Each Monday, I gather my roommates and taste-test two mocktails. Here’s how this week’s went:
Secret Ingredient Mango Smoothie
An Avocado? Thanks…
1 cup of mango
¼ pieces avocado
½ cup lemon sherbet
¼ cup milk
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp lime juice
Ice
Add ice, milk, lime juice, lemon sherbert, honey, and avocado to the blender. Blend and strain into a glass.
This recipe comes from www.cocktailflow.com, a new website I’ve been trying out. They’re primarily focused on cocktails, but have a few good non-alcoholic recipes. I cut up my mango – make sure to buy your mango well in advance so it’s ripe. I added that, my avocado, and milk. Lemon sherbert was hard to find, but I did manage to score some at Fred Meyer’s. In went the lime juice, ice, and some warmed-up honey. Blend! For the ice, feel free to keep adding until it’s as chunky as you want. I then strained it into glasses.
This is a very full-bodied drink and highly complex. Yes, I know that sounds like some pretentious wine sommelier, but once you have this, you’ll agree. It’s got a bit of an unappetizing smell, but once you taste it… This is the breakfast smoothie they serve at high-end country clubs. Anyway, suffice to say it’s good enough – I would serve it to all of my rich friends. (Of which I have none. Hit me up if you’re rich)
Rating: 3/3
Sophisticated Lady
She watches her lover walk away and takes another sip.
1 piece of cucumber
1 ½ parts sugar syrup
¼ tsp salt
3 parts cranberry juice
1 ½ parts lime juice
Ice
(Optional) lime
Add salt and cucumber to a shaker. Crush the salt and cucumber with a muddler. Add ice, sugar syrup, lime juice, and cranberry juice to the shaker. Shake well. Add ice to cocktail glasses, and strain into glass. Garnish with a lime slice.
My second recipe is from www.cocktailflow.com. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by their recipes. I sliced up a few pieces of cucumber and added a bit of margarita salt. I’d recommend using margarita salt instead of table salt – table salt can be easily overwhelming and doesn’t quite have the right texture. Then, I crushed them with a muddler. If you don’t know what a muddler is, don’t worry — you can just use something like a mortar and pestle, wooden spoon, or the decorative utensil you got overseas you’ve never actually used for anything since it’s too big. The goal is not to actually crush them, but to squeeze the flavors together. Add the rest of your ingredients, and shake, shake, shake, señora! I added a bit of ice and strained it into glasses. Be careful here — a little goes a long way with this drink. I skipped the garnish.
Sophisticated Lady is the right name for this, indeed. Somewhere, in a rooftop bar in Manhattan, dressed in a little black number, a woman lifts this very drink to her lips. Her lover jilted her last night, and she hasn’t spoken to her family in years. The drink tastes just like the bittersweet success she’s achieved in spite of it all. In less romantic terms, it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s very strong, acidic, on the edge of vinegar-y, yet sweet and refreshing. My roommates wanted this to be a 1.5/3, but I overruled them. Personally, I found it unique yet enjoyable.
Rating: 2/3
Photos by Rachel Marwedel