a filter stage afterward.
  - amarcheschi 2y ago
    I've never tried it, so it might suck. If it does, I'll just use it for food and buy toasted oak chips
cheeze 2y ago
Mocktails taught me what an _incredible_ solvent alcohol is. It's hard to replicate alcohol for flavor extraction. Luckily, the mocktails I'm making are fine to have a tiny amount of alcohol (my wife just doesn't drink, but it's not religious or health related). Bitters make things so much easier.

oidar 2y ago

Shrubs are a fun addition as well. They seem to have fallen out of favor in the last couple years.

sleazebreeze 2y ago
I could never get into shrubs because the vinegar smell was overpowering. They tasted fine-ish, but no thank you.

nate 2y ago

I feel like if someone could figure out an "alcohol" that doesn't metabolize like alcohol or kill you will be a somethingillionarire. Or at least a beverage/food company another mountain of money. Like discovering fake sweeteners.

jcul 2y ago
You mean the same inebriation effects but without the same health risks? I believe there are drugs that act on similar receptors, and are not as toxic or at least don't need to be taken in such high doses for the same effect. My understanding is that the drug GHB has very similar effects to alcohol, in lower doses, but unfortunately in higher doses is used as a date rape drug. Alcohol has the benefit of being somewhat naturally occurring. I don't see many other recreational drugs being legalized or so widely used.
- nate 2y ago
  Ah. no. sorry. i meant really just tastes like alcohol. but no inebriation or health effects. I really like the taste of alcohol in a drink, but don't want any of the effects.
  - jcul 2y ago
    Ah OK, I often thought the opposite, that people mainly drink for the sugar in beer etc, as well as the alcohol. But I always felt like the kick of the alcohol was just something people came to like as it preceeds the effect. Otherwise more people might drink vodka and water.
- genewitch 2y ago
  "Kava" is supposed to mimic a drunk, in the way that Kratom mimics opiates and kanna mimics MDMA. I only know that if you're not careful with kratom it will hurt you thru the exact same mechanisms that opiates do. No idea about dosing or anything on kava or kanna. I tried kanna but only low micro doses. It is like a slight mood elevator at low dosages, like I imagine "a beer with dinner" elevates mood slightly. 2.5 grams of kratom feels exactly like an oxy, down to wanting to tell everyone you really love them and is that shirt felt well it is now

4dregress 2y ago

Apple Cider Vinegar is a great base for mocktails.

nate 2y ago

I gave up drinking 5 years ago. Just didn't want it in my life anymore. Started just feeling ick more often than not even with just a couple drinks. Just stopped feeling worth it. But I loved cocktails. So we've been experimenting with a ton of things. By far the most fun one is this: https://weareraisingthebar.com/ https://weareraisingthebar.com/ It's pricey, but they expose me to all the new non-alcohol things out there. It's great if you just want an easy way to get fun new things without thinking too hard about this category. Also, our very own Justin Kan, is a founder of Woody's Wine (NA): https://woodys.wine https://woodys.wine So many good NA beers now. Athletic, Guinness, Heineken, all play well here. Still looking for a good fake bourbon. My favorite so far is Free Sprits https://drinkfreespirits.com/collections/non-alcoholic-spirits/products/the-spirit-of-bourbon https://drinkfreespirits.com/collections/non-alcoholic-spiri... Fair warning though. None of these fake alcohols drink well on their own. I don't think anyone has a bourbon anyone is going to like on the rocks or neat. But it does well in mocktails.

EGreg 2y ago
In that case, may I recommend a completely ... different type of experience? https://www.adagio.com/ https://www.adagio.com/ Before you engage, you can have in your head this 3 second clip on YouTube that I uploaded a decade ago :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeUARKgSWJw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeUARKgSWJw
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- amarcheschi 2y ago
  Oh, that store sells samples for a small price, that's kinda cool, I'm probably gonna try some of their teas
- satvikpendem 2y ago
  Adagio is not really that great, take a look at the r/tea wiki for better options [0]. [0] https://old.reddit.com/r/tea/wiki/vendors/page_01 https://old.reddit.com/r/tea/wiki/vendors/page_01

jasonpeacock 2y ago

So far, the best NA cocktail I've found is Phony Negroni - their negronis and amaro are quite good: https://stagrestis.com/pages/non-alcoholic https://stagrestis.com/pages/non-alcoholic

meew0 2y ago

I feel like you could do even better than chilies/ginger for replicating the burn. The burn from chilies feels completely different than the burn from alcohol, because ethanol is much more volatile than capsaicin. Plausibly, using a more volatile TRPV1 agonist such as allyl isothiocyanate (from horseradish/mustard) would produce an even closer effect.

fellowniusmonk 2y ago
Back in 2022ish a non-alcoholic bottle shop opened up across from my house so I went in with a group of 7 friends and we bought one of each bottle they carried at the time, their Amethyst Lemon Cucumber Serrano bottle was the only one that we all really loved and felt and tasted like a real spirit. They've expanded their selection since then but I haven't tried another round since I am not dry. I still walk over and get that bottle for parties though to accommodate my dry friends, it's amazing.
amarcheschi 2y ago
To me, alcohol burns a lot at first, in a similar way to wasabi, then it settles down to something more akin to capsaicin/ginger burn in the throat

idlewords 2y ago

Alcohol in cocktails is like MSG in cooking. Sometimes you just have to sneak some in there to tie everything together.

why_at 2y ago

The article is interesting, but I didn't come away with it feeling like I have any idea how to replicate the flavor of alcohol in a non-alcoholic drink. >If you've been following along, you may have concluded that you should be brewing up a batch of bitter, spicy, slightly sweet tea the next time you serve as designated driver. Gross. >But, there's no need to do that. Ok, so what do I actually do lol? I think this advice is useful for mixed drinks which already have a lot of flavorful non-alcoholic ingredients like a bloody mary, but I doubt anybody is going to come up with a good substitute for a dry martini any time soon.

codr7 2y ago

Scanning the list wondering why opioid addicts haven't figured this one out yet; less drugs, more fun. I've actually been semi-addicted to grapefruit juice.

kylehotchkiss 2y ago

Trader Joes Jalapeno Lemonade as base

soneca 2y ago

The article seemed very promising to me. I don’t drink and would like to have something fancy, innovative to drink some times when I bored of water, juices and soda. But then the article starts saying the goal is to mimic alcohol taste. I don’t drink precisely because I hate the taste of alcohol. Bummer.

ErigmolCt 2y ago

There was a period in my life when I gave up alcohol for two years. And how few places make good mocktails! Sometimes, they’re even more expensive than alcoholic cocktails

layer8 2y ago

“Tasting like alcohol” is a bit beside the point, IMO. What limits mocktails is that many ingredients and flavors dissolve in alcohol that don’t dissolve well in water.

giraffe_lady 2y ago
Yeah, though you can largely get around this if you don't have a reason to strictly avoid alcohol per se. A bit of bitters in a mocktail is not going to give you any of the physiological effects of alcohol consumption. If you're in AA or a practicing muslim or have some other thing going on you know your business about it and probably (?) wouldn't do this. But for most people it's fine.

bpev 2y ago

I drink alcohol sometimes, but at fancy experimental places, I feel like mocktails are often MORE exciting than cocktails, because they are more willing to stray from the alcohol-tasting flavor palette. There's just so many cool flavors that are left somewhat unexplored because fancy drinks tend to skew so much to alcohol.