The Era of the Mocktail: Creating Delicious NA Beverages

mocktails cover
September
24
2024

In recent years, there has been a growing trend of mindful drinking and the reduction of alcohol consumption. People are choosing to take a break from drinking or reducing their consumption. Customers expect to have non-alcoholic or mocktail options on the menu. Mocktails can provide an alternative to traditional cocktails that offer all the flavor without the buzz. Any cocktail can be transformed into a mocktail by knowing the cocktail ingredients and the flavor profile of the cocktail. To find the right balance, pair ingredients that go well together. 

Mocktails do not have to be cloyingly sweet or boring. On the contrary, they can be fun, fruity, creative, and refreshing. The use of homemade syrups, mixers, modifiers, shrubs, infusions, and craft, spirit-free spirits gives you a lot of options. Give your customers a vibrant and tempting no-alcohol option.

Mocktails can also offer a wide range of benefits to your customers and business. They are more inclusive, allowing those who don’t drink alcohol, or who have a limited capacity to drink, to feel included in the social scene. For those who do consume alcohol, mocktails can be a great way to pace their intake while they can still enjoy the flavors they love. It also gives you the opportunity to show your business creativity that helps you stand out from the crowd. Having a diversified menu is a great way to appeal to your current and future customer base and is a responsible and profitable endeavor.

batched mocktails

Decide on the type of mocktails you want to serve. Whether it’s for an intimate gathering of friends, a family get-together or a corporate event, mocktails can provide the perfect range of flavors and appeal. Consider a selection that will appeal to everyone. Have fun experimenting with different flavor combinations like watermelon and mint. Creating alcohol free beverages allows you to show your creativity with flavor while also providing a low-alcohol beverage option that everyone can enjoy. Incorporate non-alcoholic spirits that you can substitute for tequila, gin, whisky, rum and more, such as brands: Lyre’s, SeedLip, and Spiritless. 

Choose a wide selection of garnishes for your mocktail bar. Go with organic fruits and vegetables to create healthier drinks for your guests. Some of the most popular garnishes used in cocktails are citrus fruits such as lemon, lime, grapefruit, and orange. The acidic juices from these fruits help to balance out the flavors of a cocktail, adding brightness and acidity to the drink. Fresh herbs like mint or basil can add an aroma to a cocktail. Try dehydrated garnishes as an alternative to fresh fruit for your next event. They are cost effective with a high shelf life and add a different twist to the beverages.

private party

Prepare the ingredients before guests arrive. It is one of the most important aspects of hosting an event or running an efficient bar. Make sure to have all the necessary ingredients ready, including non-alcoholic spirits, juices, mixers, syrups, garnishes, ice, bar tools, and glassware. Having too much of something is better than too little, especially in the case of ice. Stock a variety of glassware to use for the different types of mocktails on your menu. 

From shakers and strainers to jiggers, zesters, peelers, muddlers, and bar spoons, having all the necessary bar tools on-hand helps make sure that any mocktail you concoct is made accurately and properly. Bar tools can save you time and can add a presentation factor to the finished beverages.

“Mocktails by Michael”, a division of The Michael Pour, is creating mocktails for you. We will prepare and bring a batched mocktail with garnishes, glassware/cupware, napkins, straws, etc… to your next party or event. We can also provide bartending service and setup onsite. Inquire within! Booking available under the contact form tab. Would you like some ghoulish mocktails or mocktails at your Halloween party or festive Christmas party?

Array of Mocktails

Cheers,

Michael 😉

Mocktails By Michael: Healthy Non-Alcoholic Cocktails

Array of Mocktails
July
14
2024

I’m excited to bring back my “Mocktails By Michael” beverage program, sub-division of “The Michael Pour”. Here are some images from events in the early years. Creative, fresh, handcrafted, and on-trend non-alcoholic offerings/#mocktails for #parties, #events, and #weddings from a drink truck and pop-up events.

Any #cocktail can be transformed into a #mocktail with the right knowledge and marriage of #flavors, textures, and balance. Alcohol is not the center of attention for these #drinks and can stimulate your taste buds, add sparkle to your #event or #party, and help you live cleanly. Batching #mocktails also available. I will be posting updates from time to time. #Bookings available right now throughout Upstate & Central NY.

Inquire within or by email at michael@michaelpour.com. Sign up for email newsletter from homepage so you don’t miss a drop. 

Wine Spotlight: Riesling Primer, Riesling Day & Recs

International Riesling Day
March
10
2024

To get things started, let’s discuss a topic that I am passionate about – wine #grapes and the #wines they produce. As we approach spring and celebrate annual “International Riesling Day” on March 13th, what better time to talk about the noble grape, #Riesling, which happens to be the signature grape of the Finger Lakes, NY where I call home.

It is so popular here that they dedicate a whole week of events centered around Geneva, NY, located at the northern tip of Seneca Lake. The week-long event is called “FLXcursion” or The Finger Lakes Riesling Wine Conference. It is an international gathering of Riesling regions and producers from around the globe. International Riesling Day is a toast to this versatile, bright, and aromatic grape. Let’s take a closer look at this grape, which is grown and produced in many different parts of the world.

Riesling is considered by many to be the most noble and distinctive white grape variety. The grape is thought to have originated in the Rheingau region of Germany.

The best Riesling has elevated acidity, aromatic, unique sense of purity, and vivid aroma and flavor. The wine is graceful and light on the palate. It’s refined and layered structure along with mouthwatering, delicate flavors that include ripe peaches and apricots (stone fruits) to melon (tropical fruit) to lemons, oranges, and grapefruit (citrus fruits) with vibrant minerality, like the taste of clean water running over stones in a mountain stream. A dangerously easy to drink wine.

Riesling grapes

More than almost every other white grape, Riesling is temperamental about where it is planted. It doesn’t grow well in very warm places, and even in cooler locations, the quality and character of the wine can vary. The most elegant and precise Rieslings come from cooler climate regions, like New York, Washington state, parts of Australia, France, Germany, Canada, Slovenia, and Austria. You can also find great Rieslings made in cooler pockets within a warm climate. In the cool districts of the Clare and Eden valleys of Australia (tends to have more petrol notes), the top Rieslings are minerally, vibrantly fresh, citrusy, and tight (wine speak for high acidity).

It is not a wine you can just chug. Most sommeliers and wine professionals agree that you’re more likely to stop and think about what you’re drinking. If you’re having a great meal and want something to hold up to it, Riesling should be on the table. Riesling is one of the most flexible food wines thanks to its soaring acidity and is relatively inexpensive. It cuts through the acid in the food and enhances your experience.

Aged Rieslings are some of the most prized wines out there because it’s strong ability to age well with its higher acidity level and some residual sugar (sugar left over after fermentation).

A common assumption about Riesling is that it is sweet or semi-sweet. That is not correct. Unfortunately, consumers have been only exposed to the highly commercial ones available in the US, which tend to be on the sweeter side. If you live in Finger Lakes wine country, like I do, you will find most of the Rieslings are dry. In fact, most of the top Rieslings in the world are dry, except for those that are made intentionally made sweeter, like ice wines and late harvest wines.

Some of the confusion about the sweetness levels of Riesling happens because when you discover a wine that is fruity, you assume its sweet. It’s easy to confuse fruitiness with sweetness. Quick tip – when you sip a wine, hold your nose, and if the wine tastes sweet on the tongue (specifically the tip of the tongue), then it is a sweeter wine. If not, then it has little residual sugar and is therefore fruity. Another way to determine sweetness is to look at the alcohol content. Once you go above 12%, it gets drier. Look for the word trocken “dry” on the label.

To help clarify where a Riesling stands in terms of its taste (for shopping purposes and to get what you want), the International Riesling Foundation (IRF) created a scale/taste profile chart based on the ratio of sugar to acid in the wine. This could also be helpful to those who are diabetic or don’t want to consume a lot of sugar. You will find the chart on the back label of many Rieslings. The spectrum shows from dry to medium dry to medium sweet to sweet and pinpoints where that wine falls on the spectrum.

Try these foods with dry Rieslings

Raw, cured and smoked fish, particularly salmon and trout though any selection of smoked fish should work well as you’ll see from this pairing for cured salmon. Also sushi, particularly with the slight touch of sugar you get in sushi rice.

Fresh or lightly dressed shellfish, prawns, shrimp, fresh crab, or seafood cocktail. Fish dishes with a creamy sauce.

Pork, particularly fatty cuts like pork belly, better if with some kind of apple or bacon chutney or sauce.

Poultry

Goat cheeses. Young Riesling with young goat cheese, but an aged Riesling with a mature goat cheese is better.

Try these foods with medium dry or off dry Rieslings

Just think spice. So many spicy dishes work with an off-dry Riesling – Thai, Vietnamese, even Indian. The hotter the dish the sweeter the Riesling, basically.

Asian-style salads, Thai beef salad, spicy noodles, goose, duck, pork, roasted and aromatic veggies, cucumber soup

If you would like to learn more about Riesling and the specific regions it hails from, please let me know. This post would be a dissertation if I discussed every aspect of the grape and the wine. If you would like wine recommendations, just reach out. There are so many different styles for every palate out there. Because my body can’t tolerate high acid wines, I tend to drink more semi-dry Rieslings than dry because it has a lower acid content. Personally, I am more of a Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay wine fan. If you would like wine recommendations, just reach out.

I listed some highly rated local (pricier than most world Rieslings) and worldly Rieslings (great value too) to enjoy with food and during spring and summer months. Look for these online or at your favorite winery and shop. Your feedback is always welcome and encouraged.

Finger Lakes

Hermann J. Wiemer Flower Day Riesling 2022

Hermann J Wiemer Semi-Dry Riesling 2022

Nathan Kendall ‘Nathan K.’ Dry Riesling 2021

Anthony Road Wine Company Dry Riesling 2021

Forge Cellars Riesling Classique Finger Lakes (every vintage since 2015)

Weis 2019 Dry Riesling Finger Lakes

Hillick & Hobbs Estate Dry Riesling 2021

Boundary Breaks Dry Riesling Finger Lakes No. 239, 2019

Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling Finger Lakes (every vintage)

World

Dandelion Vineyards ‘Enchanted Garden of the Eden Valley’ Riesling 2022 (Australia)

Best’s Great Western Riesling 2022 (Australia)

Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter ‘Saumagen’ Riesling Kabinett Trocken 2021 (Germany)

Leon Manbach Riesling Grand Cru Frankstein 2019 (France)

Weinhaus Ress Riesling Trocken 2021 (Germany)

Trefethen 2019 Estate Grown Dry Riesling Oak Knoll District (Oregon)

Montinore 2019 Almost Dry Riesling (Oregon)

Fess Parker 2019 Rodney’s Vineyard Riesling (California)

Enjoy! Sante! Cheers! Prost!

Michael

Weekly Spotlight: Return of the Blog & Cocktail Trends for 2024

Cocktail Sign
March
5
2024

I am back!!! It’s been almost eight months since the last post from “The Pour”. Over the past eight months, I have focused my time and energy on working as the general manager and sommelier at a high-end casino Italian steakhouse. I am excited to make this blog an epicenter for everything wine, cocktail, bar, and #beverage. Ideally, I would like the content to be driven by you, the consumer, so I encourage you to submit your questions and offer feedback on what you want to learn more about via social media posts, blog comments, or direct contact with “The Pour” by text or email. Whether it be on #wine education, local or worldly wine reviews, craft #cocktails, #trends, #bar operations/etiquette, #party/#event planning, #consultation, etc…, I am here to serve you.

For this week’s edition of “The Pour”, let’s immerse ourselves in the ever-changing world of cocktails and the trends that are popping up all around us. What’s hot !?!?!?

Carribean cocktail

The demand for fresh, well-balanced, creative, and innovative cocktails in 2024 is evident in today’s cocktail and culinary culture. It is not just reserved for big city bars, speakeasys, high-end restaurants and hotels anymore. The palates of consumers have evolved to healthier, plant-based, sugar-free/low sugar, canned cocktails, and low alcohol/alcohol-free options. Bartenders and mixologists serving behind the stick as well as those sitting at the bar or in the restaurant are experiencing this trend. If you’re looking for cocktail menu ideas for your bar, restaurant, public or private party/event, home party, or for your own weekend escapade with the guys or girls, this cocktail trend discussion will tipple your fancy.

For 2024, our cocktail shakers and glasses will be filled up with ingredients from the past (the 1990s to be more precise). The term “retro cocktails” has become fitting. Remixed classic cocktails, infusions, synergy between food and drink, smoked cocktails, fancy ice cubes, dehydrated food, etc… has become a part of the cocktail-drinking experience. These are some of the drinks you will be toasting this year!

1) Savory and spicy cocktails are becoming increasingly popular, as people are looking for more complex and interesting flavors in their drinks. Popular savory cocktails include the classic Bloody Mary or Bloody Maria and Dirty Martini, while spicy cocktails include the Jalapeño Margarita and the Ginger Basil Smash or the addition of a chipotle, tajine, or chili salt rim.ChayaandChiaSeedMargarita

Spicy cocktails have become a hit with the social elite. There is a long list of spicy cocktails to try if you want to knock your socks off!

Harvey Wallbanger

2) The 90s called and it wants its drink back… “the ‘Tini”. The espresso martini continues to be a strong favorite among those wanting a little pick-me-up during an evening out. Fresh takes on the coffee-based cocktail will include using local high-quality cold-brew coffee or espresso, adding subtle notes such as vanilla, honey, or caramel, and switching out the vodka for whiskey.

3) The Apple Martini is also making a huge comeback, a sour cocktail that will be made from fresher ingredients in 2024 than in the 90s. And if you have a ‘salt-tooth’ then perhaps the briny Dirty Martini with olive juice will be more your thing.

Spellbound smoked cocktal

4) Fancy Ice Cubes – A trend for mixologists and the home bar alike! Long gone are the small square ice cubes we use. This is the year that we get creative with ice. From giant cubes to specialty shapes, to herb or fruit-infused beauties. Ice is more than for merely keeping your trip cool, it’s a way of decorating your cocktail and adding even more flavor. Treat yourself to some quirky molds and experiment with adding flavors like lavender, thyme, lemon, cucumber & mint, or coffee to your ice cubes.

5) Experiential Cocktails – Ever heard the phrase “eating with your eyes”? Turns out we drink with them too! The experience-seeking culture of Millennials and Gen-Zs with their insatiable appetite to capture unique moments for their social media has led to the trend of cocktails becoming experiential. Cocktails have always been a thing of beauty in their presentation, but now mixologists must also think about the performance and producing a ‘wow’ moment for the drinker.

absinthegreenfairy

Be it the captivating view of the mixologists at work, or the cocktail itself, which can be achieved by mastering molecular cocktail making. Molecular mixology is the practice of mixing drinks using science to manipulate ingredients on the molecular level. It was inspired by molecular gastronomy, which employs similar techniques to food.

Cocktail trends also have a growing consumer market for delicious low-abv and virgin options which are just as satiating as their alcoholic counterparts. Expect to see a growing list on the non-alcoholic section of the cocktail menu and bartenders are putting much more thought and creativity into their taste and presentation.

Over half the world’s population abstains from alcohol. This percentage is more like a third of the population in Western countries, but significantly growing. Consumers are looking to find convivial moments in moderation throughout the year, especially as the weather warms up in the spring and summer and daytime drinking occasions are more common.”

6) Spiked Slushies – French syrup producer Monin has named slushies, Tequila and Mexican-inspired drinks as its top trends for 2024. They found that a Frozen Cosmo Slushie suggested as a possibility for dominating the vodka-based version of the cocktail, a Frozen Piña Colada fronting the rum-based category, and a Frozen Strawberry Margarita presented as a trend for the Tequila-based slushie serve. As a bartender, I hope this doesn’t become a trend lol.

7) Mixers Matter – In 2024, bartenders are paying more attention than ever to the mixers they use in their cocktails. This means that we can expect to see more house-made syrups, shrubs, and bitters on bar menus. Bartenders are also using more unusual mixers, such as kombucha and fermented juices (another nod to the general drinks trends). For example, the Turmeric Tonic is a refreshing cocktail that uses turmeric syrup and tonic water.

With so many new and exciting flavors, I hope your cocktail experiences this year exceed your expectations or just book me as your cocktail consultant.

Cheers,

Michael

Wine Glass

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