Rachel Marwedel
Website Manager
Each Monday, I gather my roommates and taste-test two mocktails. Here’s how this week’s went:
Redcurrant and Lemon Delight
Where do you even find redcurrant jelly, anyway?
2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
Juice of 2 lemons
Club soda
Boiling water
Ice cubes
(optional) slice of lemon, to garnish
From Mocktails by David Biggs, this recipe features an unusual ingredient: redcurrant jelly. Where does one acquire this jelly made from berries grown in Europe, you might ask? After two hours of driving, checking every European grocery store in Boise, I’m pleased to say you can find it at Albertson’s. Go figure. No, I’m not mad at all. Anyway, I started by boiling the jelly with water in a pot (I went with a pot since I only own glass cups, and boiling water in a glass ends with… well, use your imagination). After I’d reduced the jelly to liquid and let it cool a bit, I poured it into glasses. Next came the ice, then a bit of lemon juice, then the club soda. Mix, add a slice of lemon, and presto!
The lemon/carbonation combo punches you right in the face upon first sip, with the redcurrant following up for a right hook. This drink had potential to be a 3/3 knockout! But in between blows, there’s something missing – there’s no middle kick to round out the fighting combo. Without that third flavor, it comes short of a K.O.
Rating: 2/3
Virgin Margarita
After 2 minutes of gagging and crying, it’s not so bad!
Lemon and salt (for rim)
3 parts sweet and sour mix
1 part lime cordial
1 part fresh orange juice
Crushed ice
Frost the rim of a wine goblet or cocktail glass by rubbing it all around with a halved lemon and dipping it into a saucer of salt. Shake the sweet and sour mix, lime cordial, and orange juice in a cocktail shaker with a scoop of crushed ice and strain carefully into the frosted glass. Serve with a short straw.
Also from Mocktails, I started with rubbing the rim of my glass with a lemon, and then dipping it in margarita salt. Personally, I don’t think there’s much of a difference in taste between table salt and margarita salt, but margarita salt crystals are larger, prettier, and stick to the glass easier. I then mixed my homemade sweet and sour mix (lemon juice, lime juice, and simple syrup) with store-bought lime cordial and orange juice. Skip the shaker – it’s faster and turns out the exact same. Pour it into the glass, add some ice, and you’re finished.
This… tastes a bit like someone is scooping out your eyeballs, shoving a cattle prod into your mouth, and drowning you in the dead sea, all at the same time. It’s a great April Fool’s drink?
Rating: 1/3
