All recipes and photography by Cynthia Berman.
Raspberry and lavender complement each other beautifully. Find a gin alternative that suits your taste. I prefer a NA gin with flavor notes of juniper and citrus.
I like to sip my drink to taste the balance of flavors before adding any carbonation at the end.
The Bee Pleaser
Serves: 2
INGREDIENTS
- 4 ounces NA gin alternative
- 2 ounces lavender butterfly pea flower syrup, below
- 1 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
- A splash of sparkling water or club soda
- 4 raspberries
- Ice/Fancy ice infused with lavender and raspberries, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
Add raspberries and lemon juice to shaker. Muddle.
Add gin alternative, syrup, and ice. Shake.
Add fancy ice to a glass.
Strain cocktail into the glass and top with sparkling water or club soda to taste.
Cynthia Recommends:
Free Spirits, The Spirit of Gin
The Spirit of Gin, a smooth, bright and floral non-alcoholic (less than 0.5% ABV) alternative to a dry Plymouth-style Gin, is made with all natural flavors and functional ingredients to awaken your taste buds, help elevate your mood and recharge your body. With the fresh nose of juniper, followed by notes of citrus, coriander and cardamom, The Spirit of Gin never fails to excite and refresh.
Making syrups with honey instead of the usual sugar base gives them a smoother, richer feel and adds a hint of honey to the finished beverage.
Honey Lavender Syrup
For the Bee Pleaser Mocktail, above
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender, see below
INSTRUCTIONS
Add water to a saucepan and heat until almost boiling.
Remove from heat and add honey and lavender stirring until the honey dissolves. (Do not boil or simmer.)
Allow to cool and strain into an airtight container.
Store in refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
Try it for yourself:
Fancy Ice!
Fancy ice…Cynthia is all about it! (See more fancy ice in her Lavender Blues Mocktail) The easiest way to up your ice game is to add some of the key ingredients from your mocktail recipe to your ice for a bit more flavor and visual interest. Freezing garnishes into the ice makes it pretty and festive. Cynthia particularly favors larger ice cubes which take longer to melt so drinks don’t get watered down as quickly.
