Making non-alcoholic drinks that stand out

This is the skeleton of a guide I’m working on for making good non-alcoholic drinks. I intend to flesh it out over time, but feel free to ask me any questions about what’s here in the meantime.

  • Problems and Considerations
    • Familiarity
      • Many N/A beverages are enjoyable but familiar, even when mixed with N/A “spirits”, etc.
      • Common/classic sodas, tonic
      • Juices
      • Shrubs
        • Remain less familiar, but more so recently (a common option in bars)
        • Good but often one-dimensional, particularly in acid characteristics (primarily acetic)
    • Expectations
      • Knowing people’s general expectations can help you meet or defy them, as appropriate
      • Around cocktails
      • Around N/A drinks
    • Context
      • The reason your “customer” wants N/A may influence what they want
        • Not a drinker, or just want an N/A option at the moment?
        • Non-drinkers likely to be more tolerant of less complex/unique options, but worth surprising them
        • Drinkers of normal cocktails will have certain expectations set by alcohol
  • Meeting expectations
    • Difficult to some degree because no really good direct stand-ins exist yet (see below)
  • Defying Expectations
    • Possibly the better way to go
    • Multiple ways to achieve
      • More complexity
      • Changing familiar balance/flavor profiles
      • More acidic/bitter/spicy (less familiar in common N/A drink options)
  • Layering
  • Juices
    • Alternate citrus juices
    • Unusual Juices
      • Turmeric, ginger
      • Vegetables, Tomato, cucumber, fennel
    • Commercial availability vs. DIY
    • Acid adjusting
  • Shrubs
    • Although familiar, still useful, especially as a base flavor
    • More complex/interesting/flavorful shrubs
    • Combining shrubs
    • Home-made
    • Try fresh rather than cooked ingredients, especially where one might be more often expected (rhubarb)
    • Alternative vinegars to vary flavors (balsamic, coconut)
    • Herb shrubs (lemongrass)
  • Alternative acids
    • Verjus
    • Supasawa
  • Syrups and other sweeteners
    • Use sweeteners familiar in cocktail making
      • Orgeat
      • Grenadine
    • Commercial (interesting options, brands)
      • Liquid Alchemist
    • Alternate sugar syrups
      • Maple syrup
      • Birch syrup
      • Date syrup
      • Sorghum syrup
    • Home-made possibilities
  • More unique, useful commercial sodas
    • Casamara club
    • Hops sodas
      • Lacks malty flavors of beer
      • Makes a great mixer
    • Lemon coco
    • Chinotto
    • Sanbitter
  • Kombucha and kefir water
    • Primarily as an ingredient, not alone
    • Can be easily made at home and flavored, if desired
    • Kefir water has no caffeine
    • Can add carbonation (some products)
  • Other unique drinks
    • Calpico
    • Maple and Birch water
  • Herbs and Spices
    • Heat in place of alcohol for extraction
    • Muddling
  • Teas
    • Similar to herbs/spices
    • More unusual teas/tisanes and blends available
    • Familiar teas also very useful for e.g. bitter flavors, but keep caffeine content in mind
  • N/A “Spirits”
    • Most not great, at least on their own
    • Missing alcohol “burn”, but more importantly, volatile contribution to aromatics, viscosity
    • Layering/mixing solves some problems
    • Specific products, good and bad, and recommended uses
      • Lyre’s
      • Seedlip
      • Aplós
    • Older N/A options and uses
      • N/A Wine
        • As an ingredient, not on its own
        • Make your own N/A vermouth (Uncle Pete’s video))
      • N/A Beer
        • Shandy?
  • Bitters
    • N/A bitters
  • Essential Oils and Hydrosols
    • In a drink (appropriate solvents)
    • On a drink (spritz aromatics)
  • Egg white
    • Seedlip foaming characteristics
  • Carbonation
    • Aerosolizing of aromatics
    • Carbonic acid
    • Texture/experience of bubbles
    • Carbonate something that usually isn’t (but not everything, e.g. orange juice)
  • Garnish
    • Aesthetics
    • Aromatics
    • Edible
  • Takeaways
    • Multiple ingredients to get something that stands out
    • Presentation matters at least as much as in alcoholic drinks
    • Rules are similar as in cocktails (balance sugar/acid, etc.), but the finer points differ, find alternate basic ratios and experiment
    • Have fun, explore your market, etc. and find inspiration/ingredients in many aisles (spices, baking items, “international” ingredients, etc.)
  • What’s still missing
    • Real and full replacement for alcohol characteristics
    • Full representation/emulation of certain more intense flavors, e.g. juniper
    • Good representation of “barrel notes”