Tag: bartender

Mocktail Spotlight: The Classic, the Remix, & the Mocktail, Part 2

July
7
2026
by Michael Nagy

Here is Part 2 of my discussion on mocktails with a focus on mocktail making and the factors that make a mocktail look and taste great. As mentioned in Part 1, it is both an art and science and you don’t need a lot of experience to perfect the craft. You may need to dabble a little in the kitchen and have the necessary tools and equipment to transform them.

As a bonus, I list three versions of a classic summer cocktail with recipes (classic, remixed version of the classic, and mocktail = three cheers) at the end 🙂 That way, you can see how you can achieve three different drinks.

Thanks to alcohol-free spirit brands, craft mocktails can be as quick and painless as opening a canned cocktail or a can of something. Or it can be as involved as making your own zero ABV spirits, cooking syrups, balsamic vinegars, and handcrafting bitters at home. Although, nothing wrong with buying ingredients, especially in the case of using ethnic spices and extracts. The equipment available also plays a role.

I like using sweeteners like, agave nectar/agave syrup for smooth sweetness, honey for warm, floral notes, maple syrup for rich, woody depth. and simple syrups infused with herbs or spices.

I try to incorporate thoughtful garnishes like dehydrated fruit slices, edible flowers, fresh herb sprigs, flavored sugar or salt rims, spiced or citrus‑dusted glass rims. Garnishes complete the drink by adding aroma, texture, and a strong visual accent, helping both mocktails stand out on the menu.

All great mocktails and elixirs balance four key elements – Sweetness, Acidity, Bitterness, and Aromatics.

Understanding how these components interact helps create drinks that taste complete and satisfying. Shaking chills the ingredients and introduces air for a frothy top. It is ideal for drinks with juice, syrup, or creamy elements. Stirring blends ingredients gently while keeping them clear and silky. Great for spirit‑style mocktails and elixirs.

Blending creates smooth or creamy drinks. It is perfect for frozen mocktails or recipes that use fresh fruit. Layering ingredients with different densities produces a striking, colorful presentation. Presentation is central to the mocktail and elixir experience. It sets expectations before the first sip and adds a sense of ceremony to the drink.

Choosing the right glassware goes a long way. Different glasses enhance different styles. Martini glasses for elegant and refined drinks. Highball glasses for fizzy or layered recipes. Coupes for frothy, shaken mocktails and rich elixirs. Mason jars for rustic or casual themes. For outside events and seating, there are really nice acrylic cups for every kind of drink you can buy online.

Decorative elements add personality. These may include shaped or infused ice cubes, decorative straws, fruit skewers, and rimmed glasses with sugar or spices. A well‑presented mocktail or non‑alcoholic elixir feels intentional and elevates even simple recipes.

Can Mocktails Be Healthier Than Alcoholic Beverages?

Yes, mocktails are healthier than alcoholic beverages. They are often lower in calories and sugar, and free from the health risks associated with alcohol consumption. Additionally, drinks made with fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs and some brands can provide vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

For those who love to nerd out on beverages, non-alcoholic drinks open up a world of technique and experimentation. Without the inherent structure from alcohol, you can lean more heavily on acids and bitters to create depth.

Consider combining citrus with a few drops of vinegar or verjus for length, brewing strong tea and using it as a bittering agent in place of alcoholic bitters, adding a saline solution (a simple salt and water mix) by the drop to enhance flavors. This approach creates grown-up, food-friendly drinks that have purpose.

Alcohol contributes body and weight to a cocktail, so zero-proof drinks benefit from the use of textural elements: Light carbonation for lift and perceived dryness, foams from shaken egg white (where appropriate) for a silky top layer, and gels and purees from fruit or vegetables to add richness.

Attention to these details makes your drinks restaurant-worthy, even when made at home.

Here are a few highly rated and noteworthy non-alcoholic spirits you can use in your mocktail from online stores or brick and mortar shops.

The Aussie company Lyre’s makes a remarkably wide range of no-alcohol spirits meant to mimic everything from gin and bourbon to absinthe and rum. It even has a dry vermouth, which makes a virtuous martini a possibility.

Try a spritz-style, Negroni-like sipper from the brand including bittersweet Italian Spritz (Aperol-alike), Italian Orange (another bitter, in the style of Campari) and Dry Vermouth (which he infused with cardamom), topped with seltzer.

Lyre’s American Malt is an acclaimed bottle creating zero-proof Old Fashioneds and whiskey drinks. It delivers distinctive notes of woodiness, deep brown sugar, and a subtle smoky finish that anchors a cocktail without getting watered down.

Seedlip is most widely available option, and the brand is common among bartenders in mocktail bars, It is often mixed into drinks that resemble tonics drinks. Seedlip Garden 108 is a very clean, savory blend focused on fresh hand-picked peas, hay, rosemary, and thyme. It intentionally avoids fake gin burn, functioning as a crisp, adult mixer with tonic and cucumber.

The Fun of Creative, Mocktail Drinking at Home

Once you embrace a zero-proof mindset, mocktails move from an afterthought to a highlight of your day. They can mark the end of work, pair with dinner, or provide a way to bring people together without excluding anyone who is skipping alcohol.

A thoughtfully assembled home bar complete with measured tools, carefully chosen ingredients, and a willingness to experiment lets you explore new flavor combinations, revisit favorite classics in fresh forms, and enjoy the ritual of mixing, all while staying clear-headed.

Whether you batch a zero-proof punch for a gathering or quietly stir a single drink for yourself, the goal is the same: to treat non-alcoholic beverages with the same care, creativity, and respect traditionally reserved for cocktails.

What can “Mocktails By Michael” do for you?

I hope you enjoyed learning about mocktails. My mocktail business “Mocktails By Michael”, a part of the “The Michael Pour, LLC” is available for parties and events at your home or place of business. We are currently seeking out venues and spots to serve our incredible mocktails and batched mocktails for business events, fairs, festivals, and pop-up events in the Syracuse and Central NY area. If you are local business, feel free to reach out and let’s collaborate

In the meantime, stop by the “Of Moose and Mind” book shop in Manlius, NY for a book crawl on the night of July 10th to get a taste of our featured summer mocktail as well as tasting and selling three local wines from Damiani Wine Cellars. Check out the book shop on Instagram. I will be doing ongoing events with them.

You can contact me at the email and number below, website inquiry form on the homepage of this site, and Instagram.

I present you the classic “Sex on the Beach” from the 80’s/90’s, which is a mashup of a Cape Cod and Fuzzy Navel drink. I have served this drink for thirty years. It’s been butchered by so many barkeeps over the years. This is the version that I learned in bartending school all those years ago.

Some cultures use rum instead of vodka and that’s okay. In general, try to use freshly squeezed juices when possible. It better controls the sweetness. Please no maraschino cherries and Chambord, not layered, and doesn’t go in a rocks glass. Do you notice what they all have in common?

Sex on the Beach

  • 1.5 oz vodka or rum (I prefer vodka for the drink). Rum will make it sweeter.
  • 3/4 oz peach schnapps (I prefer upgrading to a peach liqueur, like Marie Brizzard)
  • 2 oz fresh pulp-free orange juice
  • 2 oz unsweetened cranberry juice
  • Garnish – lime wedge or wheel
  • Glass – Collins

Shake all ingredients in a shaker tin or glass with ice. Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass and garnish.

Sandy Bottom (re-mixed)

  • 1.5 oz coconut vodka
  • 1/2 oz melon liqueur
  • 1/2 oz orange liqueur (cheap = triple sec or call = Cointreau)
  • 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
  • 1.5 oz pineapple juice (preferably from a can)
  • Garnish – toasted coconut flakes and/or orange slice
  • Glass – Collins

Shake all ingredients in a shaker tin or glass with ice. Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass and garnish.

Virgin on Vacation

  • 1.5 oz lychee juice
  • 1.5 oz mango juice (preferably homemade)
  • 1.5 oz coconut water
  • 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 oz simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water boiled for 10 mins, let cool)
  • Garnish – mango slice and paper cocktail umbrella
  • Glass – Collins

Shake all ingredients in a shaker tin or glass with ice. Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass and garnish.

Enjoy! Please let me know your thoughts! Can’t wait to see you at your next event or gathering.

Cheers,

Michael 🙂

michael@michaelpour.com

717.877.2729

Drink Spotlight: What are the Drink Trends for 2025?

Espresso Martini
January
3
2025
by Michael Nagy

Welcome 2025! The month of January not only marks the beginning of a new year, but also an opportunity for beverage consultants and wine and cocktail businesses like mine to look at what’s trending in the drinking world and pass it onto consumers. Whether it be the ever-growing world of mocktails/low ABV/non-alcoholic cocktails, spirit-less spirits, experimental and up and coming wines, specifically from lesser-known regions, new spirits, or bar trends, look for these drink trends to pop up in 2025.

The year of 2024 saw the continued uptick of spritzers comprised of bitter and herbal elixirs and specialty Martinis, like the Espresso Martini (not really a martini in the classic sense), Dirty Martini, and whatever you can find to throw into a martini glass. This trend doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. There was also a substantial increase in mocktails, creative no-and low-ABV requests and on drink menus, carbonated, bubbly, coffee cocktails, and high-priced cocktails, wines by the glass and by the bottle, especially in high end restaurants.

And it’s possible that prices might further spike with the new administration’s pending tariffs. Going out to drink is already pretty expensive. We suspect that this new reality and economic factors will determine how and when we go out, and whether or not we choose to drink at a restaurant at all. Why not stay at home with friends and co-workers for a cocktail hour, wine tasting, party, or dinner and choose “The Michael Pour”, a less expensive, much safer, more convenient option with exceptional customer service. No sticker shock, avoid traffic, exorbitant parking fees, and unpredictable bad weather in CNY.

The Michael Pour and I sincerely hope for a successful campaign in 2025 by providing you with excellent, useful, and informative content on the blog and top-shelf, comprehensive, and dynamic wine and cocktail services for your parties, events, dinner parties, company events, and special get-togethers. Please reach out to learn more at michael@michaelpour.com. 717.877.2729, or contact form on the site. Even though we are based in Syracuse and Central NY, we provide virtual and in-person services near and far.

Okay, back to The Martini. People in the industry as well as new drinkers have joined in the martini craze. Gin or vodka, an olive or lemon twist, shaken or stirred, wet or dry, or ‘on the rocks’ have been ordered. Bars have been getting creative and coming up with their own concoctions. Many of these martinis are incorporating gastronomy (science of food) with infusions and the use of herbs, spices, and food products from the kitchen. Will we see new takes on other classic martinis, like the Gimlet, Gibson, and Vesper?

Mindful drinking has been on the rise over the last several years. Hence, the addition of mocktails to cocktail menus. Although many drinkers have good intentions of drinking in moderation, there’s a new trend circulating that may be more effective in promoting moderation in 2025. The term “zebra striping,” as people are now calling it, is a strategy that involves subbing a non-alcoholic beverage between each alcoholic drink. Sipping an entire glass of water or a club soda with lime between cocktails is a great way to stay hydrated and avoid the dreaded hangover. Don’t be surprised when you hear bar guests or people announcing they are zebra striping at your next party.

While small-production artisanal spirits spiked during the pandemic, but the category niche has seen a significant slowdown, as sales declined in 2024 for the first time in many years. The outlook for these brands in 2025 is unclear with continued issues in the supply chain and high interest rates. Plus, as consumers start to feel the effects of rising prices, they might opt for bigger, well-known brands on the shelf.

Tourism in Japan reached record highs in 2024. With many U.S. travelers returning from recent trips to the country, we expect more drinkers will be eager to imbibe on sake more often than just at the sushi counter. Wine experts have been advocating to have sake placed alongside wine on restaurant menus. Some big city raw bars and bistros are featuring it now, even by the glass, and most likely will stick.

Red wine’s long reign over white wine may come to an end. While Cab, Merlot, and other reds got a boost in popularity from its health benefits and high antioxidant content, red wine’s health impact has subsided and drinkers are now looking to its lighter, lower-ABV counterparts like white wine. Big production and commercial wine companies are acquiring more traditional white wine producers to meet this trend.

Shots and shooters are starting to appear in more high-end and fine dining restaurants as a more casual, more playful way for guests to start a meal or to end a meal with dessert. Sweet shots to pair with desserts are becoming an alternative to hot spiked coffees, ports, sherries, and spirits on the rocks. As more diners look for restaurants to provide a full night-out experience for them, expect more “fancy” restaurants to have a little fun with shots.

Other notable trends – Guinness draft is on the rise in the beer world becoming more accessible in different types of watering holes and restaurants. Coffee as a main ingredient in everything from beer, cocktails, Martinis, Manhattans, and Old-Fashioneds.

Cheers,

Michael Nagy

michael@michaelpour.com

Bar Insight for Customers

June
30
2023
by Michael Nagy

Below you will find REAL stories from my experience behind the stick. Many are contained in my book. I will also reveal some bartender pet peeves.

If you are a customer (in some bar situations customers/patrons are referred to as guests), here is some insight. If you have spent time on the other side of the bar, these will seem familiar. Most people have no idea what a bartender has to deal with. Hopefully, you haven’t been one of these people described below. Do not take offense! This article is meant to educate and inform, not denigrate, and is for fun purposes.

Some nights are long. Some nights are crazy. Some nights you are still smiling when your head hits the pillow.

A disgruntled customer who was cut off earlier in the night meeting me outside after my shift in a revving truck aimed in my direction.

Closing the bar and leaving at 2:30am to stumble upon a fight between one of your angry customers and a passer-by downtown. Hanging outside until the police arrived and making a statement and explaining that the customer was not intoxicated when he left the bar. Later found out that the customer was a medical doctor who was on heavy medication.

Watching a fellow bartender lean over an uncovered running blender wearing a tie and watching him turn blue and become horrified.

Wait staff walking behind the bar and pouring themselves drinks or making drinks without asking.

Being one of two bartenders who showed up to work on a four-person shift. That lone other bartender was inexperienced.

Working at an old place without a backup generator that would have power outages during storms that would disable the register, kill the fridges, water, lights, and fans. Customers had to be removed and reservations called and cancelled.

Walkouts! Who do you think pays the bill?

Being a couples therapist. mediator in relationship disputes, and a sounding board for everyone’s troubles at work and home. As a bartender, you are inevitably a counselor to poor souls. Overseeing a blind date can be an awkward situation.

Getting a request to make a drink that tastes pink. Making a drink with a very expensive Scotch and red bull. Hennessey Cognac with Vitamin Water, gin and milk with a splash of soda, tequila and diet coke, and many other bizarre drink concoctions.

I’ll take a dark wine or red wine. OK?

Make the drink strong. You assuming that I will under-pour. Will you pay for the extra alcohol? Hook me up, I’m a great tipper. I’ll take care of you later – hours later they left without paying your bill.

What is cheap here? Better to say, “Do you have any specials?”

Employees drinking at the bar on their off days and not tipping, especially during busy times.

Can I have a beer? How much are your drinks? Surprise me? Can you be more specific?

Do not help yourself to garnishes or pour yourself a draft beer when I head to the kitchen to pickup a food order.

Last call is last call.

I love to chat and get to know you but during a busy shift I don’t have time to listen to your life story.

When you want to order a drink, please don’t snap your fingers, whistle, yell barkeep, or wave your arms to get my attention. Eye contact, facing me, and slight hand gesture would suffice. Realize who is next in line to order.

Have your drink or drinks ready, especially for larger groups. If I am finally ready to take your order and you turn to ask your friends what they want, there is a good chance that i will be gone when you turn back around. Have your drinks ready.

I have a great memory as a bartender but it’s hard to hear over the noise sometimes and ordering more than 7 different drinks is difficult. Have your money or card ready or be prepared to give me a name for your tab. Sometimes other people in your group pays the bill.

Shout out a drink order when you haven’t been approached or I didn’t ask you for your drink order.

When I smile, greet you, and ask how you are doing, you say “Manhattan”. When ordering a Martini or Manhattan, please be prepared to specify how you like it, i.e. rocks, straight, gin, vodka, bourbon, blended whiskey, dirty, stirred, shaken, etc… Learn bar lingo.

Monopolize a bartender’s time. Sometimes we are busying answering phones, ringing in orders, doing cash transactions, making drinks for the whole restaurant, restocking, cutting garnishes, cleaning glasses, etc… We often get only 5 minutes to sit down and eat something during a 10-hour shift. The third time you sent me to get you condiments just took up my bathroom break. You will probably wait for next beer.

Cheers,

Michael Nagy

Food & Beverage Operations

Bar Professional

Wine Glass

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