Refresh in the summer heat with this non-alcoholic blackberry spritzer

This recipe is very easy to vary: Replace the soda water with ginger ale or try other herbs like mint and basil

By Richard Man

Published August 6, 2019 8:30PM (EDT)

Excerpted with permission from  Mocktails: More than 50 Recipes for Delicious Non-Alcoholic Cocktails, Punches, and More by Richard Man. Copyright 2019 by Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. Also available at Barnes & Noble and your local bookstore.

Drinks with all the tastiness of a well-formed craft cocktail, but without the alcohol?

Choosing to be alcohol-free is becoming more and more popular, and the range of non-alcoholic drink options is growing steadily in the stores. But many of us are still in doubt when it comes to combining drinks with food. Water, juice, and possibly non-alcoholic beer are probably the options most of us who prefer not to imbibe finally choose. But when you have dinner, these options may not feel as exciting as a well-chosen wine, and are they really always the perfect choice?

Water, juice, tea, kombucha, lemonade, and non-alcoholic beer and wine—everything has a place on the dinner table if you only know what drink you should choose for what kind of food, and in Mocktails, Richard Man will help you choose the right one. From simple, five-minute recipes to complicated but elegant cocktails, Mocktails will teach you everything you could want to know about combining delicious food and drink to get the most out of your meal—no alcohol required. As Richard says: “Beverages served with food should match the food, regardless of alcohol content. [It’s] so simple.”

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This is a refreshing spritzer that is very easy to vary. Replace the soda water with ginger ale; try another shrub, or other herbs like mint and basil. It is also festive to serve this type of drink in glasses filled with ice cubes containing herbs and/or fruit.

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Recipe: Blackberry Spritzer

Ingredients: 

  • 4¾ fl. oz. Riesling with Ruby Red grapefruit, juniper berry, and rosemary
  • 11⁄3 fl. oz. blackberry shrub
  • 12 drops Angostura bitters—optional
  • 5½ fl. oz. soda water

Garnish:

  • 2 rosemary sprigs
  • 2 slices of Ruby Red grapefruit

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients except the soda water in a small pitcher or mixing glass and stir.

2. Pour the liquid into two wineglasses filled with ice cubes. Top with soda water and stir carefully. Garnish with sprigs of rosemary and slices of Ruby Red grapefruit.

Goes well with:

  • Light and fresh foods
  • Complex dishes
  • Examples of dishes:
  • Pasta salad with prosciutto
  • Sausage and sauerkraut

By Richard Man

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