Good Drinks by Julia Bainbridge | 2020 | Ten Speed Press | Hardcover $ 22.99
Writer Julia Bainbridge spent a summer driving across the U.S. going to bars, restaurants, and everything in between in pursuit of the question: Can you make an outstanding nonalcoholic drink? The answer came back emphatically: “Yes.”
With an extensive pantry section, tips for sourcing ingredients, and recipes curated from stellar bartenders around the country, Good Drinks shows that decadent brunch cocktails, afternoon refreshers, and evening digestifs can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone.
I opted to add this one to my cookbook cook-thru project because I just really enjoy nice drinks — but I’ve also been trying to cut back on alcohol and super-sweet sodas for my health. And yet, I have been craving something more interesting in my glass than some sparkling water that barely tasted as if a fruit had once farted in its general direction
The book includes over 50 recipes, each rated with a commitment level ranging from no-brainer, “just give me something tasty to sip immediately” type drinks to intense, “commit a whole day to pretending to be a mad scientist” type drinks. The recipes are all based on creations by beverage pros, so they all start with an intro origin story.
To be clear, most of these are not really mocktails in the usual sense. We’re not talking about a bunch of recipes for virgin martinis or even typical non-alcoholic bar options like your classic Shirley Temple. These are drinks that were conceived of as non-alcoholic from the start and are meant to appeal to adventurous palates.
I’ll freely admit that almost all the drinks I tried were in lower commitment categories. I mention this because even though there are some wild-looking options, the book is still incredibly fun and useful even for those of us who don’t have a lot of time to devote to highly fancy drinks.
Cucumber doogh; citing Hillary Neuman-Raiu of Somerville, Massachusetts
Doogh is a yogurt-based drink, traditionally fermented for a few days and flavored with mint and a little salt. This version skips the fermentation and includes cucumber and lime.
Golden hour; citing Jon Palmer of Minneapolis, Minnesota
This may be my favorite drink of them all. The main ingredient was entirely new to me — verjus. It’s a super-tart juice made from pressing wine grapes. Wine is my typical drink of choice, so I was delighted to find an option that feels fancy-ish and foodie-friendly like wine, but without the high % ABV.
Honeydew avocado agua fresca; citing Megan Sanchez of Portland, Oregon
Super refreshing on a miserably hot summer day in Texas. If you are lucky enough to find a perfectly ripe honeydew melon, this drink should be on your list of options for it.
Pea flower lemonade; citing Nick Wiseman of Washington, D.C.
I have to thank this book for introducing me to butterfly pea flower tea, which is blue, which in and of itself is fun enough — but when you add citrus, the color changes to a vibrant purply-pink!
Rose and kumquat; citing Hansuk Cho of Santa Monica, California
I really wasn’t planning on making this one, but then there were perfect little jewel-like kumquats for an irresistible price at the grocery store, and, well, here we are. I’m glad I gave it a chance.
Saffron sharbat; citing Ky Belk of Denver, Colorado
I’d previously used saffron for cooking, but it had never occurred to me that it could be used to make a syrup for drinks as well. It’s delightful in this combination with verjus and a little sparkling water.
Salted rosemary Paloma; citing Naren Young of New York, New York
I’ve never really cared for the taste of grapefruit, but I keep trying it in different forms in hopes of one day learning to like it. Alas, even this pretty little refresher wasn’t enough to overcome my aversion. However, the salted rosemary syrup just in and of itself was a winner.
Shiso spritz; citing Victor Gainor of St. Louis, Missouri
This has got to be one of the prettiest drinks ever to come out of my kitchen. Sadly, it’s a little too licorice-y for my taste (shiso, a.k.a. perilla, has a note of anise to it), but if you like that sort of thing you’ve got to give this one a try.
Sunomono; citing Sean Umstead of Durham, North Carolina
“Sunomono” normally refers to a sesame- and vinegar-dressed cucumber salad from Japan; this is basically a drinkable version of that.
Up-beet; citing Brandyn Tepper of San Francisco, California
Like grapefruit, I have never been able to get myself to really enjoy beets, despite trying all sorts of variations over the years. As pretty as this drink is, it’s just not my thing. But if you happen to enjoy beets, I’d say it’s worth a try.
I also tried the following recipes — and liked them! — but didn’t get good photos:
- Cherry, ginger, and coconut cream ale; citing Melissa Micou of Richmond, Virginia
- Nectar of the gods; citing Minetta Gould of Denver, Colorado
If I were to dive back into this cookbook again, I think these are some other recipes that’d be worth trying:
- Bicycle gang; citing Nicholas Matio of Bloomington, Indiana
- Blackberry cold brew colada; citing Anders Lehto of Denver, Colorado
- Cherry and smoke; citing Evan Zimmerman of Washington, D.C.
- Get well soon; citing Jim Meehan of Portland, Oregon
- King palm; citing Tyson Buhler of Denver, Colorado
- Yu the great; citing Samantha Azarow of Portland, Oregon
Links:
Publication information: Bainbridge, Julia. Good drinks: Alcohol-free recipes for when you’re not drinking for whatever reason. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2020. Print.
Source: Personal library.
Disclaimer: I am not compensated, monetarily or otherwise, for reviews of books or other products.
Leave a Reply