Mixing the perfect mocktail: a review of 'Nixology'

For those riding the no-to-low alcohol train.

Are you coming off the back of a January detox? Or thinking about doing FebFast this year? And either way, feeling mildly concerned about how hard the transition into no alcohol will be?

We’ve spoken about rituals before and a yearly favourite of mine is to give the old liver a bit of a break over January. Rather than juice cleansing or something of the sort, as I am never going to do that again, I don’t drink alcohol for the first 31 days of the year.

There is something inspiring about a new year and it’s a wave I gladly ride, often into the first week of February, which contains my birthday and therefore an inevitable crash back into gluttony.

And before we get properly into this newsletter, I just want to make clear that this isn’t a sermon against drinking. Whether or not you drink is a personal choice and not really anyone else’s business. I love a glass of red wine and a smokey whisky as much as I love giving my body a bit of a break from time to time. This newsletter is an examination of the latter part of this sentence.

A delicious rose and hibiscus mocktail, sipped at a recent event.

In my early twenties, I didn’t drink at all, mostly as I was yet to develop a palate for red wine (tempranillo and rjoca as it turns out, are my personal kryptonite). And it’s interesting to see now the marked difference between both not drinking, and the spread of choice on offer.

The choice back then was essentially between soda water and lemonade (which I drank so much of, I can barely stand even the scent of these days). If you didn’t drink during this time and probably well before it, you learned quickly to always have a glass of something in hand. People seemed to take not drinking personally – in fact, I’d meet people who’d make it their mission to see me imbibe something by the end of the night. Strange behaviour, indeed.

I don’t know if the times, they are a-changing, or people just get less hung up on this sort of stuff in their thirties and beyond, but the pressure to drink has certainly eased off. Communities like Hello Sunday Morning have sprung up, supporting those who wish to reduce or quit their drinking. And I have a lot of friends and acquaintances who plain just don’t drink.

But best of all, is the wealth of options available now! Businesses have realised there is indeed a market for this stuff, with plenty of breweries, distilleries and wineries complementing their wares with low or no alcohol versions. And while I don’t drink beer and am yet to find an alcohol-free wine that gets my motor going, the choice of mocktails on offer have certainly improved.

Which brings us to today’s topic – combining two of the best things in the world and I suppose, top themes of this newsletter, books and cooking, we’ll be diving into Nixology; a recipe book for low-to-no alcohol cocktails.

The book itself is just gorgeous. With recipes devised by Elouise Anders and illustrated by Claudia Frittitta (great last name), it’s not only helpful, but looks great on a shelf.

The cocktails are categorised into shaken, stirred, shared and sipped (the latter containing minimal alcohol). The book also contains recipes for syrups which you can make at home, to enhance the flavours of these delicious drinks.

A review of three cocktails

I decided for this newsletter, I’d try out three different no alcohol cocktail recipes and report back on findings.

It feels a bit rotten and, you know, also against copyright to just include the mocktail recipes here without any kind of permission. So instead, I’ve made notes on some of the ingredients required, the process involved and overall taste.

Balsamic strawberry fizz

I started off with this no alcohol cocktail, as I already had the ingredients in my fridge/pantry. As you may have guessed, the main ingredient here is a handful of strawberries – the recipe also calls for balsamic vinegar, lime juice and a homemade sugar syrup.

The syrup is made first, then the rest of ingredients added, before ‘muddling’ them together. For those not in the know when it comes to cocktail making lingo, this basically involves mushing everything with a heavy item, such as a rolling pin. It is great fun.

The drink is then topped up with chilled sparkling water. It’s very refreshing – perfect for a hot, or because we are testing in Melbourne with its notoriously fickle weather, warm(ish) summer’s day.

I DO NOT OWN MARGARITA GLASSES THIS IS AN OVERSIGHT.

Frozen blueberry & rosemary margarita

Another recipe chosen because a) margaritas are the cat’s pajamas and b) all the ingredients are on hand, including a small rosemary bush in my kitchen garden.

Following the recipe led to an almost slushie-type effect. A rosemary syrup is required for this cocktail – when mixed with orange, lime and blueberry, this flavours balance nicely.

Does it taste like a marg? Not really. But I don’t hate it.

I’d definitely categorise this as a drink I’d enjoy as a single serve at a time, as even without alcohol, it has a lot going on.

Pistachio horchata

I flipping adore horchata, having first tried this plant-based bevy in Costa Rica. I’ve been hooked ever since.

As such, I do already have a horchata recipe that I regularly use and love, which calls for almonds, rather than pistachio. So, I’m intrigued to discover what this yummy rice-based drink tastes like with a different nut.

Horchata takes a bit of lead time. I mix the main ingredients (rice, pistachio, cinnamon) with boiling water and leave it to sit overnight. The process from here is really straightforward – blend, strain, add more ingredients, blend, strain.

One minor hiccup – you usually need to strain this bad boy through cheesecloth, which I currently don’t have, as my last bit got mouldy. So, I strain the drink through an extra fine sieve, which seems to do the job.

The verdict? I like it! The one sweetener in this is honey, rendering this probably the healthiest out of the three drinks. Although I ran out of honey, so it’s not as sweet as it should be, but that’s ok.

You can easily turn this into a boozy bev, maybe with some sort of liquer or rum. Not the purpose of this post, but just sayin’.

So these are the three colourful drinks I had great fun making in January. There are plenty more recipes in Nixology that I’d love to try out… particularly a ‘New Fashioned’, which calls for non-acoholic bitters. I had a non-alc Old Fashioned at a bar in North Melbourne once that I think about on a regular basis, it was that good

Keen to check out Nixology for yourself? Request it at your local library, or order it from a nearby indie bookshop.

Will be back in your inbox next week as per the regular schedule.

‘Til then, stay well and well-fed.

-Celine

PS. If you missed it, here’s an account of, ah, the time I cooked and ate garden snails.

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