Zero Proof Cocktails: Alcohol-Free Beverages for Every Occasion

My wife grew up in a home where alcohol caused a lot of problems. When I married her I promised I would never touch it so she would not have to worry about the cycle being repeated. But alas, having a cocktail here and there, relaxing with a drink when one gets home from work - those could be considered some of the finer things in life. This book has brought the bar back into our lives. We mix drinks all the time now and don't worry about anything. The author does a great job of explaining ingredients and substitutes. Well worth it. We have stocked our cupboards with all sorts of mixers and ingredients. For the rest of us who do not drink alcohol for whatever reason, this book allows us to enjoy a refreshing drink and explore new flavors without consuming any.

i am new to creating alcohol-free drinks, but I've been happy with the few recipes I've tried in this book. The ingredients are accessible, but if you want to create your own flavored syrups and infusions there are recipes for a few of those. Stocking my home bar with new ingredients based on the mocktails in this book has given me the chance to experiment with my own ideas, too, so I'm calling this one a winner.

Disclaimer: I haven't yet made any of the recipes in the book. This is a slim, very attractive volume; its glossy pages include "glamour shots" of many of the various drinks detailed within. The variety is greater than I expected. "Cocktails" evokes the Manhattan, mai tai, Pimm's cup and others, and there are recipes for knock-offs of those classics and more. But the books ranges much farther, as noted in its subtitle. It's organized into sections: elixirs and aperitifs; martinis and party cocktails; mealtime libations; dessert drinks; and nightcaps, which is a good way to help focus your search. The drinks aren't limited to "just" fruit juices, prepared mixes and high-sugar materials, either. Herbal infusions, flavored seltzers, various teas (green, black, white, even rooibos and hibiscus), vinegars and other ingredients are used throughout. The only drawback I've seen so far is that some of the ingredients are somewhat offbeat: sparkling pear juice, orgeat, juniper berries, lychee juice, blood-orange bitters. But the majority of the drinks could be made after a visit to your local well-stocked grocer. Techniques are simple, too. "Red Rooibos Rioja", for example, requires steeping rooibos teas bags with vanilla beans and peppercorns; straining; and then mixing with a pair of fruit juices and some spring water.

Regardless of whether you drink cocktails or whether you don't, shouldn't, or can't, this book is an excellent addition to your collection of cocktail recipe books. If you are taking acetaminophen or some other drug with adverse side effects caused or heightened by consuming alcohol while taking the drug, the recipes in this book will help you avoid feeling "deprived" or limited in your drink choices, particularly when entertaining or going out. Here, I speak from several months' experience. During a recent recuperative period (caused mostly by being old enough that it takes awhile to heal up), we tried most of the recipes in the book. We liked them all. All the ingredients called for in the recipes can be used or adapted to regular cocktails once the alcohol consumption limitations no longer apply. Once the limits are off, however, the recipes still are handy for creating the "base" for alcoholic cocktails (just add alcohol of choice) and then serving just the "base" to guests who either don't or shouldn't or can't consume alcohol. And, I loved the pictures and the descriptions of the drink presentations - certainly more than just pouring ingredients in some old juice glass.

So happy to have a book filled with delicious AF recipes with easy to find ingredients.

But the ingredients list isn't exactly easily to obtain. More then just specialty stores some of it needs to be ordered online unless one happens to live in one of the big megalopolises, then I imagine the ingredients are find-able if one knows where to look.

Ordered to go along with a beverage server for holiday gift for 'non alcohol drinking' friends. Perfect! It has great ideas for those who can add the alcohol and/or smoothies.

These again have been drinks popular for generations. Fruit juice drinks were very popular and most people did not have access to these fruits. They were made as martinis in the U.S. with syrups and a alcohol base.