I've mentioned that I was a bartender many moons ago, but I never did work in a cocktail bar. Nor are we the biggest spirit drinkers, especially at home. Even out, I know what I like, and I like what I know - I'll take an Old Fashioned or a classic Margarita on the rocks. But a nice virgin cocktail? Yes please, any old time! I first fell in love with them on vacation - we went to India a few years ago, and it just felt culturally appropriate to be more abstemious than I might be in Europe. I was covered up, and feeling all ladylike. Plus it was hot, and I don't know about you, but boozing in the heat seems like the quickest way to spend your time feeling sub-par. And when you're pregnant or breastfeeding, it's nice to have something a bit more festive than club soda. Anyway, all that to say that I do enjoy a non-alcoholic cocktail.
This is just a simple, refreshing summer spritzer. I'd consider this a morning drink, because that's when I like to drink Kombucha. If you're not terribly sensitive to caffeine, like I am, it's good any time! You'll need:
1 good sized grapefruit, half juiced, half sliced.
250 ml Kombucha tea (or more, see note below)
A splash of sparking water
Fresh mint
Ice
So first, obviously you need to juice and slice your grapefruit. If you have any of those cool cocktail tools for making little zest ribbons, do that first. They're adorable. You're going to want to cheat your 'halves' a little bit: make one larger than the other, and juice that side. Here's a little trick for making citrus slices pretty - make sure to cut across the width (belly?) of the fruit, to go across the segments rather than lengthwise. Fill your glasses with grapefruit slices, ice, and mint. Bruise the mint leaves a bit by hand.
Then the ratio is roughly as follows: 1/4 of the glass will be grapefruit juice, 1/2 Kombucha, then top up the last 1/4 with sparkling water. This made two drinks, one for me and my guy. Yum!
If you did want to spike it, I think good, flavourful gin would be a winner - something like Hendricks.
A note on the Kombucha:
I use home-brewed Kombucha, which I struggle to get a really good fizz going in (I suspect my canning jars aren't airtight enough, but I understand this is a common problem.) If you're using really well-carbonated commercial Kombucha, you won't need the fizzy water - just use more booch! If you are a home-brewer, I think this recipe is perfect for those days when you only have single-fermented Kombucha on hand, or you're running out and want to make your supply go a little further.
I promise, I will post about Kombucha brewing soon! I am obsessed, and I have it every day.
Here's to summer! Now, is some really hot weather too much to ask for?
