Zero Proof

March 1, 2021
Oh, the ingredients needed to prepare upscale zero-proof cocktails (aka mocktails): fig syrup, verjus (juice of unripe grapes), hibiscus water, aquafaba ... the list continues, and don't forget the sous vide and juicer. But for those determined to emulate top mixologists while remaining alcohol-free, the hunt is worth it. Before sharing 90 recipes, journalist Ramirez delves into the history of temperance as well as social feedback on drinking or not: "To be American is to drink." There is plenty of pre-work involved: most recipes depend on at least one customized ingredient. Selections often ape familiar full-proof mixes (gin and tonic, Bloody Mary), aiming to replicate flavors, texture, mouthfeel, and finish, across five categories: bright and refreshing, fruity and floral, vegetal and savory, tangy and tropical, and rich and decadent. Aphorisms throughout are memorable: "A bad fruit will yield bad juice." "If you wouldn't eat it, it's probably not a good idea to juice it." Among the well-photographed offerings: vintage raspberry shake, coffee punch, limeade cordial, Talk to Her (imitating sangria), and tea tonic.

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Starred review from April 5, 2021
Ramirez, a former producer and reporter for the Wall Street Journal, offers a (non)spirited case for imbibing without alcohol, with help from some of the world’s best bartenders, in her fantastic debut. Prefaced with a condensed history of how “colonial Americans wove drinking into the fabric of socializing,” the recipes presented are part of the recent movement to normalize sobriety by applying the same care and craft to nonalcoholic beverages that’s given to boozy cocktails (to start: 86 the term mocktail). While some drinks, such as Ramirez’s GT&C (“gin, tonic, and cordial”), call for Ritual Zero Proof’s alcohol-free gin as a spirit substitute, most recipes—like the cucumber-forward Half Day or Ginger and Mint Swizzle—let the flavors of fresh ingredients do the talking. To replicate the sensations of a full-bodied red wine, New York bartender Eamon Rockey calls on beets, apples, and oolong tea for the earthy, acidic, and leathery notes in his Better Ave. Wine. Specialty ingredients necessary for the book’s syrups, cordials, and infusions—including nettle leaves, cascara, and tonka beans—add excitement to the mix via mouth-puckering sensations and velvety, chocolate flavors. For serious home bartenders, more involved projects—concocting nonalcoholic amaro or gin hydrosol—will impress and satisfy. This makes going dry anything but a dry affair. Agent: Leigh Eisenman, MacKenzie Wolf.