Rhubarb Margarita Mocktail
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Rhubarb: A bitter sweet surprise
This non-alcoholic rhubarb margarita mocktail is a fun twist on the classic margarita, freshened up for the spring season.
Rhubarb is a springtime delight and bursts onto the culinary scene with its vibrant hues and tart flavor in early spring right through to early summer. It’s a hearty perennial vegetable (NOT a fruit) that thrives in cooler climates, and always heralded the arrival of warmer days for me as a child. I would find that first rhubarb shoot at the dark, shady edges of the springtime garden and woop with joy! With its crisp, celery-like texture and ruby-red hue, rhubarb is a unique blend of tartness and subtle sweetness.
It lends its distinctive flavor to non-alcoholic drinks so well, infusing them with a delightful tanginess that works harmoniously with citrus and berries.
The finished rhubarb margarita mocktail is super low sugar, not too sweet, perfectly tart and has heat and smoke from the non-alcoholic mezcal. Delicious!
A primer on non-alcoholic tequila
Agave flavour is the trademark of tequila. It’s what sets this spirit apart from all the rest, so it’s important that your n/a version has a recognizable agave flavour.
Smokiness is also key. In the process of making tequila, the heart of an agave is harvested from the plant and roasted in underground ovens over hot rocks. Roasting the heart in this manner gives the spirit that deep, smoky flavor that makes mezcal so distinctive. Non-alcoholic tequilas need to have a discernible smoky palette to be a true dupe.
Heat is also key, but hard to get right. The heat in tequila usually comes from alcohol, so replicating the gentle but very specific burn of the real thing is tough.
Which non-alcoholic tequila we chose
The Danish brand ISH has created a great non-alcoholic agave spirit, with a surprising depth of flavour and a massive spicy kick, just like a smoky mezcal. It pairs really well with rhubarb.
We also love Monday Mezcal as it’s another amazing option for zero alcohol tequila.
Find our list of best non-alcoholic tequilas here
Making rhubarb syrup for cocktails and mocktails
I made this rhubarb syrup with monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar because that’s something I’m taking a lot more seriously now. The BONUS part of this recipe is that once you make the rhubarb syrup you can put the leftover rhubarb pulp/pieces in a jar in your fridge and use it on top of pancakes or in muffins!
Here’s how to do it:
To make the syrup, slice 3 stalks of rhubarb and add to a heavy bottomed pot. Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of monk fruit to the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low for 20 to 25 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a glass jar pressing the rhubarb to get all the liquid out. Cool before using. You can’t refrigerate this or the monk-fruit will crystallize, so keep it on the counter for up to three days and then dump. This makes about 4-6 cocktails.
And now to pull this delicious mocktail together!
Ingredients
2 oz non-alcoholic tequila
2 oz rhubarb syrup
1/2 oz orange juice
1/2 lime, cut into small pieces
scant teaspoon of lime juice
pinch of salt
club soda/sparkling water
Preparation
Muddle limes in a shaker, then add the rest of the ingredients with ice and shake to chill. Strain into a bodega glass with fresh ice and top with club soda.
Cheers and let’s make it non-alcoholic tonight!
Rhubarb Margarita Mocktail
Ingredients
- 3 rhubarb stalks
- 1 cup monk fruit sweetener
- 1 cup water
- 2 oz non-alcoholic tequila
- 2 oz rhubarb syrup
- 1/2 oz orange juice
- 1/2 lime, cut into small pieces
- scant teaspoon of lime juice
- pinch of salt
- club soda/sparkling water
Instructions
- Slice 3 stalks of rhubarb and add to a heavy bottomed pot.
- Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of monk fruit to the pot and bring to a boil,
- Reduce heat and simmer on low for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a glass jar pressing the rhubarb to get all the liquid out.
- Cool before using. You can’t refrigerate this or the monk-fruit will crystallize, so keep it on the counter for up to three days and then dump. This amount makes about 4-6 cocktails.
- Muddle limes in the bottom of a shaker.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, except for club soda.
- Add square ice and shake to chill for 5 seconds.
- Strain into a bodega glass with fresh ice.
- Top with club soda.
