The name’s Chris. That’s not me in the header – I’m a brunette.
I’ve just moved from Sydney to lovely Goonengerry, in the Byron Bay hinterland.
In 2011 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. A week later the fantastic surgeon had cut it out and the nurses were telling me how to keep it at bay for the next 40 years – the usual things like regular exercise, healthy eating …. and preferably only 2 glasses of wine per week.
Eek! I really liked my evening routine – open the windows, turn on MTV, sing and dance and cook dinner with a glass of wine in my hand. And maybe another with dinner. No more. Or at least not every day.
So I decided to become the mistress of mocktails – a delicious adventure in non-alcoholic pre- and post- dinner drinks with style.
Breast Cancer Network Australia
Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation
It’s a mock cocktail. A non-alcoholic mixed drink, typically made from fruits, juices, teas, syrups, botanicals and/or carbonated drinks. Presented in an appealing manner with garnishes, and most often served as a pre-dinner drink.
The Shirley Temple is traditionally claimed as the original mocktail.
Theoretically invented for Shirley Temple when visiting a hotel in Beverly Hills with her parents, it’s a ginger ale with a dash of grenadine for colour, and a maraschino cherry and lemon slice for a garnish.
Any decent bar these days will serve you a mocktail – they’ll either have their own preferred mocktail menu, or be able to whip up a lime and soda or virgin sunrise without much fuss.
There is also an increasing number of brands selling pre-mixed mocktails in bottles, including Mocktails, Mingle Mocktails, Mocktail Club, Seedlip, Lyres, Dry Sparkling, Dram, PropositionMocktail, Sanzo, O.Vine, Rock Grace, Curious Elixirs, Lagunitas.
Absolutely – you can be as resourceful and creative as you like. Start by freezing some ice cubes, make up a simple sugar syrup, mix with lime juice, and experiment with seasonal fruit combinations and soda water. Garnish with fruit slices or mint from the garden.
Yup. The US is a little different to the rest of the world… they don’t fizz their lemonade. If you’re an Aussie or Pom and expect a clear fizzy lemonade, you’ll need to ask for a Sprite or 7-Up. Walking into a bar in the US and asking for a lemon, lime and bitters and trying to explain the ingredients is just not recommended unless you have the patience of a saint.