National Culinary Review

his winter, a few guests from back East visited Addison for lunch at San

Diego’s luxury The Grand Del Mar hotel. The server came by before the meal and explained the list of unique proprietary nonalcoholic drinks available that paired well with various menu items. The guests were visibly impressed and explained that this was the first time in the U.S. that they had ever been offered anything other than soda or tea to go with their lunch.

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That was surprising to the server, because in any season, Addison has 12 fresh nonalcoholic drinks available, and servers know that they should always offer one of those before offering the usual drinks, says Will Costello, Addison’s maitre’d. It’s a no-brainer.

Increased interest in more healthful liquid refreshments was the reason for the development of the drink array at Addison, where guests often come for a six-course meal that includes a separate drink to pair with each course (the bevy of drinks for the six-course meal runs $45).

A larger check average, especially at lunch, is the main reason many operators dive into a nonalcoholic bar drink program, whether that be a bar/restaurant, poolside service, hotel lounge or culinary school restaurant, for example, at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone in St. Helena, Calif.

PHOTO CREDIT: Opposite, Palmer House Hilton Hotel

At the CIA, beverage manager/sommelier Traci Dutton has noticed a decrease in alcohol consumption among campus guests as they have become more cautious over the past few years, not wanting to drink too much before the long drive to their hotel. Plus, the school gets more guests for lunch than for dinner, and many choose not to drink alcohol at lunch.

OPPOSITE: The Virgin Margarita served at Potter’s Lounge in Chicago’s Palmer House Hilton Hotel is all the more appealing garnished with salt, Key lime, kumquat and a sprig of cilantro.

ALL IN A NAME

As much thought is given to the names as to the ingredients of the zero-proof cocktails served at the group of 14 restaurants owned by Lark Creek Restaurant Group, San Francisco. Here’s a sampling:

ginger’s island: fresh lemon juice,
ginger simple syrup, pineapple juice
and nonalcoholic ginger beer
prickly berry smash: prickly pear
juice, blueberry purée, fresh lemon
juice, simple syrup and soda water
the alamo: fresh grapefruit juice,
pear purée, cayenne pepper, paprika
and soda water
kookaburra: kiwi purée, kumquat,
green tea syrup, coconut water, fresh
lime and soda water
the southern tart: fresh lemon juice,
simple syrup, maple syrup, peach
bitters and soda water
bicoastal citrus punch: fresh blood
orange juice, Key lime juice and
nonalcoholic ginger beer
sunflower: white cranberry juice,
fresh orange juice, orange flower
water and Fever Tree ginger ale
how you like them apples: spiced
North Coast apple cider, fresh lemon
juice, mint syrup and nonalcoholic
ginger beer
cool in the afternoon: fresh lemon
juice, fresh lime juice, agave nectar,
cucumber water and nonalcoholic
ginger beer
unusual circumstance: lychee
syrup, fresh lime juice, bitter lemon,
lemongrass/rosemary syrup and
nonalcoholic ginger beer
riverfront spritzer: fresh lime juice,
fresh lemon juice, mint simple
syrup, raspberry purée, peach bitters
and soda water
forgotten memory: apricot purée,
fresh orange juice, fresh lemon
juice, agave nectar, cardamom
syrup, orange bitters and soda water

Call them mocktails or zero-proof cocktails, they help increase margins while satisfying children, pregnant women and those who choose not to drink alcohol.

Dutton adheres to three criteria when she develops nonalcoholic beverages. The drinks can’t be so large that guests fill up on them, leaving little room for their meal; the drinks should not be too sweet, sugary and caloric; and they should be appropriate for someone who may appreciate wine but may choose not to drink wine.

FIND A NICHE Others looking to refresh the drinks menu may want to consult servers for ideas of what guests would likely respond to, or look to cuisine and ingredient trends, including fruit purées, superfruits and world flavors. Or, as Dutton does, try to duplicate the flavor of alcoholic drinks.

A dessert drink at Addison resembles Madeira wine or cream-style sherry from Portugal or Spain, Costello says. It combines nonfat milk, maple syrup and pistachio oil, all whipped to emulsify and then topped with shaved nutmeg.

Another of Addison’s drinks tastes similar to a mojito, made with lemon grass, lime and mint. Rather than use catchy names, Costello prefers to list ingredients, and the servers explain the flavor to guests, emphasizing that the ingredients are seasonally inspired.

Costello also works with Navarro Vineyards in Mendocino, Calif., to secure nonalcoholic grape juice from the famous vineyard, and includes Navarro in the drink name.