From tantalizing your taste buds to supporting your gut, vinegar uplifts your alcohol-free cocktail experience.
When I am crafting my mocktails, one of my favorite ingredients to use is vinegar. While vinegar is typically associated with savory dressings and marinades, its unique flavor profile and health benefits make it an excellent addition to mocktails.
The tangy and acidic nature of vinegar adds a depth to mocktails that I often find is missing with simple combinations of juice and carbonated water. When mixing up a non-alcoholic cocktail, replicating the funk and bite of the alcohol can be a challenge. I’ve found that adding as little as a teaspoon of vinegar (per serving) to a mocktail adds a complexity that no amount of lemon or lime juice can replicate.
Non-alcoholic spirits, cocktails and mixers are blowing up, and they are not cheap. I’m not going to lie, I enjoy my $7/can, pre-made, adaptogenic, non-alcoholic cocktails. I don’t necessarily want to spend that everytime I want a booze-free sip. I value the high quality ingredients and complex formulation of these products. I also love finding inexpensive ways to create delicious and complex mocktails. With some extra effort, I could buy a 32oz bottle of apple cider vinegar for $7, and a few simple ingredients and concoct over 150 mocktails at home.
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is the most celebrated vinegar for its health benefits such as, digestive support and blood sugar regulation. Raw apple cider vinegar ‘with the mother’ is a naturally fermented food that contains beneficial microorganisms, making a happy gut microbiome. ACV’s natural acidity can help raise stomach acid levels which support your body’s ability to break down food.
Research has shown that the acetic acid in ACV slows the release of glucose in the bloodstream and supports muscles in using glucose more quickly. When drunk in close proximity to a meal (ideally before), it blunts the glucose spike typically seen when consuming sugars and starches.
There are so many types of vinegar to play with. The basic vinegars are apple cider, balsamic, rice wine, champagne, and white wine, each offering its own distinct taste. If you’d like to add more flavor and complexity, you can try a flavored vinegar that has been infused with fruits, herbs or vegetables.
If you’re looking for an easy vinegar-based mixer, shrubs are a great place to start. A shrub is a centuries old recipe for ‘drinking vinegar’ that typically consists of vinegar, fruit, herbs, and sugar. Mix a few tablespoons with some carbonated water for a simple non-alcoholic beverage.
While vinegar is not necessarily as sexy as the latest non-alcoholic spirit, I believe that it deserves a prominent place in your at-home mocktail recipes. Vinegar’s flavor, accessibility, nutrient profile and versatility makes it a must have for any non-alcoholic bar cart.
Vinegar is one of the most underused ingredients in zero-proof mixology. Below, we cover how it works, when to use it, and how to build with it (including shrubs)
Apple cider vinegar brings both acid and fermented funk to a drink that lemon and lime juice cannot replicate. Citrus juice delivers citric acid which is bright and short lived. Acetic acid has a longer finish with a complexity that lingers on the palate. Complexity and intensity are two of the biggest challenges in zero-proof mixology and vinegar is an easy food-based solution. Start with ½ to 1 tsp and build from there.
Yes, and the technique has a long history. Shrubs, which combine fruit, sugar and vinegar, were a staple of colonial era drink making long before the modern cocktail revival brought them back. Bartenders use shrubs and other vinegar based mixers to add acidity and flavor to both alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. In a mocktail, vinegar can stand in for the bite that alcohol would otherwise provide.
A shrub is a concentrated liquid made by combining fruit, sugar and vinegar, traditionally in equal parts. Once strained, it becomes an ingredient you can mix with sparkling water for a simple non-alcoholic drink or add to a more complex mocktail. Shrubs date back centuries as a way to preserve seasonal fruit and they bring built in sweetness, acidity and flavor in one ingredient.
It depends on the flavor profile you want. Apple cider vinegar is the most common all-purpose base: mellow, slightly fruity and forgiving. Wine vinegar and champagne vinegar bring a cleaner more delicate character. Balsamic adds intensity and depth especially with dark berries but use it sparingly. Distilled white vinegar is too sharp for most shrubs.
It depends on whether you are using straight vinegar or a shrub. For straight vinegar, start with 1/2-1 tsp per serving since its acidity is concentrated and a little goes far. If you are using a shrub, where the vinegar has already been mixed with fruit and sugar, a standard pour is closer to 1/2-1oz per serving. Taste and adjust from there.
There is no hard rule against pairing vinegar with specific ingredients. The real consideration is balance. Vinegar brings concentrated acidity, so it needs enough sweetness, body or dilution in the rest of the drink to keep it from tasting sharp or one note. Rather than avoiding combinations, think about whether the other components in your drink can support that acidity. Start small and adjust to taste.
The Fundamentals of Non-Alcoholic Mixology teaches you the techniques behind ingredients like these, so you can build drinks with confidence instead of guessing. Join the waitlist to be the first to know when enrollment opens.
You want to create your own mocktails. Not just follow someone else's inspiration. But you're stuck guessing. We teach the foundations of exceptional zero-proof cocktails, so you can create with confidence, not cross your fingers.
