Hogwarts, Or Die Trying: Non Alcoholic Old Fashioned Cocktail With A Twist
/Earl Grey tea gives this non alcoholic old fashioned cocktail a cozy British twist.
A Zero Proof Shortcut With Non Alcoholic Ready To Drinks
Making non alcoholic drinks doesn’t have to be complicated, and we love shortcuts as much as anyone else does. Instead of buying a full bottle of non alcoholic whiskey to make this cocktail, we took a shortcut and are using a pre-mixed 0.0% alcohol whiskey cola called AB0VE. It’s one of our favourite products because it’s so full of flavour and replicates the same bite as a true whiskey cola.
There are quite a few ingredients in this non alcoholic cocktail, but it’s fairly easy to pull together. If you don’t have access to All The Bitters Non Alcoholic Bitters, don’t worry, the recipe will still taste great without it!
Earl Grey as a non alcoholic cocktail ingredient
Many leading non alcoholic drink creators use various black teas frequently in their recipes. Thankfully for the rest of us, a perfectly good tea is within arm’s length at your local grocer. Loose leaf Earl Grey tea brings tannins and smoky notes to your non alcoholic cocktail, elevating it to a sophisticated cocktail.
In this recipe, we use both Earl Grey tea and Earl Grey syrup to deliver the sweetness and the smoke of an old fashioned.
Making Earl Grey syrup
You’re going to need three ingredients to make the Earl Grey syrup:
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
2-3 tablespoons premium loose leaf Earl Grey tea
Once you’ve gathered these things, the recipe comes together in no time!
Mix sugar, water in a small saucepan.
Turn to medium-low heat and stir gently until the sugar is dissolved and it’s just about to simmer.
Add the Earl Grey tea and let it gently simmer for another minute - you don’t want the tea ‘cooked’, just warmed to release the tannins better.
Turn off the heat and let it steep for 15-20 minutes; once it's cooled, strain into a glass jar.
What you will need for the cocktail
You’ll need the following ingredients for this non alcoholic cocktail:
4 oz of non alcoholic whiskey (we use Monday because of its spiciness and body)
1 tbsp Earl Grey Syrup (or to taste)
2 oz Earl Grey tea (cooled)
6 dashes of All The Bitter Non Alcoholic Aromatic Bitters
You’ll need to make a mug of actual Earl Grey tea, as this is the thing that adds the smokiness to the drink. The syrup acts as a sweetener but adds flavour as well. When you start making your syrup, start the kettle and it will be ready by the time the sugar has dissolved. Pour hot water over 2 tbsp of loose leaf Earl Grey and put it aside to steep. It will be ready at the same time as the syrup.
Non alcoholic bitters or not?
Don’t worry if you don’t have non alcoholic bitters - you can just use Angostura, which is available at every grocery store. Bitters only have trace amounts of alcohol in them, so it won’t affect the ABV (0.5%) of your drink.
To pull everything together
In a mixing glass, combine Earl Grey syrup, cooled Earl Grey tea and bitters in a glass, stirring until well blended.
Add a few large ice cubes and then pour non alcoholic whiskey on top.
Stir around the edges of the mixing glass vigorously for 15 seconds to chill.
Strain into a rocks glass with clean ice.
Garnish with an orange peel.
Serve immediately!
Hogwarts, Or Die Trying
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2-3 tablespoons premium loose leaf Earl Grey tea
- 4 oz of non alcoholic bourbon
- 1 tbsp Earl Grey Syrup
- 2 oz Earl Grey tea (cooled)
- 6 dashes of All The Bitter Non Alcoholic Aromatic Bitters
Instructions
- Mix sugar, water in a small saucepan.
- Turn to medium-low heat and stir gently until the sugar is dissolved and it’s just about to simmer.
- Add the Earl Grey tea and let it gently simmer for another 1-2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let it steep for 15-20 minutes; once it's cooled, strain into a glass jar.
- In a mixing glass, combine Earl Grey syrup, cooled Earl Grey tea and bitters in a glass, stirring until well blended.
- Add a few large ice cubes and then pour American Malt on top.
- Stir around the edges of the mixing glass vigorously for 15 seconds to chill.
- Strain into a rocks glass with clean ice.
- Garnish with an orange peel.
Notes
**Earl Grey syrup will keep in the fridge for two weeks**
