Latest news with #nonalcoholic
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
When life gives you cumquats or kumquats make a marmalade and mezcal cocktail
In our Melbourne garden, the only fruit tree that produces with any regularity is a cumquat. Bitter little things, cumquats – spelled kumquats outside Australia – are not quite as versatile as most other citrus. So, I say 'when life gives you cumquats, make marmalade!' – then use it in a punchy and tangy cocktail. The Lady Marmalade is a late-night specialty in our household. You can make a non-alcoholic version by shaking up the marmalade with a tangy fruit juice. Grapefruit with a splash of lime works well; the marmalade adds texture and complexity that elevates the juice to mocktail status. The cocktail is made with mezcal and apricot brandy but you can swap out the mezcal for aged tequila, brandy or whisky. You could also use a brighter marmalade based on lime, lemon or grapefruit, and switch the lime juice for lemon to pair with a lighter spirit. To make the spiced marmalade, you'll need a saucepan, juicer, microplane, measuring jug and scale. For the cocktail, you'll need a rocks glass, shaker and a jigger. 500g cumquats 1 cup (250ml) water, or enough to cover the cumquats250g granulated white sugar, or to taste (I like to keep my marmalade quite tart)Pinch salt 1 tsp ground cumin ½ tsp smoked paprika ½ lemon, zest and juice Quarter or slice the cumquats (depending on size). You can cover the cumquats with the water and leave them to soak overnight if you have time. This softens the fruit, which helps it to cook faster and keeps the flavour fresher, but it's not imperative. If you do this, cook the cumquats in the same water you soaked them in. Put the cumquats, water and sugar in a saucepan and stir over a low heat for 10-15 minutes until the fruit is tender and the sugar has dissolved. Add the salt, spices, lemon zest and juice while still over a low heat, then increase the heat and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue boiling for about 20 minutes, or until the marmalade has thickened. To check if it has reached setting point, place a small plate in the freezer until cold, then drop a dollop of marmalade on the cold plate. Tilt the plate and, if the marmalade doesn't run, you're good to go. If it runs, continue boiling for a few minutes, then use the same cold plate method to check again. Or you can just eyeball it, if you're a cowboy like me. Fish out any pips you can see. If marmalade is properly jarred and sealed in a sterile container, it can last in the pantry for up to six months. Once opened, keep it refrigerated and use within 12 weeks. 45ml mezcal 15ml apricot brandy2 tbsp spiced cumquat marmalade30ml lime juiceCubed iceCumquat halves, to garnish Add the alcohol, marmalade and lime juice to your shaker tins with ice and shake hard. 'Dump' into your glass (in other words don't strain it, just pour in the same ice you shook with), adding more ice if necessary to fill the glass. Garnish with a cumquat half. This is an edited extract from Behind the Home Bar by Cara Devine, with photography by Gareth Sobey (A$36.99, NZ$36.99, Hardie Grant Books), out 1 July
South China Morning Post
10 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
How Mostly Harmless bar is reinventing cocktail culture with its alcohol-free drinks
Much ado has been made about Mostly Harmless' announcement in March that the award-winning bar was going completely non-alcoholic. The Post previously reported that, as well as being creatively excited by the pivot, founder Ezra Star and her team had made the decision based on practical considerations: it was in response to difficulties in renewing the liquor licence for the bar in Sai Ying Pun. Advertisement Challenges in perception abound for a bar that doesn't serve any alcohol . 'We've had people come in and they're like, 'Oh, you don't serve alcohol?'' Star recounts. 'Then they turn around and go across the street to [bar and restaurant] Call Me Al. Which is fine, we can't control that.' For Star, though, the change in focus is evolutionary rather than revolutionary, and an opportunity to expand on what she feels Mostly Harmless has been doing since day one: taking a more culinary approach to cocktail making. Originally, Mostly Harmless made its name with a pared-back menu featuring four local ingredients rotated each evening depending on what was fresh and best available, and no garnishes. The team used, and continues to use, kitchen techniques such as boiling, reducing and sous-viding to bring out the best of seasonal local ingredients. Alcohol was added to complement these ingredients rather than the other way around, subverting the norms of cocktail creation. Despite the zero-alcohol approach, Mostly Harmless' traditional presentation of rotational signatures remains unchanged. Photo: Jocelyn Tam 'When I created Mostly Harmless, I was tired of looking at the base spirit as the main thing … I would say we're more culinary now than ever, because we no longer have to worry about [including] a spirit. Now all we worry about is how we make this feel good on the tongue,' Star says. For her, this is a question of chemistry and texture, as the current direction goes beyond a few non-alcoholic options tacked on at the end of a menu. Star explains how using potato or bean starch, or fermenting nut milk, helps create textures and notes that evoke alcohol. Her team has also been able to recreate, in flavour and mouthfeel, their own non-alcoholic versions of brown spirit, white spirit and various modifiers. The Common Rue, one of Mostly Harmless' new non-alcoholic signatures, is made possible by Ezra Star and the team's relationship to local herbal and medicinal shops. Photo: Jocelyn Tam Much of the above is foundational to the Agave & Tomato, one of the earliest zero-alcohol concoctions announced alongside Mostly Harmless' change of direction. The drink reverse engineers the flavours of agave spirits and tomato vermouth to create something reminiscent of a martini in its two-ingredient construction.
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
When life gives you cumquats or kumquats make a marmalade and mezcal cocktail
In our Melbourne garden, the only fruit tree that produces with any regularity is a cumquat. Bitter little things, cumquats – spelled kumquats outside Australia – are not quite as versatile as most other citrus. So, I say 'when life gives you cumquats, make marmalade!' – then use it in a punchy and tangy cocktail. The Lady Marmalade is a late-night specialty in our household. You can make a non-alcoholic version by shaking up the marmalade with a tangy fruit juice. Grapefruit with a splash of lime works well; the marmalade adds texture and complexity that elevates the juice to mocktail status. The cocktail is made with mezcal and apricot brandy but you can swap out the mezcal for aged tequila, brandy or whisky. You could also use a brighter marmalade based on lime, lemon or grapefruit, and switch the lime juice for lemon to pair with a lighter spirit. To make the spiced marmalade, you'll need a saucepan, juicer, microplane, measuring jug and scale. For the cocktail, you'll need a rocks glass, shaker and a jigger. 500g cumquats 1 cup (250ml) water, or enough to cover the cumquats250g granulated white sugar, or to taste (I like to keep my marmalade quite tart)Pinch salt 1 tsp ground cumin ½ tsp smoked paprika ½ lemon, zest and juice Quarter or slice the cumquats (depending on size). You can cover the cumquats with the water and leave them to soak overnight if you have time. This softens the fruit, which helps it to cook faster and keeps the flavour fresher, but it's not imperative. If you do this, cook the cumquats in the same water you soaked them in. Put the cumquats, water and sugar in a saucepan and stir over a low heat for 10-15 minutes until the fruit is tender and the sugar has dissolved. Add the salt, spices, lemon zest and juice while still over a low heat, then increase the heat and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue boiling for about 20 minutes, or until the marmalade has thickened. To check if it has reached setting point, place a small plate in the freezer until cold, then drop a dollop of marmalade on the cold plate. Tilt the plate and, if the marmalade doesn't run, you're good to go. If it runs, continue boiling for a few minutes, then use the same cold plate method to check again. Or you can just eyeball it, if you're a cowboy like me. Fish out any pips you can see. If marmalade is properly jarred and sealed in a sterile container, it can last in the pantry for up to six months. Once opened, keep it refrigerated and use within 12 weeks. 45ml mezcal 15ml apricot brandy2 tbsp spiced cumquat marmalade30ml lime juiceCubed iceCumquat halves, to garnish Add the alcohol, marmalade and lime juice to your shaker tins with ice and shake hard. 'Dump' into your glass (in other words don't strain it, just pour in the same ice you shook with), adding more ice if necessary to fill the glass. Garnish with a cumquat half. This is an edited extract from Behind the Home Bar by Cara Devine, with photography by Gareth Sobey (A$36.99, NZ$36.99, Hardie Grant Books), out 1 July
Condé Nast Traveler
2 days ago
- Condé Nast Traveler
Nonalcoholic Wine Is Finally Having Its Moment in NYC
Come March every year, nothing about New York City feels charming to me—even the slightest train delay (looking at you, Q) sets me off, and my favorite wool coat suddenly feels like a straitjacket. This year, I happily traded that melancholy for the sandy beaches of Palm Heights, an iconic hotel on Grand Cayman. But unlike my previous early spring escapes from the city, this trip happened just weeks after finding out I was pregnant. So at the hotel restaurant, when I asked our server if I could order just the non-alcoholic bubbly in a zero-proof cocktail, he seemed confused. 'We have many drinks without alcohol,' he said, gesturing to the menu in front of me, which had six thoughtfully crafted options using various fruit juices, extracts, ginger beer, and tonic. After a bit of back and forth, my booze-free bubbly arrived, and upon signing the check, I suggested that the staff consider adding the zero-proof sparkler to the menu by itself. It was crisp, dry, and paired perfectly with my plateful of shoestring fries and Caesar salad. Rather than detracting from the carefully crafted mocktail list (as my server perhaps feared it might), the addition of the non-alcoholic wine would simply have made the menu more inclusive. Mocktails are increasingly offered at restaurants in the US, at least at the ones worth their salt. But the options for someone who can't or doesn't drink, but just really craves a glass of wine—and isn't a big cocktail drinker to begin with—are surprisingly still limited. At Gramercy Tavern, non-alcoholic wines have become so popular that the staff are increasing their supply. Maura McEvoy/Gramercy Tavern Thankfully, that seems like it is changing. A few spots in New York City are offering more nonalcoholic wine options (often abbreviated as 'N/A wines') both by the glass and bottle. At the iconic Gramercy Tavern, by-the-glass booze-free wines have become so popular that beverage director Randall Restaino recently added them to his usual bi-weekly bar ordering sheet. 'We now restock these wines weekly,' Restaino tells Condé Nast Traveler. 'I remember eight years ago, at Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, we had one guest per service asking for this. Fast forward and now at Gramercy Tavern, the N/A options are among the top ten wines sold nightly.' I visited Gramercy Tavern recently on a quiet weekday, and I nosily clocked another bar patron, who seemed to be there for post-work drinks, asking for Dr. Steinbock Fischer's Riesling Zero from Martin Hofstatter, who makes Riesling and Pinot Noir in Italy's Alto Adige region. 'He crafts real wine grapes from real terroir and then dealcoholizes them," Restaino says. "It's a real pleasure when you drink a wine with no alcohol and the flavor profile really stays the same as if it were a traditionally made wine."
CBC
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
No hangovers, home by 9 p.m.: Why some Canadians are choosing daytime parties over nightlife
Imagine getting all the exhilaration of a night out — the euphoria of losing yourself in the music, the thrill of dancing shoulder to shoulder with strangers, and the joy of meeting new people — without the 4 a.m. crash or the dreaded next-day hangover. That's the idea behind a social trend that's catching on around Canada: daytime parties. Across the country, organizers are rethinking what it means to party, flipping the script on traditional nightlife culture by challenging the idea that celebrations must happen after dark. "There was nothing going on in that time frame, from 11 [a.m] to 3 p.m.," Zohaib Aziz told The Current 's host Matt Galloway. "And we just said, 'Why not give it a try?'" Aziz is the co-founder and partner of The Coffee Party, a Toronto-based daytime dance event. These events feature many of the same elements as a typical club night — DJs, dancing, and a lively atmosphere — but with a shift in focus. Alcohol is often swapped with non-alcoholic beverages, shifting the activities toward joy, connection, and well-being rather than excess. WATCH | Montreal is waking up to daytime parties: Coffee, croissants and good sound — daytime parties are popping up in Montreal 1 month ago Duration 2:25 In Montreal, an event called Croissound brings that energy to local cafés, hosting pop-up dance parties at a different spot each time. With DJ sets from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., it blends coffee culture, house music and daytime dancing into one lively experience. And at the end of May, inspired by this viral trend, organizers in Nova Scotia brought the alcohol-free daytime dance scene to downtown Halifax with a community coffee party at a local restaurant. For attendees like Geraldine Hinojosa, a partygoer at Toronto's Tech-Noon event, the change is refreshing. "Since I became 30 a few months ago ... I am trying to do more daytime activities because I feel partying at night, it's more like drunk people, drugs — [the] kind of things that I don't feel aligned right now with," said Hinojosa. "I feel this type of event inspired me more to really enjoy what I like, [which] is dancing and networking." Aspiring DJ Luis Diaz, who also attended the event, echoed the sentiment. "A day party is a pretty cool idea because not everyone wants to be [out] on nights. The vibe inside is pretty cool, all the people [are] nice," he said. Promoting a healthier lifestyle Aziz, who once identified as a "big party guy," said he used to love going out until 3 a.m. But that all changed during a personal fitness journey that helped him shed over 40 pounds and re-evaluate how nightlife fit into his routine. "I want to be up early in the morning, go to the gym, get my workout in and be in bed by nine, 10 p.m.," he said. But stepping away from the traditional club scene also meant losing a key way to meet new people. "That was one thing I was noticing by not being in the club scene because that is where I met a lot of my friends," said Aziz. "I think it's so important to still meet new people and just get yourself out there [to] talk to strangers." Inspired by that need, Aziz and four of his friends launched The Coffee Party in November 2024. The goal was to address what he describes as a "lack of spaces for people that still want to go out and party and enjoy a sober day out." The Coffee Party events, according to Aziz, bring a unique style — he calls it a "farmer's market mixed with a party." Guests are greeted by coffee stations, live art and food vendors offering cookies and pastries, with the option to have an espresso martini. From there, they head to the main floor, where local Toronto DJs keep the party going all day. Aziz and his team are using the platform to promote health and wellness too. Many events begin with fitness activities like pilates, yoga, or interval training workouts. They've also partnered with Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to support the Sunrise Challenge, a national initiative raising funds for mental health research and care. Giving the joy of partying to everyone In Vancouver, Home By Midnight has a similar mission. The early-evening dance party was created in 2018 by Rachel Morris and her co-founder Mikael Bingham. Their events run from 8 p.m. to 11:45 p.m., designed to give people a full club experience while still getting home at a reasonable hour. The idea came to the two friends after they became parents and began missing the dance floors of their twenties, but the late nights that once came easily were no longer sustainable while raising children. "The idea that that kind of connection over music wouldn't be available to me anymore as a parent or in this new phase of life — I mean, it's devastating if you're a fan of music, and if you are a fan of collective experiences and bonding over something like that," said Morris, who is also the managing director of Home By Midnight. "[What] all of these movements are about, is still making space for people, no matter their circumstances, and encouraging people that this connection over music does not need to just exist in that one particular format that we were used to." Aziz has seen that demand first-hand, and as he sees it, the momentum shows no signs of slowing. He says about 4,000 people showed up to a recent The Coffee Party event in Toronto. "Our community [has] grown so big … the demand is there," he said. "Let's see — sky's the limit — how big we can take this."
