By Susie Davidson Powel
It’s the New Year so perhaps you’re trying dry January or looking to cut back on alcohol after the holidays. Either way, I often find mouthfeel is missing from non-alcoholic cocktails. My fix is to make sure there’s spice or heat from chile or ginger which is helpful in replacing the role of alcohol, but my favorite tip is to add a few drops of extra virgin olive oil for better body overall.
A good choice is to flavor your olive oil with chile or rosemary, which adds complexity. My favorite olive oil, as always, is Piro. for its antioxidant properties and incredible flavor. Shaken in a mixer, the flavor is incorporated throughout the drink; dripped on top, it’s more of a scent.
We call these beauties Extra Virgin Cocktails and I have one of my favorites for you this month. (You can also add a CBD boost for an extra calming, stress-reducing tipple!)
With this Extra Virgin Cucumber Gimlet, try my deliciously simple recipe for white anchovies in-season blood orange and satsuma salad.
- Susie
Extra Virgin Cucumber Gimlet
INGREDIENTS
4 slices of cucumber, muddled
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz simple syrup (To make: Ratio is 1:1 sugar simmered in a pan)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1.5 oz club soda
STEPS:
Muddle cucumber in the bottom of a shaker.
Add lime juice, simple syrup and Piro.(No ice since it would solidify the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and defeat the purpose!)
Shake vigorously.
Add soda water to the shaker and strain over a large cube in a rocks glass.
Garnish with a cucumber ribbon rolled up and threaded on a cocktail skewer.
About Susie
Susie Davidson Powell is an award-winning food and drinks writer, the long-time dining critic for the Albany Times Union, and her dining, wine, cocktail and travel articles regularly appear in the Times Union, Hudson Valley, Upstate, 518 and Women at Work magazines. For Hearst Media, she produces The Food Life which recently launched Kitchen Raid: Fast Plates + Modern Cocktails, a 6-week e-subscription bringing chef and bartender tips to the home cook. Her own hospitality and dining guide, TheDishing.com, is set to launch in early 2022. Susie has received national awards for food criticism from the National Society of Features Journalism and served as a James Beard Awards’ restaurant judge for New York State.
Follow Susie on Instagram @Susiedp
