Cocktails, the libationary art!

I made a ginger, black tea, and blood orange NA punch. I was making like 5 foods at the same time, so I didn't tinker with it and adjust to my taste as much as I normally would, and I used whatever I had on hand to measure.

• 1 liter of water
• 250 grams of minced fresh ginger
• 1 cup sugar ( 200 grams)
• simmer for 5 minutes
• cut heat, and add 3 tablespoons Assam tea (not sure about weight)
• strain, then let cool
• add 1 liter of water (probably makes sense to actual use ice instead of liquid to cool the mix faster)
• add 1 liter blood orange juice
• add 40 ml 10% citric acid solution (the equivalent of ~80 ml lemon juice)
• I also added 1 ml of orange oil just for aroma

I served it in a punch bowl and I put ginger beer and a few types of liquor next to it for people who wanted boozy or bubbly.

The way I came up with it was by mincing a small amount of ginger, simmering it, then adding tea. I then added blood orange juice till it felt right. In the ideal world, I would have done the same with sugar and citric acid (the salt and pepper of cocktails), but I was crunched for time, so I just did that part live. I think I could have boosted the acid a bit.

I'm gonna go super simple here: equal parts ginger beer and Sprite and add grenadine until it's near the color of a maraschino cherry (though obviously not as opaque). About half an oz or so.

Pineapple Tepache - low alcohol ferment

Equipment - a pot and a one gallon (4 liter) pitcher of glass or plastic

Ingredients -

Water

2 pineapples

6 of lemon or lime, or a mixture

1.5 cups sugar

4 cinnamon sticks

Other spices if you like - black pepper, nutmeg, dried hot peppers are all things I've put in here.

Process-

Bring a few cups of water to a gentle simmer. Meanwhile, peel the 2 pineapples, generously, the way you always want to but feel like you are wasting fruit. Put the peels and cores in the pitcher and save the pineapple to use as pineapple. Juice the lemons and limes into a cup and toss the rinds into the simmering water, along with the cinnamon sticks and any spices. Simmer a few minutes, stir in the sugar until dissolved then take off the heat and let it cool. It looks like a lot of sugar but some gets eaten by the yeast. Once cool, mix with the citrus juice and strain this mixture into the pitcher with the pineapple peels. Add more water if needed to fill the pitcher. Cover loosely and stir twice a day with a clean big metal spoon until it looks bubbly, then strain it, bottle and refrigerate.

Simple tepache - peel the pineapple as above, chuck it into the pitcher, add water to cover and the sugar and cinnamon sticks, no lemon or other spices, cover loosely and proceed as above.

Fermented pineapple soda - make the fancy tepache but juice the pineapple fruit and refrigerate the juice. Once the tepache is done, put it back into the pitcher (wash the pitcher first) and mix in the pineapple juice. Leave this loosely covered a day or two, it will get fizzy.

I want an index of this!

My old standy:

6 or 12 oz of your favorite sparkling water

1-3 oz of Kombucha, juice and/or tea

2-4 dashes of your favorite bitters.

(Bonus points for a dash of your favorite amaro or vermouth, if you don't mind it being partially alcoholic)

A non alcoholic sour

1.5 oz non al gin

1 oz seedlip garden 108

.5 oz lemon juice

.5 oz simple syrup/honey syrup

1 oz aquafaba

Dry shake without ice to get frothy. Add ice and shake to chill. Strain into chilled coup glass

Let's see how mobile formatting works...

I have 2 that I tested this weekend and 1 I am going to make today.

Berry Tea fizz

Found on Murray's cheeses

This was a big hit! The vinegar added a depth to the flavor that was similar to a cocktail. Most people skipped the soda and drank it as a punch instead. Next time I will add another spoon of the vinegar to give it a little more kick.

• 1 cup sugar
• 6 tea bags of your favorite berry-flavored tea
• 1 cup diluted Murray's Pink Grapefruit Vinegar, recipe in directions
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 orange, chopped
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 3 cups cold lime or orange club soda, or seltzer

Directions

1. Combine the sugar and 3 cups water in medium saucepan set over high heat.

2. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Add the tea bags and steep for 5 minutes. Remove the bags, return the mixture to the heat and cook until reduced by half. Transfer the mixture to a container with a lid, and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.

3. Dilute the grapefruit vinegar by mixing 3 tablespoons in 1 cup of water.

4.Combine the cooled berry tea syrup, diluted grapefruit vinegar, and lime juice in a pitcher. Add the limes, oranges and raspberries, and then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.

5.Fill tall glasses with ice and add about 1/2 cup of the mixture to each. Then fill to the top with the cold club soda and serve.

Yuzu Jasmine Spritz

Found on Murray's cheeses

This was less a mocktail and more just a good drink. It went over well, but it didn't have the complex flavor on the berry tea fizz. I will be using the jam on my toast though as it is delicious.

• 1/4 cup Kuze Fuku & Sons Yuzu Fruit Spread
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 3 bags jasmine tea
• 250 ml. tonic water
• Candied citrus peel (optional)

Directions

1. Heat 16 ounces of water on the stove or in the microwave until just under a boil (about 170 F). Place the tea bags in a heatproof bowl or pot, and pour the hot water over them; steep for 5 minutes, then remove the bags. Add the honey to the tea, and stir until dissolved. Chill uncovered in the fridge until cold, at least 3 hours.

2. Add the tea and yuzu spread to a blender; blend for 1 minute. There should still be small visible yuzu pieces.

3. Split evenly into four coupe glasses; top each with a generous splash of tonic and a piece of candied citrus peel for garnish (if using).

Ginger Turmeric Tonic

Haven't made it yet, but here is the recipe. Once again, from Murray's cheeses.

https://imbibemagazine.com/recipe/la-verdita-a-zero-proof-highball/

Ginger Beer - low alcohol ferment

Ginger bug - grate organic ginger to make about 1/4 cup. Put in a quart jar, with 2TBSP sugar and water to make 2 cups. Each day, stir twice. Day 1 add one tsp sugar, day 2 add spoonful of sugar and spoonful of grated organic ginger. It will get fizzy - keep feeding once a day and stirring twice a day for a week.

Ginger beer-

Equipment

A gallon (4L) pitcher, A pot, a grater, a citrus zester

Ingredients-

As much organic ginger as you can stand to grate

Six lemons

2 cups sugar

Active ginger bug.

Process-

Grate the ginger into the pot Zest the lemons into the pot, set the fruit aside

Fill the pot with water, bring to a boil, simmer 5 minutes then add the sugar, dissolve, let it steep and cool. Because it's just zest, not peels, you can leave this one for hours. Sometimes I start it on my lunch break and finish it after work. Cover the pot if you are leaving it for hours.

Once cool and infused, add the juice from the lemons and the ginger bug (save a little to help start your next batch) then strain this into the pitcher, adding water to make a gallon. Cover loosely and leave until fizzy - because this has no solid bits you don't have to stir but it doesn't hurt to.

Once fizzy, bottle and refrigerate.

Notes - Tap water is fine but yes the ginger needs to be organic - tepache works with conventionally grown pineapple but ginger beer has never worked for me with non-organic ginger. The ginger bug or finished ginger beer can be used to ferment fruit juice, it's really good with grapefruit juice.