Dry January doesn't mean foregoing cocktails: booze-free creations by Redemption Bar
It's the dawn of a new year and for many of us, that means going easy on the booze and heavy on the vitamins and minerals.
But participating in dry January doesn't have to mean a month of lime and soda chased by cups of tea. Redemption Bar, a London restaurant serving up veg-packed menus and health-conscious cocktails, believes that socialising and indulging in a cocktail doesn't always have to be hangover-inducing.
Vibrant flavours like ginger, lemongrass and cardamom more than compensate for the lack of alcohol, while keeping your drink classy.
Maple and ginger switchel
A thirst-quenching beverage that functions much like a sports drink, replacing the potassium (an electrolyte) and sugars lost through sweat, except that this is made with raw apple cider vinegar, pure maple syrup and fresh ginger, topped up with water. All the ingredients are great sources of potassium.
Vinegar may seem an odd ingredient for a beverage, but many traditional drink recipes call for vinegar, either to preserve or replace fruit. In a switchel, the apple cider vinegar provides a lovely tanginess similar to citrus fruit and, when mixed with maple syrup and spicy ginger, it’s delicious – rather like a ginger ale.
MAKES
1 litre
INGREDIENTS
500ml raw apple cider vinegar
100g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly sliced
500ml maple syrup
To serve
Sparkling mineral water
METHOD
Put the apple cider vinegar and ginger in a blender and blitz until it forms a purée. Pass the ginger mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl, aiming to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Add the maple syrup and mix (add more or less to your taste). Pour into a sterilised bottle.
Chill for at least two hours before tasting. This will keep well in the fridge for up to two months. To serve, just add chilled sparkling mineral water for a simple refreshing spritzer.
Love and peas
From the delicateness of pea shoot tendrils, to the crunchy tender whole pods and the little sweet green pearls inside, it’s amazing to think that you can eat the whole pea plant from root to shoot. We raise our own micro pea shoots in our restaurants – it’s beautiful to see nature unfurling before us, allowing us all to take a moment to reflect at the wonder of it all. Love and peas, peas and love.
SERVES
Two
INGREDIENTS
Large handful of pea shoot tendrils
100ml cucumber juice or approx. ½ cucumber, peeled (reserve the peel)
4 large mint leaves
30ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of Himalayan salt
160ml chilled fizzy rosemary water (see below)
1 tsp aquafaba
3 ice cubes
To garnish
Cucumber peel
2 bamboo skewers
Pea shoot tendrils
METHOD
Simply put all the ingredients in a blender and blitz. Pour into two very chilled champagne coupes.
To create the garnishes, roll a length of cucumber peel up with the dark green on the outside, and thread onto one end of a bamboo skewer. Rest this across the glass and top with a pea shoot tendril. Repeat for the other glass.
Tip
Rosemary water is a relatively new sparkling drink on the market and is quite wonderful, but you can make it yourself either by adding a few drops of food-grade pure rosemary essence to sparkling water or by the slightly lengthier infusion method (bruise fresh rosemary and steep in sparkling mineral water for 48 hours to impart the delicate oils).
Lemongrass lemonade
‘If life gives you lemons, make lemonade,’ as the saying goes. But what do you do when life gives you lemongrass? We say you rejoice, pair it with some lemons, concoct this vibrant smasher of a drink, and blow all the other kiddy entrepreneurs with their lemonade stalls right out of the water.
MAKES
750ml (1 and 1/3 pints)
INGREDIENTS
6 lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped
1.5 litres still mineral water
150g coconut sugar
4 large limes, peeled with a swivel-head vegetable peeler, then juiced crushed ice
To garnish
Pink peppercorns
Lemongrass stalks
METHOD
Place the lemongrass and measured water in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce to a simmer for 60 minutes.
Remove from the heat, and add the coconut sugar, lime juice and lime peel. Stir well, then leave to cool.
Choose life party punch
Club Tropicana, drinks are free – from alcohol and sugar! Let’s get on our party whites and neon accessories and turn up the ’80s disco… This is a big bright punch which works brilliantly for a barbecue or pool party. You can create a punch bowl from the watermelon shell itself, hollowed out. All you need to do is add some multicoloured straws (non-plastic of course) and let everyone get involved.
SERVES
20
INGREDIENTS
1 large watermelon, weighing approx 4kg, chilled
ice cubes
500ml coconut water
Kefir (see recipe below)
100ml freshly squeezed lime juice
750ml sparkling mineral water, chilled
To garnish
Mint sprigs slices of lime
METHOD
Slice off the top of the watermelon using a sharp knife. Regardless of what else happens at the party, it is best to be sober at this point. Scoop out the flesh of the watermelon until the rind is left with minimal pink showing. Reserve the hollowed-out watermelon shell to use as a bowl.
Purée the watermelon flesh, in batches, in a blender or food processor. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, and discard the solids. You will be left with about 2 litres of watermelon juice.
If you’re preparing in advance, then at this stage you can store the watermelon juice in the fridge for a few hours to keep it very chilled until you are ready to serve.
To serve, put ice cubes into the watermelon punch bowl and pour in the chilled watermelon juice. Add the coconut water kefir, lime juice and sparkling mineral water. Stir to combine. Garnish with mint sprigs and lime slices.
Coconut water kefir
MAKES
Approx. 1 litre
INGREDIENTS
500ml boiled and cooled filtered water
40g sugar (we use coconut sugar)
1 x 60g sachet dehydrated water kefir grains
EQUIPMENT
1-litre sterilised glass jar with lid
2-litre sterilised glass jar with lid
Sterilised bottles with lids for storing the finished kefir
METHOD
STAGE ONE – ACTIVATION
Mix together the measured water and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the sugar water into the sterilised glass jar and add the dehydrated kefir grains.
Place a clean piece of cloth or kitchen paper over the jar and secure with an elastic band. Leave at room temperature for 3 days, then drain, discarding the sugar water and reserving the activated kefir grains.
STAGE TWO – BREWING
1 litre (1 and ¾ pints) boiled and cooled filtered water 80g sugar (we use coconut sugar) your activated kefir grains.
Mix the measured water and coconut sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour the sugar water into the sterilised glass jar and add the activated kefir grains. Place a clean piece of cloth or kitchen paper over the jar and secure with an elastic band. Leave at room temperature for 48 hours. Now separate the kefir water from the grains using a plastic sieve to filter. Pour the kefir water into sterilised bottles and refrigerate for 12 hours before drinking.
Rinse the grains in boiled and cooled filtered water. Re-sterilise the jar and return the grains to the jar. Repeat the above process every 48 hours to give you a continuous supply of kefir water.
Cover and put in the fridge overnight to steep. The next day, strain the lemonade into a jug or bottle and keep refrigerated.
To serve, pour into large copa or balloon glasses with plenty of crushed ice, garnished with pink peppercorns and lemongrass stalks.
Tips
Chlorinated tap water can be harmful to the kefir grains. It’s best to use filtered water that has been boiled and then cooled. Boiling and cooling in an open saucepan is best, as it allows the chlorine to evaporate more effectively.
Look after your kefir grains – avoid metal utensils, use bamboo or plastic sieves and sterilise your jars between batches.
Keep your kefir away from direct sunlight.
Remember kefir grains are (once activated) alive, and are hungry little things, so you must keep them well fed!
