Ginger Beer Mocktail Martinis!
December 9, 2018 4:48 AM Subscribe
Help me make a magical mocktail for my castmates that best uses a martini glass! Ideally with ginger beer. No alcohol, no fructose, no cocktail shaker.
I just got gifted a set of martini glasses and want to surprise the cast of a show we've been working on with a drink the next time they come over for rehearsal. Bundaberg Ginger Beer is meaningful to the show so I'd like to make that the core of the drink, but I want it to be more special than just a glass of ginger beer.
It's during the day, and one person doesn't drink while I don't keep alcohol in the house, hence mocktail. Another person is sensitive to fructose so can't have fruit, but can have sugar (I'm unclear on whether lime juice will be a problem). I don't have a particular cocktail making kit though I can get inventive if needed.
While these are martini glasses, they don't have to be variations on martinis! I was thinking ginger beer with gold lustre dust so it looks like it's sparkling, and rim the glass (how?) with metallic sprinkles, but I want some other kind of flavouring agent. I've seen recipes for virgin Moscow Mules and mojitos - if the fructose sensitive friend is good with lime juice we can do that, otherwise I'd like some alternative ideas (honey? Cinnamon?). It's summer here and there's been heatwaves so something cooling would be good!
I just got gifted a set of martini glasses and want to surprise the cast of a show we've been working on with a drink the next time they come over for rehearsal. Bundaberg Ginger Beer is meaningful to the show so I'd like to make that the core of the drink, but I want it to be more special than just a glass of ginger beer.
It's during the day, and one person doesn't drink while I don't keep alcohol in the house, hence mocktail. Another person is sensitive to fructose so can't have fruit, but can have sugar (I'm unclear on whether lime juice will be a problem). I don't have a particular cocktail making kit though I can get inventive if needed.
While these are martini glasses, they don't have to be variations on martinis! I was thinking ginger beer with gold lustre dust so it looks like it's sparkling, and rim the glass (how?) with metallic sprinkles, but I want some other kind of flavouring agent. I've seen recipes for virgin Moscow Mules and mojitos - if the fructose sensitive friend is good with lime juice we can do that, otherwise I'd like some alternative ideas (honey? Cinnamon?). It's summer here and there's been heatwaves so something cooling would be good!
Dark and Stormy, subbing molasses for rum?
A Shirley Temple is ginger ale/beer and grenadine (unclear if that would be ok for your fructose-sensitive friend, but I think they make artificial grenadine now).
Honestly, gold-flecked ginger beer sounds delicious and celebratory on its own!
posted by basalganglia at 5:25 AM on December 9, 2018
A Shirley Temple is ginger ale/beer and grenadine (unclear if that would be ok for your fructose-sensitive friend, but I think they make artificial grenadine now).
Honestly, gold-flecked ginger beer sounds delicious and celebratory on its own!
posted by basalganglia at 5:25 AM on December 9, 2018
Yes, the gold-flecked thing sounds wonderful. Maybe make ice cubes with sprigs of something herbal like mint or rosemary frozen inside. You could even make the cubes with some of the ginger beer and gold.
posted by BibiRose at 6:08 AM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by BibiRose at 6:08 AM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
All last summer I was drinking ginger beer with triple berry flavored seltzer water muddled with lime and mint and a bit of simple syrup for a nice take on a berry mule.
posted by newpotato at 7:22 AM on December 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by newpotato at 7:22 AM on December 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
If you want to rim the glasses, here's how: get a saucer or bowl that's larger than the mouths of the glasses. Put water in it, but just a little. You only want to get about a half a centimeter's worth of water on the rims. Next, get another saucer or bowl and put the sparkles (they're edible, right?) in it.
Dip the glasses, mouth first, in the water, then into the sparkles. Bingo! Rimmed martini glasses!
posted by cooker girl at 7:36 AM on December 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Dip the glasses, mouth first, in the water, then into the sparkles. Bingo! Rimmed martini glasses!
posted by cooker girl at 7:36 AM on December 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Rim the glasses with sparkles and sugar. Slice limes in thin pretty half-moons and freeze them, maybe on a tray of 1/4" water that can be broken up for pretty ice, no limes in 1 section for fructose-free person. Lime juice and bitters would be just right as the rest of the cocktail. You can make it look even moe special by putting a sugar cube at the bottom of the glass.
posted by theora55 at 8:34 AM on December 9, 2018
posted by theora55 at 8:34 AM on December 9, 2018
Bitters are alcoholic—you are using them in very small amounts of course, so the effect is negligible. Not sure if "doesn't drink" extends to this, but worth considering I think.
If you want to use honey or another, non-fructose sweetener, then you probably will want to make a quick simple syrup of it so you can mix the drink more easily.
posted by Stilling Still Dreaming at 8:51 AM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
If you want to use honey or another, non-fructose sweetener, then you probably will want to make a quick simple syrup of it so you can mix the drink more easily.
posted by Stilling Still Dreaming at 8:51 AM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm not sure what the timetable on your project is, but these are my favorite non-alcoholic bitters.
posted by joycehealy at 11:58 AM on December 9, 2018
posted by joycehealy at 11:58 AM on December 9, 2018
Ginger beer + blood orange juice is one of my favorites. And you are in luck because it is currently blood orange season!
posted by joan_holloway at 2:25 PM on December 9, 2018
posted by joan_holloway at 2:25 PM on December 9, 2018
Response by poster: Bitters with a bit of alcohol are fine! Just not full on cocktails or booze.
That being said, the fructose-free person (and the one other with no restrictions) do drink, so I'm open to an option that only requires a small amount of a liqueur or something, like those mini bottles you can get. (Maybe they can pour it in themselves lol) Mix and match!
How do you muddle with regular kitchen implements?
posted by divabat at 3:15 PM on December 9, 2018
That being said, the fructose-free person (and the one other with no restrictions) do drink, so I'm open to an option that only requires a small amount of a liqueur or something, like those mini bottles you can get. (Maybe they can pour it in themselves lol) Mix and match!
How do you muddle with regular kitchen implements?
posted by divabat at 3:15 PM on December 9, 2018
Response by poster: Update: lime juice is back on the table!!
posted by divabat at 3:19 PM on December 9, 2018
posted by divabat at 3:19 PM on December 9, 2018
If you want to use honey or another, non-fructose sweetener, then you probably will want to make a quick simple syrup of it so you can mix the drink more easily.
Just FYI, honey is a high-fructose sweetener and isn’t a good idea for people with fructose sensitivities. Also, I’ve yet to find a grenadine that wasn’t made with high fructose corn syrup. (Agave is mysteriously popular in cocktails but is even higher in fructose than honey.)
posted by KathrynT at 11:40 PM on December 9, 2018
How do you muddle with regular kitchen implements?
I use a wooden spoon and a pint glass. Put what you want to muddle in the pint glass and then use the handle of the wooden spoon as a muddler. It isn't as good as a proper muddler, but it works just fine in a pinch. I've made many a decent mohito with that method.
Since bitters are on the table you could go with the "National drink of Australia" from a recent thread and serve lemon soda, with a drizzle of lime cordial and a good dash of bitters.
posted by koolkat at 2:01 AM on December 10, 2018
I use a wooden spoon and a pint glass. Put what you want to muddle in the pint glass and then use the handle of the wooden spoon as a muddler. It isn't as good as a proper muddler, but it works just fine in a pinch. I've made many a decent mohito with that method.
Since bitters are on the table you could go with the "National drink of Australia" from a recent thread and serve lemon soda, with a drizzle of lime cordial and a good dash of bitters.
posted by koolkat at 2:01 AM on December 10, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Champagne Supernova at 5:04 AM on December 9, 2018 [1 favorite]