MOCKTAIL HOUR – RECIPES

Totally Tropical Tea-zinger

A refreshing mocktail full of tropical flavour, with added zing from the ginger beer.

Serves 1 but will scale up

Ingredients

Tropical fruit tea bag (use your favourite, Peach is lovely, or Mango and lychee…or mix them up a bit), brewed in 90ml water, then brought to room temperature and chilled.

Splash of fruit syrup – something with tropical overtones.

60ml good quality ginger beer (try Fever Tree)

30ml fresh-squeezed orange juice. orange wedges and cocktail umbrella for garnish.

Instructions

Put plenty of crushed ice into a tall glass. Pour over the syrup; add the tea, ginger beer. Stir gently to combine. Garnish with an orange wedge, lychees on a cocktail stick, and cocktail umbrellas.

Le-Ki-Pi

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 kiwi

3 pineapple cubes (tinned is fine. Remove them from the can and freeze them to use as required!)

Honey to taste

Good quality lemonade (Fever tree is excellent) or lemon sparkling water.

Mint to garnish

Instructions

Peel and slice the kiwi and place into a small food processor or blender. Warm the honey very slightly until runny. Add the pineapple chunks and honey to the kiwi. Pulse blend to make a thin, well-blended puree. Place crushed ice in a tumbler, and fill to ¾ full with the lemonade or lemon sparkling water. Divide the puree and pour in each glass. Stir gently and garnish with mint and slice of kiwi.

The Perfect Virgin Bloody Mary

Savoury and spicy. The perfect pre-dinner mocktail.

Serves 2

Ingredients

500 ml tomato juice

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp fresh horseradish (more if you like it hot)

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

Celery salt

White pepper

tabasco sauce

Instructions

Place plenty of crushed ice in a large glass jug. Mix the tomato juice and lemon juice and pour it straight over the ice.

Add the horseradish, 3 shakes of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco to taste. Then add a pinch of celery salt and white pepper. Stir until the outside of the jug feels cold, then strain the cocktail into 2 tall glasses.

Top up with fresh ice, and garnish with a celery stick and olives or a lemon slice.