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?
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| 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
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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