Non-alcoholic white sangria and a berry honey shrub

Drinks worth drinking

This morning I wanted to share a couple of fantastic recipes with you. I love good drinks and both of these are delicious, whether you are a non-drinker or just looking for a hydrating, tasty beverage to sip on during the warm days ahead.

Non-alcoholic white sangria

Makes 1 litre

I recently tried some 0% wines that were pretty good and it got me inspired to create an alcohol free spin on a white sangria.This is a yummy cocktail for a hot afternoon.

Alcohol-free spirits are great but can be pricey so it you don’t have any on hand, leave it out and use tonic water instead of sparkling water to top the pitcher, it adds the little bit of bite that’s needed.

Use whatever fruit is in season to garnish.

1 bottle chilled non-alcoholic white wine (I used a NZ sauvignon blanc)

½ cup non-alcoholic spirit (I used Seedlip Garden 108)

1 cup chilled apple juice

Sparkling water to top

1 peach, sliced

1 apple, sliced

1 lime or lemon, sliced

Ice as needed

Half fill a large pitcher with ice. Pour in the wine, non alcoholic spirit and juice.Top with sparkling water. Stir gently. Add the sliced fruit and stir a little more.

Serve immediately.

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Berry and honey shrub cordial

How to describe a shrub it a way that will immediately let you in on just how good a drink it is? A shrub is essentially a sweet / tart vinegar-based cordial that makes the most delicious non-alcoholic drink for this summer. It’s simple but absolutely delicious. Just 2-3 tablespoons of the cordial paired with ice and sparkling water gives you a drink with lots of depth and flavour, that is deeply hydrating. Also great in a cocktail.

I shared my method on RNZ this week. You can find the written recipe HERE. I didn'nt include rosemary in my recipe there but I would encourage you to add a long stem of rosemary to the fruit and honey when you add the vinegar. It adds such a pretty herbaceous note to the cordial.

I also tend to like things like this on the not-so-sweet side so if you know you’ve got a sweeter tooth, I’d suggest increasing the amount of honey to 3/4 cup or even 1 cup. Enjoy! x