Summer has arrived, and with it the need for thirst-quenching beverages. For many, that means familiar bar and patio quaffs such as gin and tonics, mojitos and Moscow mules.
But some of us, either as imbibers or party hosts, prefer to beat the heat with non-alcoholic drinks. Mocktails, if you will.
Lucky for us, a new generation of bartenders is creating low-octane beverages that are actually designed for grown-ups, rather than some cloying concoction better suited for a senior-prom punch bowl.
So what makes for a top-shelf summer cooler? Crisp and refreshing are the keys.
“Just as with the heat, drinks should be lighter in summer, like the food you cook,” says Connor Green, a bartender at Steuben’s in Denver’s Uptown neighborhood. “They shouldn’t make you feel full.”
Green, who as an Iowa native knows something about scorching, muggy summers, also favors lower alcohol content in the season’s drinks. “You’re going to be wanting to get out and do things and enjoy the weather,” he says.
With the official start of summer four days away, here are some recipes for refreshing non-alcoholic drinks that you and your liver will love.
Note: Some of these drinks call for simple syrup as an ingredient. This is simply sugar water, and it can be easily made at home. Just add standard white sugar into an equal amount of hot water — you can use a bit more water if you want it less sweet — and stir until the sugar dissolves. When cooled a bit, place the liquid in a pitcher in the refrigerator until cold.
William Porter: 303-954-1877, wporter@denverpost.com or
Recipes:
Panacea
This recipe is from Steuben’s at 523 E. 17th Ave. Serves 1.
Ingredients
1 ounce ginger syrup, available in specialty markets
¾ ounce lime juice
3 cucumber slices
San Pellegrino Limonata
Directions
Muddle cucumber slices in a highball glass. Add ginger syrup and lime juice. Fill with ice and top with San Pellegrino Limonata. Garnish with an extra cucumber slice.
Berry Sage Buck
This drink is a popular item at Steuben’s at 523 E. 17th Ave. Serves 1.
Ingredients
1½ ounces lemon juice
3 blackberries
2 strawberries
3 sage leaves
Gosling’s Ginger Beer
Directions
Add the first four ingredients to a mixing tin and muddle to release the flavors and juices. Add ice and shake.
Fill a double Old Fashioned glass with ice and pour in the ginger beer until the glass is ¾ full. Double-strain the contents of the shaker over the ginger beer slowly to create two layers. Garnish with a blackberry wrapped in sage.
Black Cherry Phosphate
This is another summer quencher from Steuben’s in Denver. It has a throwback feel to it. This can serve 1 in a pint glass or 2 people if you use a highball glass.
Ingredients
2 ounces black cherry soda syrup, available in specialty markets
5 dashes of Extinct Acid Phosphate (an ingredient used in cola and sodas)
10 ounces soda waterLime wheels
Directions
Add dashes of the acid phosphate to a bubbles glass. Pour the black cherry soda syrup at the same time you’re pouring the soda water. Add a bit of ice and stir gently. Garnish with three lime wheels.
Chilled Guava and Pomegranate Tea
There is technically no tea in this drink, but creators Angie Martinez and Angelo Sosa call it that because the cocktail infuses light and refreshing flavors into plain water. The two New Yorkers authored “Healthy Latin Eating: Our Favorite Family Recipes Remixed.” Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
1 cup guava paste (canned or jarred, available in Latin markets and specialty groceries)
½ cup honey
2 slices lemon
8 sprigs fresh mint
4 sprigs fresh basil
Ice cubes
1 pomegranate, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
Directions
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine guava paste, honey and 4 cups water. Bring to a simmer and use a wooden spoon to break up and dissolve the paste. Remove from the heat.
Stir in the lemon slices and half of the mint and basil. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Once chilled, strain and pour the “tea” into ice-filled glasses. Garnish with remaining mint and basil sprigs and the pomegranate seeds.
Faux 75
This is a non-alcoholic version of the French 75. The recipe is from “The Craft Cocktail Party: Delicious Drinks for Every Occasion,” by Julie Reiner with Kaitlyn Goalen. Serves 1.
Ingredients
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce simple syrup
Fever Tree Bitter Lemon soda (available in specialty markets)
1 lemon twist
Directions
Shake the lemon juice and simple syrup with ice until chilled. Strain into a flute glass and top with a few ounces of the soda. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Cucumber-Mint Cooler
This drink boasts a clean vegetal flavor and recalls botanicals found in gin. The recipe is from the mocktail chapter of “The Craft Cocktail Party: Delicious Drinks for Every Occasion,” by Julie Reiner with Kaitlyn Goalen. Serves 1.
Ingredients
2 wheels English cucumber
10 mint leaves
2 ounces simple syrup
1¼ ounces fresh lime juice
Club soda
Directions
In a shaker, muddle the cucumber wheels and mint leaves with the simple syrup until the cucumbers have released all their juices. Add the lime juice and shake with ice until chilled. Strain into a wineglass filled with ice. Top with a splash of club soda and garnish with a cucumber and add mint sprig placed on the drink’s surface.
