GINGER BEER MOCKTAILS

Do you serve mocktails in your bar? We explore the world of mocktails with Marian Beke, leading bartender at The Gibson Bar, which was recently ranked sixth in the World’s 50 Best Bars. Here's his favorite ginger beer mocktail serves to get your creative juices flowing!

Why mocktails?

Mocktails are a non-alcoholic alternative to a cocktail, which can be a great addition to your venue’s menu.

For customers who do not want to drink alcohol, mocktails are an excellent way of providing your customer with a quality drink, without compromising on flavor or experience. Mocktails can also drive more profit than other soft drinks and are a great option to offer customers at different occasions or times of the day.

As a member of the bar staff, an important part of your role is to serve responsibly and to ensure your customer does not drink alcohol excessively. Mocktails can be a good way of offering customers a non-alcoholic drink as an alternative to alcohol or in between alcoholic drinks.

Marian Beke’s top tips for creating mocktails

• As with cocktails using complimentary flavors is key.
• Get creative with your flavors but also with presentation, for example using unusual glassware or colorful garnishes.
• Use fresh, seasonal and innovative ingredients to entice customers such as local herbs and fruits.
• Often less is more - keep it simple, by using simple ingredients with great flavors.

Key Ingredients for the perfect mocktails

Ginger beer is a naturally fermented ginger based drink that has become a favorite ingredient among bartenders when making the perfect mocktail serve. Ginger beer can add extra flavor and is a great compliment for many juices or syrups used to create the perfect mocktail.

At The Gibson, there are many seasonal mocktails on offer and quite often enough Marian and his team create customized mocktails on the spot depending on what ingredients are at hand and what flavor the person is looking for.

It is important to recognize many people these days want to go out and just have a good time with friends but for many reasons they can't drink. Marian firmly believes it is important to make these people feel just as special as other people in your venue and spend the same attention to detail and craftsmanship creating their mocktails as you would for cocktails.

The mocktails Marian has created below are all based on local flavors used in The Gibson:

London Mule

• 1 Lime squeezed
• 1/2 oz. Elderflower cordial
• 1 oz. Apple juice
• Pinch of pink pepper
• 5 leaves of marjoram leaves
• Ginger beer

METHOD

Pour all ingredients into the mug/glass

Try to use fresh ingredients where possible

Top up with ginger beer.

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Clover Fizz

• 1/2 oz. Fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz. Fresh gherkin juice
• 2 Bar spoons of quince jam
• 2 Dashes orange bitters
• 3 Mint leaves
• Ginger beer

METHOD

Pour all ingredients into a shaker except the ginger beer

Shake for 6-8 seconds until quince jam is dissolved

Strain into the glass

Top up with ginger beer.

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Indian Summer

• 1/2 oz. Fresh lemon juice
• 3 Bar spoons of pumpkin jam
• Handful of fresh wheat grass
• 1/2 oz. Honey syrup
• Ginger beer

METHOD

Shake the ingredients

Strain into a glass

Top up with ginger beer.

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Orchard Ball

• 1/2 oz. Lime juice
• Lemon grass
• 2 Limes leaves
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 oz. Pear juice
• 2 tsp Sugar syrup
• Ginger beer

METHOD

Pour all ingredients into shaker except ginger beer

Fill the shaker with fresh ice cubes

Shake for 6-8 seconds

Top up with ginger beer.

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Samurai's Tea

• 1/2 oz. Lap-sang tea syrup
• 1/2 oz. Fresh lime juice
• 2 Purple shiso leaves
• Pinch Sancho pepper
• 1 oz. Cantaloupe melon purée
• Ginger beer

METHOD

Make a tea by boiling water and macerating tea for 3-4 minutes.

Strain the tea and mix with 1/1 ratio of caster sugar.

Allow the sugar to dissolve.

This is now your lapsang syrup.

Make cantaloupe puree by mashing scooped melon and cut into cubes.

Add sugar syrup.

Blend together with a hand blender.

Place all ingredients in a shaker and shake.

Strain.

Top with ginger beer.

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