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Mocktail Madness

The proliferation of craft mocktails made with nonalcoholic distilled spirits is making it easier and more fun for people who abstain from alcohol to feel like they are still part of the party.
Julia Robinson for NPR
The proliferation of craft mocktails made with nonalcoholic distilled spirits is making it easier and more fun for people who abstain from alcohol to feel like they are still part of the party.

In recent years there have been two parallel trends in drinking habits: a return to keen interest in cocktails... many retro and many brand new... and their non-alcoholic cousins the "mocktail". Chef Jerry Pellegrino is down with this and can tell us what this is all about.

The mixed drinks that the hippie generation shunned are now back in style, as if "Mad Men" has opened our eyes to the joys of a good Old Fashioned. Today's younger generation (now that the hippies are grey-haired geezers) are fascinated by the endless possibilities promised by a well-stocked bar.

Moving in parallel to this is the emergence of non-alcoholic spirits that mimic the flavor of our traditional basics. A company called Free Spirits makes mock gin, bourbon, milano and tequila. That'll get you started.

Seedlip Non-Acoholic Spirits makes a large variety of pre-mixed zero-alcohol "mocktails" that can play to a large audience. They include standards like a "Highball", a "CosNoPolitan", a "Margarita" and a "Ginger Toddy".

Al Spoler, well known to WYPR listeners as the wine-loving co-host of "Cellar Notes" has had a long-standing parallel interest in cooking as well. Al has said, the moment he started getting serious about Sunday night dinners was the same moment he started getting serious about wine. Over the years, he has benefited greatly from being a member of the Cork and Fork Society of Baltimore, a gentlemen's dining club that serves black tie meals cooked by the members themselves who are some of Baltimore's most accomplished amateur cooks.
As General Partner of Clipper City Brewing Company, L.P., Hugh J. Sisson is among Baltimore's premier authorities on craft brewing and a former manager of the state's first pub brewery, Sissons, located in Federal Hill. A fifth generation Baltimorean, Hugh has been involved in all aspects of craft brewing.