Silver Mocktail – a pink tinted mild mannered drink with hints of juniper and orange.

Silver Mocktail

Another recipe from the same site (found here), called for orange bitters, sugar, and a combination of dry vermouth and gin. Instead of citrus for the fruity taste, they ask for maraschino cherry liqueur. Vermouth can be replaced with white grape juice which is easy to find, and gin… well I had just brewed up a pot of juniper and lemongrass tea which I am hoping would make an appropriate replacement.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Juniper/Lemongrass Tea (or other juniper citrus based tea)
• 2 oz. White Grape Juice
• 1/2 tsp. Sugar Syrup (1:1 sugar to water)
• 1 tsp. Maraschino Cherry Juice
• 4 dash(es) Orange Bitters

Procedure:

Brew tea according to instructions. Strain & let cool. Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Serve garnished with a twist of lemon peel.

My Thoughts:

This drink is pleasant but lacks the kick and clean feel of a true Old Fashioned. The resulting flavour is very mild and … not dry enough? I think this has potential but needs some work. Back to the drawing board!

I tried this with a dash of Jamaican Ginger Beer (a carbonated beverage – non alcoholic) and this added a kick, but also changed the flavour complex from fruity to strong ginger/pepper bite. I may revisit this later… but there are other more interesting options for Old Fashioned Drinks to tell you about next!

Kid-o-metre 3/5 the kids enjoyed this, but didn’t ask for more, I agree…
Taste: 3/5  bland.
Simplicity: 4/5 One ingredient that takes some work, unless you have to make your own bitters.
Ingredient finding: 3/5 specialty tea and orange bitters are a “ship in” items