GARNET
GIMLET

MAKES 1 or 4 MOCKTAILS

Makes 4 mocktails

I am always sure to have something interesting to serve people who don’t drink alcohol. The drink can be a cool soda pop, or freshly squeezed fruit juice, or a homemade beverage like this one with berries, basil, and ginger ale. It’s a true mocktail because it is served straight up in a martini glass.

1½ ounces fresh strawberry puree, (see Note, here)

3 large fresh basil leaves, cut into fine shreds

2 ounces white cranberry juice

1 ounce fresh lime juice

¾ ounce fresh lemon juice

Splash of ginger ale

Dried lime chip (see here) or twist (see here), for garnish

Muddle the strawberry puree and basil together in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and the cranberry juice, lime juice, and lemon juice; shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glass and finish with a splash of ginger ale. Add the lime chip and serve.

Party-Sized Garnet Gimlet: Mix 6 ounces (¾ cup) strawberry puree, 12 shredded fresh basil leaves, 8 ounces (1 cup) white cranberry juice, 4 ounces (½ cup) fresh lime juice, and 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice in a large pitcher. For each drink, shake 4 ounces (½ cup) of the mixture in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Strain into a chilled martini glass, garnish with a lime chip, and serve.

WHITE SANGRIA with
Cranberry and Cucumber

MAKES ABOUT 9 DRINKS

White sangria, with all the fruity wine flavor of the magenta version without the threat of staining your upholstery, is deliciously refreshing. The cranberry juice (pressed from the white cranberries that you’ll occasionally see in the bag of red ones) makes this an especially great choice for a winter holiday bash.

18 ounces (about 2¼ cups, three-fourths of a 750-ml bottle) dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio

4 ounces (½ cup) sweet white wine, such as Moscato

4 ounces (½ cup) white cranberry juice

6 ounces (¾ cup) fresh lemon juice

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) Simple Syrup (here)

1 medium Kirby cucumber, unpeeled, cut into thin rounds

18 ounces (about 2¼ cups) chilled seltzer water, as needed

Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Stir the dry white wine, sweet white wine, cranberry juice, lemon juice, and syrup together in a large pitcher. Add the cucumber, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. For each drink, pour about 4 ounces (½ cup) into a tall ice-filled glass, leaving about 1 inch of headspace. Fill with about 2 ounces (¼ cup) seltzer and stir gently. Garnish with a slice of soaked cucumber and a mint sprig. Serve immediately.

Ruby Red
PUNCH

MAKES 8 DRINKS

This is a fantastic punch for a holiday party, with a warm festive-red color, toasty cinnamon-pear flavor… and slightly elevated alcohol content to get the party started. A punch bowl is entirely optional, but if you want to go that route, float an ice block in the bowl for dramatic effect. To keep the punch from being diluted by plain water, freeze a combination of half water and half pineapple juice or pear nectar in a loaf pan, and add a few orange slices for a splash of color.

1 (750-ml) bottle ruby port

12 ounces (1½ cups) pineapple juice, preferably freshly prepared (see sidebar)

6 ounces (¾ cup) Cinnamon-Pear Syrup (here)

6 ounces (¾ cup) fresh lemon juice

8 dried orange chips (see here) or thin orange wheels, for garnish

4 ounces (½ cup) cognac, as needed, for serving

Mix the port, pineapple juice, syrup, and lemon juice together in a punch bowl or large pitcher. Float the orange chips in the punch. For each drink, pour the punch in a punch glass or short rocks glass. Gently pour about ½ ounce (1 tablespoon) cognac onto the punch surface, and add one of the orange chips.

PINEAPPLE JUICE

Fresh pineapple juice is a wonderful ingredient for cocktails, but I realize it may not be practical for some people. If you have a centrifugal juice extractor, you are home free—just top, pare, and core the pineapple, and process the flesh. If you don’t… you can still get the job done without too much trouble. You will need a blender, though. (A blender works better than a food processor because the juice tends to run out of the center stem of the processor.)

For simplicity’s sake, purchase a peeled and cored pineapple, a product that just about every supermarket sells these days. If you have the time, grill the peeled pineapple before juicing to add incredible caramelized flavor. To do this, quarter the pineapple lengthwise, and grill it over direct high heat (500°F or more), with the lid closed, turning occasionally, until the fruit is seared all over with brown grate marks, 7 to 10 minutes. Let the pineapple cool.

Coarsely chop the (grilled or ungrilled) pineapple flesh. In batches, process the flesh in a blender until it is pulverized. Strain the minced pineapple through a fine-mesh wire sieve set over a tall bowl, pressing hard on the flesh to extract as much juice as possible. You’re done!

SHERRY-CITRUS
Punch

MAKES ABOUT 12 DRINKS

Unfortunately, sherry has pretty much been relegated to the kitchen, and not too many people drink it as an aperitif anymore. That’s a shame, because sherry is one of the world’s great beverages and is made in a variety of styles. Fino (“refined” in Spanish) is the driest of the lot; I combine it with citrus flavors for a remarkably special punch.

18 ounces (2¼ cups) fino sherry

9 ounces (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) fresh grapefruit juice

9 ounces (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice

4 ounces (½ cup) Aperol

4 ounces (½ cup) Simple Syrup (here)

6 ounces (¾ cup) dry sparkling wine, as needed

Grapefruit twists (see sidebar), for garnish

Stir the sherry, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, Aperol, and syrup together in a large pitcher or small punch bowl. Serve in ice-filled rocks glasses, leaving about ½ inch of headroom. Float about 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) sparkling wine on top of each drink and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

CITRUS TWISTS

A strip of fresh citrus peel, twisted just before serving to release a spritz of its essential oils into a drink, is a popular cocktail garnish. To make a twist—lemon, grapefruit, orange, or lime—use a swivel or harp-shaped vegetable peeler to remove a strip of zest (just the colored part) from the fruit. The zest should be about 2 inches long and ½ inch wide. Just before serving, hold both ends of the zest and give it a sharp twist in opposite directions to squirt a fine spray of oil into the drink. You might see the spray, or you might not… but you will smell a burst of citrus.