Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 5 – St. Nick’s Shandy. After their immense popularity last year, #SoberSundays are back and here to stay. I’m delighted to be teaming up with made-in-Ontario non-alcoholic distiller Søbrii again this year. You may recall the popular Black(berry) Christmas from the 2020 edition of the cocktail advent calendar – a tasty, hangover-free riff on the classic gin bramble.
Since then, the team at Søbrii have been hard at work creating a new product to give us more options to celebrate the season, without the next-day headache – Søbrii 0-Tequila.
This post is sponsored by Søbrii.
Søbrii 0-Tequila was inspired by the artisanal tequila and mezcal distilleries in Mexico. Familiar heat and taste are achieved by infusing agave, the base component in tequila, with spicy jalapeño, hot black pepper, savoury coriander, and Canadian ginseng.
In cocktails, like this one, 0-Tequila replicates the taste of alcoholic versions for most people and can be substituted 1:1 in most tequila cocktail recipes. Much like the 0-Gin, the 0-Tequila has zero calories, zero sugar, and zero hangover.
Zero-proof spirits are a burgeoning trend and I love seeing more made-in-Canada products enter this arena. Increasingly consumers are looking for more variety and more low- and no-ABV products to enjoy the art of a well-made cocktail, without the hangover.
I’m sure many of us have experienced a case of the Sunday Scaries after overindulging on a Saturday night and being riddled with anxiety and a throbbing headache. Mixing in a few craft placebo cocktails into your rotation is a great way to reduce alcohol consumption and wake up feeling fresh.
There are a few key factors that differentiate Søbrii (which means “sober” in Latin) from some of the other zero-proof spirits on the market. First, Søbrii is distilled in Stratford, Ontario and was developed with support from the Niagara College research and innovation division. Unlike some other non-alcoholic spirits, Søbrii is actually distilled – which is how the 0-Gin has such great juniper-forward flavour and gives the 0-Tequila its distinctive agave-forward flavour.
The flavour profile of both products is sophisticated and versatile. For this St. Nick’s Shandy I wanted to celebrate the spicy notes of the 0-Tequila by combining it with a delectable homemade lime clementine cordial, freshly squeezed lemon, and non-alcoholic beer.
Join me on my Instagram stories tonight at 5 pm Eastern for a step-by-step tutorial on how to make this zero-proof cocktail!
St. Nick’s Shandy
St. Nick is always the designated driver, he has to get to every house on the planet in a single night after all. This bright citrusy shandy is made with zero-proof spirit Sobrii 0-Tequila and non-alcoholic beer for a cocktail with all of the flavour, none of the hangover.
- 2 oz Søbrii 0-Tequila
- 1 oz lime clementine cordial
- 1/3 oz lemon juice
- Non-alcoholic beer pale ale or lager
- Garnish: freshly grated nutmeg
- 8 limes peeled and juiced (approx. 4 oz lime juice)
- 4 clementines peeled and juiced (approx. 4 oz clementine juice)
- 2- inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and chopped
- 6 cracked cardamom pods
- 1-2 Thai chilies diced
- 1½ cups sugar
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Add Søbrii 0-Tequila, lemon juice, and cordial to a double rocks glass, stir well to combine.
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Add one large ice cube and top with non-alcoholic beer.
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Garnish with a dusting of freshly grated nutmeg.
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Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan (including all citrus peels) over medium heat.
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Simmer, stirring often, for 20 minutes until syrup is slightly thickened.
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Cool to room temperature and strain off solids.
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Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
