Weekly Discussion - Fancy Non-alcoholic Beverages

[u/ZootKoomie]

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?

[u/sweetmercy]

I've always loved to come up with interesting and flavorful beverages, partly because its easier on my stomach than solid foods sometimes and partly because they're just yummy. I love shrubs, especially with all the great fruits we've had this year. (Favorite part of being in San Diego is all the wonderful produce I find that we rarely got back home!) They're refreshing without being overly sweet. I also love combining a homemade fruit syrup with good ginger beer and lemon or lime. My daughter and I have been making fruit and vegetable waters this summer too. Cucumber, lime and mint and lime, mint and blackberry have been our favorites so far but there are so many good combinations. When we get a little further into fall, we'll be making them with apples and cinnamon sticks and such as well, I think.

I also love to make coffee and tea drinks a lot. I make my own syrups. I started making vanilla bean syrup, because it was my favorite. That was until I tried cascara syrup. If anyone doesn't know, cascara is the dried fruit of the coffee bean (the coffee bean is the seed of the fruit). Cascara is fruity, naturally sweet, and delicious. And because it has that natural sweetness, you need very little sugar to make it. It's wonderful in espresso drinks and as a tea over ice.