It's About Thyme: A Spirit-Free Cocktail - Imbibe Magazine Subscribe + Save

It’s About Thyme: A Spirit-Free Cocktail

It's About Thyme

A zero-proof drink with all the complexity of a cocktail.

The days of juice topped with soda as an acceptable spirit-free option are long gone. Nowadays, bartenders take the same approach to creating zero-proof drinks as they do to cocktails. To build an NA cocktail that “delivers the same level of complexity and balance as a classic Paloma,” Milos Zica, beverage director of Brooklyn’s Fandi Mata, makes a spiced grapefruit cordial, combines it with rooibos tea, fresh grapefruit, and lime juice, then tops with club soda and ginger beer. 

Ingredients

  • 1 oz. grapefruit cordial
  • 1 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
  • 3/4 oz. brewed rooibos tea
  • 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
  • 2-3 oz. club soda
  • Splash of ginger beer
  • Tools:shaker, strainer
  • Glass:Collins
  • Garnish:chipotle-tajin half rim, thyme sprig

Preparation

Add the first 4 ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into an ice-filled glass. Top with club soda and ginger beer. Garnish.
Grapefruit CordialCombine 3 1/4 cups of fresh grapefruit juice, 4 1/4 cups of white granulated sugar, the peel from 1 grapefruit, 1/2 tsp. of thyme, 1/4 tsp. of crushed white peppercorns, and 1 star anise in sealable container. Stir to combine and let sit for 24 hours. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and keep refrigerated. Will keep for up to 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

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