Mocktail Passion

Opps, I think I have ventured into a passion.

While researching non-alcoholic drinks for my next cookbook, I became intrigued with making a variety of mock cocktails, or Mocktails.

Soon, this intrigue turned into a passion.

In a decidedly non-tightwad fashion, I went out and bought goo gobs of ingredients to make at least 15 mock cocktails.

In researching various non-alcoholic drink recipes, I did revert back to adapting various recipes to suit my budget, pantry, kitchen, and tastes.

Of course, I immersed myself in the lore and technique of making cocktails and their mock counterparts.

I discovered that a trend may be developing for dry bars as discussed The Guardian article "Dry bars: will they be the next big thing?"

Also, while researching the differences between mineral water, carbonated water, club soda and seltzer water, I found an interesting bit on Wikipedia on "Two-cents Plain" carbonated water, the cheapest beverage served at luncheon counters during the Depression.

But, it was the IBA (International Bartenders Association) Cosmopolitan cocktail recipe on Wikipedia and the Virgin Manhattan mocktail I found at: Convivial.org that clicked with me regarding how the right proportion of ingredients and combination of ingredients can produce a unique flavor.

In particular, it was interesting to see how various mock cocktails recipes used other ingredients like brewed tea or various juices to try and create flavors that mimicked the original cocktail.

I am proud of my frugal recipe for a Boyhattan Mocktail.

If you try this recipe, don't forget, you can adjust the ingredients to your taste and even experiment with other ingredients including the garnishes.

So, now I am working on two cookbooks. One -- an enlarged version of my Recipes from the Kitchen of a Frugal Non-Cook and two -- a collection of mock cocktail recipes.

Researching mock cocktail recipes has made me appreciate the judicious use of various ingredients in all types of recipes.

Enjoy!

Note: Not all the groceries in the grocery picture are for mock cocktails nor are all the mock cocktail ingredients shown.