Welcome to the Golden Age of Non-Alcoholic Cocktails
I love Cava for breakfast…but these drinks are making me reconsider!
I have heard a lot about this trend of Dry January, where people don’t drink any alcohol for the entire month. But you know, I am not sure it’s for me. I like my Gintonics, my wine with dinner and my Cava with breakfast! Yes, breakfast! If you watched my new show José Andrés and Family in Spain on Discovery +, you know that I took my daughters to Barcelona’s legendary Boquería market in the morning and we found many Spaniards drinking Catalan cava in the morning! It’s the Spanish way!
That said, even for me, it is a nice idea to take a break or slow down. And we are in a golden age of non-alcoholic drinks, thanks to amazing new low and no-ABV spirits. Forget those Shirley Temples! The ingredients available to make the drinks are very modern, and make non-alcoholic cocktails that are so sophisticated and delicious. It’s tempting, even for me!
If Dry January is something that YOU are trying this month, I hope you will take some inspiration from Nubeluz, my new bar on the 50th floor of the Nomad’s Ritz-Carlton hotel in New York City.
As you can imagine, it has astonishing views of the city. It also has the brilliant Miguel Lancha, our Cocktail Innovator, who has created a menu that includes four non-alcoholic cocktails.
Miguel’s “Emerald Coin'' is made with Seedlip Grove, which is a new non-alcoholic spirit infused with a bright blend of citrus, lemongrass and ginger, that he mixes with honeydew, more lemongrass, lime juice and celery. His “Niño Melón'' also has honeydew, but is mixed with Lyre's American Malt, lime juice and honey. (I got him to share a recipe in this post at the end.) The Firefly is a warmer cocktail that tastes more like whiskey, made with Gnista Barreled Oak with saffron, Thai basil, Thai chili tincture, and Fever-Tree Indian tonic. Another good for anyone who likes a brown spirit is his “Squaring the Circle,” which combines Kentucky 74, Lyre's Amaretti, maple syrup, and a homemade cumin tincture.
These are all really carefully made drinks with top-quality infusions and ingredients, and they don’t give you a headache or a hangover the next day. The craziest thing about these drinks is that they actually look and taste like “real” cocktails. Miguel has told me that many guests accidentally order spirit-free drinks off the menu.
If you are doing Dry January, here’s Miguel’s recipe for the Niño Melón. Warning: It’s going to require a trip to the store and some prep work. If it seems overwhelming, no worries! I personally invite you to Nubeluz. (Tell them José sent you.) If you are not in New York, you can visit one of my other restaurants. We have non-alcoholic drinks at all of them!
Cheers!
Niño Melón
1 ounce Lyre's Absinthe non-alcoholic spirit
2 ounces honeydew melon juice, fresh and strained
1 tablespoon lime juice, fresh and strained
1 tablespoon honey syrup (3 parts honey to 1 part water, by weight)
½ teaspoon Cepa Vieja sherry aged vinegar, or other aged sherry vinegar of your choice
3-4 stigmas of saffron, for garnish
Instructions:
Place two ice cubes in a cocktail shaker.
Combine all the ingredients in a shaker and shake vigorously for 20 shakes.
Strain your cocktail into a chilled coupe glass or glass of your choice.
Garnish with saffron. Drink!
I love wine and cocktails on the weekend, but I also love mixing non-alcoholic cocktails during the week. Lyre’s non alcoholic spirits are exceptionally good, and I’m fond of the Seedlip “spice” and “garden” flavors also. (And the Seedlip is zero-calorie, which is a plus.) Lyre’s even makes a Prosecco substitute that’s pretty good, although a touch too sweet for me by itself; with a splash of their Italian Orange (Campari substitute), however, it’s festive and delicious. I also mix the Lyre’s London Dry “gin” with Fever Tree tonic, and it’s an excellent substitute for a real Gintonic (love the Spanish name for a G&T, by the way). I even made a darn good “Negroni” with the Lyre’s analogs for gin, vermouth, and Campari. Add an orange slice and you’ve got something that tastes like the real thing. And no hangover the next morning!
I love bitters and soda as a go-to refreshing non-alcoholic sipper, sometimes muddled with herbs or infused ice cubes. I'm very fortunate to live where there are many makers creating exceptional and varied bitters that make for great drinks with or without alcohol (although they're quite nice with tequila, too!).