Rachel Marwedel
Website Manager
Each Monday for the past 2 ½ years, I would gather my roommates and taste-test two mocktails. And now, after 2 ½ years of diligently writing this column, Mocktail Monday has arrived at its final installment. For this last issue, I thought I’d return to two drinks I had rated 2.5/3, and attempt to elevate them to the highest honor on ISU campus, as awarded by the Mocktail Master herself: a 3/3 rating.
Strawberry Granita
Perfection always was hard to attain…
1 cup sugar
⅔ cup water
5 cups fresh strawberries, hulled
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup orange juice
4 fresh strawberries, hulled
Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cool, and set aside. Press 5 cups strawberries through a sieve into a bowl. Add lemon juice and orange juice. Stir in sugar-water mixture. Pour into ice trays or a shallow dish. Place in freezer about 1 ½ hours or until frozen at edges but soft in center. Stir mixture well. Freeze two more hours. Empty mixture into a bowl and crush with a spatula to break up large ice crystals. Garnish with strawberry.
This drink comes from my very first Mocktail recipe book: The New Mixer’s Guide to Low-Alcohol & Nonalcholic Drinks by Sheila Buff and Judi Olstein. This drink also comes with a contract to work an entire day shift. Literally, the process can take anywhere from 4-6 hours. But from the grueling work of opening and closing the freezer a few times, a fascinating texture begins to form. Paper-thin sheets of ice stack, one on top of the other, until the layers are reminiscent of a puff pastry. They seem so strong – and yet, one mouthful and the ice evaporates on the tongue, leaving only a ghost of strawberry behind. Welcome to the delicate artistry of a granita.
The all of 4 people who regularly read this column might notice I’ve never reviewed this drink before; that’s because my first attempt was in the middle of summer, when the Bengal is not in production. Back then, my reviewer and I rated it a 2.5/3. We speculated it could be improved with floral scents, or perhaps presentation. I tried both for this review. Basil leaves wrapped around the glass, edible flowers sprinkled on top, passionfruit extract, jasmine extract, rose oil, snake oil, everything! But in the end, this Strawberry Granita is like graduating from college – the work isn’t done yet.
Rating: 2.5/3
Vanilla Pear Fizz/Gingear
…but perfection is still attainable!
Original Ingredients:
1 cup pear juice
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp maple syrup
Ginger Ale
Ice Cubes
Improved Ingredients:
Pear Juice
Ginger Beer (Preferably Fever-Tree)
Maple Syrup
Fresh Mint
Powdered Ginger
Ice Cubes
Originally, this ‘Vanilla Pear Fizz’ came from Mocktail Magic by Bondjour. But I knew it had potential. Not like the potential you see in a boy stocking shelves at Winco at midnight when everything looks good, but real potential to be delicious. So much so, that after tweaking and testing, I hesitate to even call it the same drink. So, for the final Mocktail of Mocktail Monday, let me introduce “Gingear”.
Pour pear juice and a small amount of maple syrup into a cocktail shaker. Lightly crush 10-12 mint leaves (more if needed), then add them to the shaker. Shake vigorously. Fill glasses with a few cubes of ice. Pour 2 parts pear juice mixture into glass, then one part ginger beer. Sprinkle powdered ginger on top, then mix.
Imagine: the viscous pear and fiery ginger, two overpowering forces, meeting together for battle – only to fall into an impossible equilibrium. Amidst their harmony, the faintest whisper of cool mint ties the two notes even closer together. And then, even as the symphony of flavors fade out, the powdered ginger, bright sparks on the tip of your tongue, dances across the emptying stage with one final bow. This is “Gingear”.
Rating: 3/3
Photos by Rachel Marwedel