BENGALURU: Mocktails have become popular over the last few years, and especially so in Bengaluru. Teetotalers who were earlier limited to having a fresh lime soda or a carbonated drink, have now begun to indulge themselves with mocktails, as there is suddenly more variety, with bartenders becoming more and more innovative, and creating more interesting and exotic options. Strait-laced fruit juices and bottled aerated drinks are passe, and almost totally being replaced by mocktails.
Indeed, non-alcoholic versions of classic cocktails are often more popular than the cocktail itself. For example, Virgin Pinacolada, Virgin Mojito, Virgin Mary and the like. Also, the options available today to the bartender to customise drinks – so as to create a frothy, fizzy, spicy, salty, or steaming hot end-product – has added to the allure of the mocktail by giving it a more striking appearance. What looks good tastes good.
A mocktail is basically a cocktail without liquor, and fruit juices, sodas, infused waters, and many other nonalcoholic ingredients, mixed in just the right proportions are used to provide the required taste and flavour. While quite a few rely on the classic cocktail recipe and just delete the liquor that goes into it, many mixologists are experimenting with creating mocktails from the ground up. There are tropical fruit-based mocktails as also mocktails that rely on citrus fruits, which can be very light and refreshing. Of course, ingredients from the culinary pantry, herbs and spices can be used to provide added zest and tang.
While one can take the easy route by removing the base liquor from a classic cocktail recipe, let your guests enjoy your mocktail making skills by serving them a Hot Lady, which is a crowd favourite.
You will need:
Method:
Muddle a piece of bird’s eye chilli. Add passion fruit puree, pomegranate juice and a squeeze of lemon. Shake well. Rim the glass with a mixture of salt and paprika powder. Garnish with a bird’s eye chilli as well.
(The author is the resident mixologist and beverage manager at URU Brewpark)