Saturday, August 22, 2009

Virgin Drinks


“Hey Bartender, what if I don’t drink alcohol?“

Occasionally, I get a customer who throws me a curveball behind the bar. They don’t drink alcohol. These customers include minors (yes, I work in a restaurant), designated drivers, pregnant ladies, people on an important business meeting, non-drinkers or whatever the case may be. A really good bartender will be quick on their feet and be able to build a delicious and creative non-alcoholic drink for their non-drinking customer, something other than boring old soda or plain juice.

Sure there are the popular staples: the Virgin Marys (a Bloody Mary minus the vodka), the Shirley Temples (grenadine and either ginger ale or Sprite) and the Rob Roys (grenadine and Coke), but it’s nice to step out of the ordinary box and make up something really special for customers who don’t and/or can’t consume alcohol. Remember, these customers tip too. Read More...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If you have all the resources at hand for a mojito you can also make a virgin mojito using sprite or soda, or a combination of both (depending on your preferred taste in sweetness) to substitute rum..
I worked at a swanky restaurant on the water a few summers that was big into specialty drink and i got tired of drinking water behind the bar so i got creative one day.. i then offered them to customers not drinking, and children (if it was okay with parents) and people loved them-constructed properly they are quite delish and refreshing on a hot summer day