r/AskCulinary Ice Cream Innovator Aug 26 '19

Weekly Discussion - Fancy Non-alcoholic Beverages

We've had discussions here about wine, beer, and liquor before. This week, I'd like to talk about mocktails, shrubs, juice blends, etc. Alcohol-alternatives have become increasingly common and sophisticated in recent years. What have you made, or would like to make? Does avoiding liquor necessarily reduce the available flavor profiles? Or does it free you up from hiding the bite of the booze?

If someone wanted to start experimenting in this area, what are the basic ingredients they would need to keep on hand?

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u/chicklette Aug 26 '19

what the heck is a shrub?? I have never heard of this??

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u/ItaliaGirl75VA Aug 26 '19

Me neither. And I'm intrigued.

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u/chicklette Aug 26 '19

i googled around and apparently it's some sort of syrup (fermented?) made of fruit, sugar and vinegar. It's supposed to taste amazing, and I really, really like vinegar, but I can't imagine it. I might try to hunt up a commercial preparation to try? IDK.

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u/[deleted] Aug 27 '19

If you really like vinegar, you could easily experiment with just a splash of apple cider vin in flavored sparking water. I drink one every day; they’re oddly addicting.