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Articles by Mark Weddle
Magnificent Mocktails: Pumpkin No-spresso Martini
SPONSORED BY Yield: 1 drink. Chocolate syrup (for garnish) Graham crackers, crushed (for garnish) Ice 3 ounces cold brew coffee or espresso 1 ounce pumpkin-spiced half and half ½ ounce hazelnut syrup, such as Monin ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice (for garnish) Espresso/coffee beans (for garnish) Place a small amount of chocolate syrup and crushed graham crackers into individual plates or bowls. Dip the rim of a martini glass into syrup, then into graham crackers so that it’s covered completely.
Magnificent Mocktails: Watermelon Crowd Pleaser
SPONSORED BY Yield: 1 pitcher. 4 cups watermelon juice 1 cup pink lemonade 2 ounces grenadine Ice Soda water (for serving) Watermelon wedges (for garnish) In a large pitcher, combine watermelon juice, lemonade, and grenadine and stir. To serve, pour into a rocks glass filled with ice and top with soda water. Garnish with a watermelon wedge.
Magnificent Mocktails: Warmer Days
SPONSORED BY Yield: 1 drink. Ice 1 ounce lemon juice 1 ounce elderflower syrup 2 ounces elderflower tonic 2 ounces soda water Lemon twist (for garnish) Fresh mint (for garnish) In a Collins glass filled with ice, add lemon juice, elderflower syrup, soda water, tonic, and stir to combine. Garnish with a lemon twist and mint.
Magnificent Mocktails: Pure Bliss Choco-tini
SPONSORED BY Yield: 1 drink. Chocolate syrup (for garnish) Chocolate shavings (for garnish) ½ ounce hazelnut syrup, such as Monin 1 ounce half-and-half ½ ounce cold brew coffee 3 ounces chocolate almond milk Ice Place a small amount of chocolate syrup and chocolate shavings onto individual plates or bowls. Dip the rim of a martini glass into syrup, then into chocolate shavings so that it’s covered completely. In a cocktail tin, combine syrup, half-and-half, coffee, and milk.
Magnificent Mocktails: Hawaiian Luau Punch
SPONSORED BY Yield: 16 servings. Pineapple slices (plus more for garnish) 1 (13.5-ounce) jar maraschino cherries (plus more for garnish) ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons non-alcoholic blue curaçao 4 cups lemon-lime soda 4 cups club soda Ice Combine fruit, curaçao, lemon-lime soda, and club soda in a large punch bowl and stir. Serve in desired cups over ice and garnish each with a pineapple slice and a cherry. Proof Alliance NC does not endorse any specific brand of beverages.
Magnficent Mocktails: Bitter Orange Spritz
SPONSORED BY Yield: 1 drink. ¼ cup Free Spirits Spirit of Milano ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons chilled alcohol-free sparkling wine 2 tablespoons chilled club soda Ice Orange slice (for garnish) Mix Free Spirits Spirit of Milano, alcohol-free sparkling wine, club soda, and a small amount of ice in a wine glass. Garnish with an orange slice. Proof Alliance NC does not endorse any specific brand of beverages.
Magnficent Mocktails: Spring Berry Spritz
SPONSORED BY Yield: 1 drink. 4-5 fresh blackberries or 7-8 fresh blueberries, plus more for garnish 2 tablespoons simple syrup, agave or honey 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Ice Club soda or seltzer (for topping) Mint sprig In a cocktail tin, muddle berries, sweetener and lemon and cover with ice. Pour soda over top and stir to mix. Pour into a tall glass and top with more soda, if needed, to fill.
Magnificent Mocktails: Cranberry Mule
SPONSORED BY Yield: 1 drink. Cinnamon-Honey Syrup: 1 cup honey 1 cup water 4 to 5 cinnamon sticks Cocktail: Ice ¼ cup cranberry juice ¼ fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons cinnamon-honey syrup Ginger beer (for topping) Lime wedge, sprig of rosemary, and fresh cranberries (for garnish) For the cinnamon-honey syrup: Combine honey and water in a small pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Once a foam starts to form at the surface, remove from heat and add cinnamon sticks.
Magnificent Mocktails: Winter Cider Punch
SPONSORED BY Yield: 12 to 16 drinks. Cinnamon-Honey Syrup: 1 cup honey 1 cup water 4 to 5 cinnamon sticks Punch: 4 cups store-bought or homemade spiced apple cider 2 cups cranberry juice ½ cup cinnamon-honey syrup ½ cup lemon juice Lemon slices (for garnish) 2 cinnamon sticks (for garnish) Ice (depending on variation) For the cinnamon-honey syrup: Combine honey and water in a small pot and bring to a gentle simmer.
Magnificent Mocktails: Vampire Punch
SPONSORED BY 3 cups blood orange juice 1 cup pomegranate juice ½ cup simple syrup ½ cup lemon juice 3 cups sparkling lime soda Lemon slices (for garnish) Orange slices (for garnish) Plastic vampire fangs (optional) Ice In a large punch bowl, combine all juices and simple syrup and stir. Garnish punch with lemon and orange slices and vampire fangs, if desired. Ladle punch over ice to serve and garnish with an additional orange slice.
3 Drinks for Summertime ’Shine
SPONSORED BY One hundred years ago, under the cover of darkness, moonshiners raced across the state in modified cars, shuttling jars full of clear liquor to bootleggers. They sped past orchards of peach trees in Richmond County. In Transylvania County, rows of apple trees disappeared into darkness outside the window. And from the mountains to the Coastal Plain, wherever a moonshiner breezed past corn fields, they could rest assured that a gristmill — and whiskey stills — weren’t far.
Magnificent Mocktails: By No Means Daiquiri
SPONSORED BY Yield: 1 serving. Simple syrup: 1 cup water 1 cup sugar Cocktail: Ice 2 ounces Arkay Non-Alcoholic Rum 1½ ounces lime juice ½ ounce grapefruit juice ½ ounce simple syrup Lime wheel (for garnish) Luxardo cherry (for garnish) For the simple syrup: In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved, and remove from heat.
3 Moonshine Cocktails for Summertime Sippin’
SPONSORED BY Before widespread development and big-box grocers swept across North Carolina, people depended on their nearby farmers to keep them fed … and their glasses full. Yes, tobacco and cotton drove the economy, but crops like wheat and corn thrived in the rural fields and hill-covered hollers throughout our state, and where there was grain, there was moonshine.
Magnificent Mocktails: No-jito
SPONSORED BY Yield: 1 serving. Simple Syrup: 1 cup water 1 cup sugar Cocktail: 5-6 mint leaves Lime wedge, plus more (for garnish) 2 ounces ArKay Non-Alcoholic Rum 1½ ounces lime juice ½ ounces simple syrup Ice Club soda Sprig of fresh mint (for garnish) For the simple syrup: In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved.
Magnificent Mocktails: Mom-To-Be Mocktail
SPONSORED BY 64 ounces (8 cups) Cran-Apple juice 16 ounces (2 cups) pineapple juice 16 ounces (2 cups) lemonade Club soda or sparkling water, to top Lemon and lime slices, optional Pineapple wedge or fronds, optional Combine the juices in a large pitcher or punch bowl and stir. Add thin slices of lemon and lime for extra flavor and appearance if desired. Serve in glasses over ice, leaving enough room to top with club soda and garnish with pineapple fronds or a thin wedge of pineapple.
Magnificent Mocktails: Baby Bellini | Our State
Put ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until puffed and golden. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 minutes. With a flexible spatula, remove strata to Yield: 1 serving. 2 ounces peach nectar juice ¾ cup nonalcoholic sparkling wine or cider Fresh peach slice (for garnish) In a flute or coupe glass, build drink, starting with juice and topping with sparkling wine or cider. Garnish with peach slice to serve.
Magnificent Mocktails: Resolution Punch
SPONSORED BY Yield: 30 servings. 1 (12-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate (chilled) 36 ounces cold water 6 ounces elderflower syrup 1 (64-ounce) carton white grape juice (chilled) 2 (750-milliter) bottles nonalcoholic sparkling wine or cider (chilled) 1 orange, sliced (for garnish) 10-12 strawberries, halved (for garnish) Ice (for serving, optional) In a pitcher, combine orange juice concentrate with 36 ounces of water (about 3 cans filled), and stir until concentrate melts.
3 Merry Moonshine Cocktails for Holiday Sipping
SPONSORED BY As moonshiners tend to the stills hidden in the woods or tucked behind the family barns, their children watch closely. Their eyes train on the wooden barrels of mash that heat and emit vaporous steam through the pipes that then cools and condenses into precious whiskey. The youths – often in their teens – are learning to taste the mash as they go – checking for flavor – and the right ratio of corn and barley in the mash.
Magnificent Mocktails: The Cosmo-Not
SPONSORED BY Yield: 1 serving. Simple Syrup: 1 cup water 1 cup sugar Mocktail: Ice 2 ounces cranberry juice 1 ounce fresh lime juice 1 ounce fresh orange juice ½ ounce simple syrup Thin orange twist or lime wheel (for garnish) For the simple syrup: Combine 1 cup water with 1 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved.
3 Moonshine Cocktails Perfect for Fall
SPONSORED BY The squeal of spinning tires and the wail of police sirens fading away in the distance as moonshine runners raced along back roads is a scene woven into North Carolina’s history: The term “moonshine” originated here, a reference to the folks who operated their secret stills under the cover of darkness. Distilling and distributing moonshine began not for the thrill of the chase, but because economic opportunities were slim in rural North Carolina.
Sparkling Watermelon Sangria
“Nothing represents summer more to me than watermelon and gathering together with friends and family. Cookouts and sunny days are reason enough to celebrate with this delicious and refreshing sangria. Remember, fresh is best. Adjust the drink’s sweetness by adding more or less simple syrup, or add your favorite summer flavors to make it distinctively yours. Cheers!” – Mixologist Mark Weddle Download a PDF of this recipe.
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