A mocktail is non-alcoholic drink prepared from a variety of ingredients. The possible combinations are endless and only limited by your imagination and the range of available ingredients:
- Naturally fresh juices are preferable to canned, bottled or concentrated forms but this is not always possible or perhaps desirable in the commercial situation where consistency of the finished product and accurate costing are essential.
- Sugar syrup (Gomme Syrup) is called for in many drink recipes but unfortunately this is not readily available in Australia. It is quite easy to make your own by covering two cups of sugar with boiling water in small saucepan and stirring gently until all the sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate in a glass jar or bottle. You can even make your own sweet and sour mix by combining the sugar syrup with fresh lemon juice.
Putting a teaspoon of sugar into a Mocktail is just plain lazy, it does not do the job properly, as the sugar does not dissolve.
- Cans of fruit juice, and other ingredients, once opened must be emptied and stored into glass or plastic containers for longer storage life. Always use good quality products, not cheap ones. You always get what you pay for and cheap drinks always taste cheap. Juices must never be used if under 50% natural, as they water Mocktail down.
- Egg white powder (albumen) can be substituted for fresh egg white. It is available from most major supermarkets. Half a teaspoon is approximately equivalent to half egg white.
- Small cans of bottles of juice and carbonated beverage are preferable to 750ml sizes or large because they maintain the freshness and effervescence and are less wasteful.
- Crushed ice can be made by wrapping cubed ice in a heavy plastic bag then putting the cubes into a blender with sufficient water to just cover the cubes and blend for a short time at high speed, then just drain the water off.
- Cleanliness is always an important factor when mixing drinks, be it in the home or a restaurant bar. It is essential to clean the equipment you are using as well as the bar area as you mix drinks or you will soon find yourself surrounded by mess or lacking any clean utensils to prepare the next drink.
- One golden rule with cocktails or mocktails is that any carbonated soft drinks must be poured in last, never shaken or blended. Don’t be frightened to experiment, that’s how all mixed drinks are created.