Friday, May 19, 2023

NONA. The New Craze - Non Alcoholic. Say What!!

I found myself seated across from a Railroad Magnate, conversing about the railroad industry. Such esoteric concepts, such as “Y loops”, the significance of grades and managing overheating and other complexities on rail cars.

I was having a Kilkenny beer  - that's right, first tried it in Kilkenny Ireland. Very nice. Very nice. I believe Tony was drinking an Amstel . We continued our conversations about that which led to the new concept that everybody seems to be latching onto now. Hold onto your pants – zero alcohol cocktails. I recently learned  of zero alcohol wine. And how about Seedlip's zero alcohol, distilled liquors?


One of the three Seedlips products. 
Garden 108

January has for some number of years now been  regaled as a month to kind of “dry out” a little bit. I've always kind of ignored it. But circumstances have changed, which is causing me to reconsider this significant finding. One that has gotten the attention of a lot of people beyond myself. And it's a healthy attribute as well. Moderation is always a good thing, most of the time.

 

Much to my surprise - as I was doing some research on the Banff Fairmont hotel in Canada - when lo and behold I'm checking out the bar and what do they have a whole list of non-alcoholic cocktails that they make.  Quite exotic too.

 

Here is a sampler of the Banff’s Ramsay Bar cocktails – 

 

 ZERO PROOF COCKTAILS

HEDGE FUND

Seedlip Grove + blackberry syrup + pineapple + egg whites + lemon juice

Silky, tart hedgerow berries play nicely with the zesty citrus and ginger flavors of . Grove 42 in this zero proof blackberry sour.

 

BLANKET FEVER

Seedlip Spice + house cold brew + maple syrup + ginger beer

Lumberjacks love maple syrup and strong coffee. In Lumberjack Lingo “Blanket Fever” is what happens the morning after a big night. So have this, it’ll help!

 

MONKEY GONE TO HEAVEN

coconut milk + housemade pineapple cordial + blueberry puree + orange juice + lime juice.

What to drink when you want a tropical getaway, but all borders are closed. Slightly sweet and creamy, all the familiar tropical flavors come together to give you a luau in a glass.

 

              Source – Fairmont Ramsay Bar at the Banff Hotel


Haven't been a frequent traveler of late. Traveling with Accor’s (that's right, the French chain located on île d’  Paris) I took it seriously when I saw that they had this majestic list of cocktails.

 

I've been exploring, mocktails for sometime, as when we were entertaining before the pandemic, there were some guest, for a variety of reasons chose not to have an alcoholic beverage, so I try to accommodate.

 

My Chicago associate Virang put me onto a new book from that fancy Chicago restaurant Alinéa. The book’s title! “Z”, pronounced zero. Yes, it is a compilation of recipes on how to make an non-alcoholic beverage using herbs, bitters, etc. It is not necessarily a cocktail recipe book. But quite fun.  To date I have only explored the opportunity to make my simple syrup using their recipe. 

 

And as I mentioned the circumstances, such as they are causing myself and the girlfriend, to kind of reduce our beverages of choice, I have looked into more different types of beverages, ranging from sparkling Chardonnay, grape nonalcoholic, red and white nonalcoholic wines, and of course, the non-alcoholic liquors. There, to my surprise were much more variety then I would've imagined.

 

I will have to say I need to do more research on this and I would like to find some more solid sources for ratings of these liquors.  It's a little difficult trying to accommodate one's taste to these non-alcoholic beverages. For some reason, there seems to be a slight tanginess, almost what I would characterize as a spiciness about them when drinking not as a part of a mix. There  is a learning curve that one needs to learn to adjust to because a French 75 cocktail made with zero proof gin has a different flavor. Not hard to understand when you realize there is a difference in flavors and it's just a matter of accommodating that change.

 

The more positive thing is it’s  healthier choice to not have but one or less than one cocktail that is non-alcoholic. Or even better to have a non-alcoholic cocktail, and a glass of wine.

 

Distilled

I am neither a chemist, (however I have advisers who are) nor anyone of any serious expertise in this matter, but I will share what I know in this growing field of beverages.

 

One enterprise that stands out is Seedlip, from the United Kingdom. Apparently this is a distilled beverage, non-alcoholic that is intended to be blended with other ingredients to provide, a authentic cocktail experience. I’ve been using Seedlip now for over a year and I’m very pleased with the results particularly – as a Negroni fan -  using it in lieu of gin. And I have reduced the alcohol further by using  Aperol instead of Campari. But don’t get me wrong. I am still a big Campari fan.

 

 Other beverages seem to be, as I explore this issue, an alcoholic beverage, where the alcohol has been removed. Don’t ask me anymore on that. Nevertheless, I’ve been using a couple of the whiskeys and made it successful.

 

Wine and sparkling beverages.

 

I’ve been experiencing , using an Ariel brand of wines both red and white very pleasing. And came across a sparkling wine from Alsace Lorraine that also has been very very pleasing. So clearly there is a lot of work being done and probably more to be done as we see the interest in this field, expanding.

 

So I encourage moderation, as always. And I also encourage that you be on the lookout for opportunities to try out a non-alcoholic cocktail , I think you will find as I am finding that the resources and the opportunities are ever expanding in this field as I have noted. I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal that talked about non-alcoholic beverages, and the expanding opportunities here. I was much surprised to find the  Accors hotel brand iIncluding in their cocktail menu a rather comprehensive list of non-alcoholic cocktails. So

 

The next time you’re at your favorite “Takeaway store“, Carrefour or Monoprix, seek something out and expand your repertoire by choosing a non-alcoholic beverage  And practicing your cocktail skills.

 

                  And I conclude with my meeting with Giannini.

 We were talking about arborist kind of stuff, Giannini and me, and I asked him, finding out that he’s originally from Italy, Calabrian, and I said, are you a Campari fan? He said no, “I just enjoy having in the morning, a little espresso with a little Stock 84 brandy on the side.

 

 

Salut

Boite

Madhatter

Seedlip Grove 42

Cranberry

Black tea syrup

Lemon  

                   © The Ramsay Bar, Fairmont Accors Banff Hotel

 

Appetizer - Belgium dark chocolate, 78%

 Music –"you turn the tables on me" Stan Getz. 

 

 

 

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