La Verdita: A Zero-Proof Highball
Photo: Randy Schmidt
You won’t miss the booze in this tart and verdant highball
New Orleans French brasserie Justine offers a slew of spirit-free alternatives to counter the cocktail offerings in the Crescent City. One such favorite is its no-alcohol version of the restaurant’s popular tequila cocktail, the Green Goddess. But you won’t miss the booze in this tart and verdant zero-proof highball, which is made with pineapple juice, mint, cilantro, and jalapeños and topped with tonic water.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz. verdita
- 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz. rich simple syrup
- 4 oz. tonic water (Justine uses East Imperial Tonic)
- Tools:shaker, strainer
- Glass:Collins
- Garnish:black lava salt rim, dehydrated lime wheel
Preparation
Combine all of the ingredients, except the tonic water, in a shaker and shake briefly. Strain over fresh ice into a glass rimmed with black lava salt, and top with tonic water. Garnish.
VerditaCombine 33 oz. of pineapple juice, 1 oz. of fresh lime juice, 1 handful of mint leaves, 2 bunches of cilantro, 2 jalapeños (remove the tops but not the seeds), and a pinch of kosher salt in a blender. Blend until the mixture is dark green. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bottle. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.