2022 Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 4 – Pomegranate Placebo. Welcome to the first Sober Sunday of the month. As in the past two years, we are bringing back this weekly feature to introduce you to creative non-alcoholic cocktails and exciting zero-proof spirits. This particular concoction is made entirely with fruit juices, syrup, and an egg white.
As low- and no-ABV cocktails continue to gain popularity, you may find them on drink lists filed under “placebo cocktails” – hence the name for his seasonal sober-curious concoction.
This cocktail is tart with a blush of sour and balanced sweetness from a flavourful honey rosemary ginger syrup which is one of the mainstays of this year’s Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – you’ll see it popping up throughout the month.
Pomegranate is a fantastic seasonal flavour and pairs well with citrus and the refreshing herbal notes of the rosemary.
If you’re hosting this holiday season, be sure to offer guests one or two non-alcoholic cocktail options – those choosing not to imbibe deserve the same level of effort and flavour experience as those sipping on the high-octane stuff.
That being said, if you are going to shake up one of these, be sure to work one at a time. Egg white cocktails are not meant to be made in batches – unless you want be victimized by a shaker explosion, then you’ll REALLY have egg on your face.
The silky, foamy texture of egg white cocktails is the byproduct of science. When you beat or shake an egg, you cause the main protein in the white, ovalbumin, to “unfold” or unravel. You also mix air into the liquid of the white and that air gets trapped by the proteins, forming a foam. This chemical reaction creates expansion as the air is trapped by the proteins and you might feel the lid of your shaker tin go squirrelly on you.
Before dry shaking, be sure your shaker tin and hands are clean and dry. Form a good seal by giving the top of the shaker a firm tap. When you break the seal to add ice for your wet shake, be sure to clean the shaker tin and your hands once again – there will likely be a bit of mess upon opening.
After your dry shake, wet shake, strain into a chilled coupe and enjoy the fruits of your labour.
Join me on my Instagram Story tonight at 5 p.m. Eastern for a masterclass in this technique.
Pomegranate Placebo
As low- and no-ABV cocktails continue to gainpopularity, you may find them on drink lists filedunder “placebo cocktails” – hence the name forthis seasonal sober-curious concoction.
- 1 oz pomegranate juice
- ¾ oz grapefruit juice
- ¾ oz lemon juice
- ¾ oz honey rosemary ginger syrup
- 1 dash Angostura bitters*
- 1 egg white OR ¾ oz aquafaba
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup water
- 4 ” fresh ginger peeled and sliced
- ½ cup fresh rosemary sprigs
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Add all ingredients to a shaker and dry shake for 15-20 seconds.
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Add ice and shake again until well-chilled.
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Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
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Combine honey, water, ginger, and rosemary sprigs in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit at room temperature until completely cool.
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Remove rosemary sprigs and ginger, store syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three weeks.
*Angostura bitters contains alcohol, consider excluding or substituting for a non-alcoholic bitters if you observe a sober lifestyle.
