Blackberry Gin Fizz - the best low sugar non-alcoholic cocktail
/An alcohol-free and low-sugar cocktail for a healthy start to the new year
The miracle of non-alcoholic distilled spirits is they are usually zero added sugar. When you’re kicking off the new year with a focus on health, you’ll be looking for something elevated to drink but without the sugar or alcohol. Ceder’s non-alcoholic spirits is an ideal solution. Mixing one of their four, accessible non-alcoholic expressions into a cocktail is the best way to control your sugar and your alcohol intake without compromising on flavour.
Why I Use Ceder’s Non-Alcoholic Spirits
Ceder’s is an award-winning distilled non-alcoholic spirit. Their four expressions are developed using 18 classic and rare South African botanicals. For this recipe, Ceder’s Classic or Ceder’s Wild are both great options. The Wild is spicy and aromatic which punches up the flavour of the blackberries, or for a smoother summery vibe, the Ceder’s classic is a gentle herbal counterpoint to the berries.
Luckily for Canadians, you can find it on the shelf at your local grocery store. It’s the only non-alcoholic spirit brand available at a national chain grocery store in Canada, and that’s the main reason I turn to it often. In Ontario you can find it at Longo’s, Village Grocer and Summerhill Market in the GTA. For BC. you can find it at Fresh Street Market (they have a few locations) and Gourmet Warehouse. For Albertans, Ceder’s is available at Sunterra and the Italian Centre. Halifax carries it at the Independent Mercantile and Italian Market.
Making Mocktails Low Sugar
Mocktails can become high in sugar very quickly with the addition of fruits, syrups and other mixers. The best place to start is by making a simple drink with natural fruit, a low-sugar or zero-sugar mixer and experiment with sweetness and flavour from there.
Blackberries are a great alternative to using a simple syrup or flavoured syrup, because they’re so juicy and sweet. Often, muddling the berries in the bottom of the glass gives you enough flavour and sweet notes without having to add extra syrup.
You can also make syrups from alternative sweeteners, like monk fruit, which sweeten without the sugar, if you find this recipe not sweet enough.
Here’s a simple recipe for a low-sugar mocktail with blackberries to get you started:
Ingredients
3 blackberries
2 ½ oz Ceder’s distilled non-alcoholic spirit (Classic or Wild)
1 oz fresh squeezed orange juice
1 basil leaf
3 oz blackberry sparkling water
A few dashes of All The Bitter alcohol-free New Orleans bitters
Preparation
Add the blackberries, orange juice and torn basil leaf to the bottom of a glass, and muddle or crush gently with a wooden spoon
Add Ceder’s Wild
Add ice and stir gently to combine and chill.
Top with blackberry sparkling water
Add a few dashes bitters on top, if using (optional)
Garnish with a blackberry skewer
This recipe clocks in at roughly 4 g of added sugar from natural sources, plus if you eat the blackberries you get 1 gram of fibre as well!
If you’re fancy you can make this in a cocktail shaker for a smoother drink. Double the recipe, then muddle and shake the first four ingredients with ice. Use a hawthorne strainer to strain everything over ice, then top with sparkling water and a few dashes of bitters. This prevents blackberry pieces from floating around in the glass. Either way, both preparation methods taste great.
Cheers!
Low Sugar Blackberry Fizz
Ingredients
- 3 blackberries
- 2 ½ oz Ceder’s distilled non-alcoholic spirit (Classic or Wild)
- ¾ oz fresh squeezed orange juice
- 3 oz blackberry sparkling water
- A few dashes of Peychauds bitters (or alcohol-free New Orleans bitters)
Instructions
- Add the blackberries to the bottom of a glass, and muddle or crush gently with a wooden spoon
- Add Ceder’s Classic or Wild, orange juice and salt
- Add ice and stir gently
- Top with blackberry sparkling water
- Add a few dashes bitters on top, if using (optional)
- Garnish with a blackberry skewer
Notes
This recipe clocks in at roughly 1 g of added sugar, plus if you eat the blackberries you get 1 gram of fibre as well!
