40ISHº North Margarita
Because of its Mexican origins, tequila is most often used in cocktails with citrus and tropical fruits. We wanted to shake things up a bit and show the versatility of ISH Mexican Agave Spirit, which is made in chilly Copenhagen. This zero-proof cocktail is a distinctly northern twist on the berry margarita, using flavors found 40º or more above the equator (hence the name).
Rather than orange juice or triple sec, we used Wilderton Lustre, a bitter orange and herbal non-alcoholic botanical spirit made in the Pacific Northwest. Pucker inducing, but deliciously floral, gooseberries yield a beautiful, fuchsia color, and we reduced the amount of lime juice to account for their sourness. If you can't find gooseberries, you can substitute blackberries or any other tart berry.
Tasting Notes: tart green grapes; lemon, lime, and bitter orange; fresh agave cactus; a slightly floral, tropical note reminiscent of pineapple or passion fruit
Ingredients-
2 ounces ISH Mexican Agave Spirit
-
¾ ounce Wilderton Lustre
-
½ ounce simple syrup (like Liber & Co. Classic Gum Syrup)
-
¼ ounce lime juice
-
¼ cup fresh gooseberries, stems and tails removed
-
Pour all ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth, except for some dark red specks of gooseberry skin.
-
Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a chilled coupe glass. (Optional: salt the rim of the coupe glass first.)
-
Serve immediately.
A roundup of our favorite non-alcoholic gins—for seekers of the botanical, crisp, zesty spirit in its zero proof form.
A bitter riff on the traditional whiskey cocktail, this one with The Pathfinder is for those who want something a little darker—and non-alcoholic.
Using balsamic vinegar instead of booze to create a refreshing non-alcoholic Pimm's Cup cocktail.
A classic non-alcoholic Old Fashioned recipe, with a few backup options if you're running low on time.
A clean, refreshing non-alcoholic mojito recipe.
Recipes
Café du Monde Non-Alcoholic Martini →With espresso martinis all the rage, we wanted to look to other regional coffees for inspiration. This bittersweet non-alcoholic drink is named after the 24 hour café in New Orleans famous for serving piping hot beignets buried under drifts of powdered sugar alongside distinctively bitter chicory coffee.
This spicy, cinnamon infused hot chocolate with non-alcoholic tequila will warm you from the inside out... and it's surprisingly easy to make.
There are a lot of recipes for non-alcoholic espresso martinis out there, but they almost always lack the thick head of foam that makes their alcoholic cousins so photogenic. Not anymore.
Kristin’s tribute to A Tribe Called Quest, Electric Relaxation is a delicious, non-alcoholic Boulevardier. The Boulevardier is a Negroni variation that substitutes bourbon for gin. Still bitter and bracing, but with a smoky roundness that eases you into cooler weather.
The cocktail of choice in the movie Casablanca, the flirtatious French 75 looks glamorous but is easy to make. The original was named after a field gun used by the French army in World War I, as it was so strong you'd feel like you'd been shelled the night before. This non-alcoholic version packs all the flavor punch but won't leave you with a concussive headache.
A more grown up option for when you've outgrown the espresso martini but still love coffee cocktails. Rich, sophisticated, and still guaranteed to give you a bit of a caffeine kick.
Think lychee martini meets aperitivo spritz.
Ease out of summer and into fall with recipes from some of our favorite mixologists, showcasing the flavors of Swedish botanicals.
Developed by Kristin Chaconas at Redbird in Atlanta, the SpottieOttieDopaliscious is a delicious, booze-free riff on the Pearl Diver. (And, yes, it is named for the song by hometown heroes, Outkast.)
Recipes
Pineapple Garden Sparkler →This zero-proof blend of ISH Mexican Agave Spirit, Optimist Botanicals Fresh, and a simple shrub made with fresh pineapple, this drink is a tropical garden in a glass.
A simple honey syrup infused with chamomile tea adds a complex but comforting sweetness to ISH Mexican Agave Spirit and punchy ruby red grapefruit.