Going dry for January doesn’t mean ditching cocktail hour. Troy Gilchrist, beverage director and general manager at Toronto cocktail bar No Vacancy, shares his approach to crafting non-alcoholic drinks that rival their boozy counterparts. From balancing sweetness with bitters to choosing the right glassware, these five tips will elevate your home bar beyond mocktail territory.
Add non-alcoholic bitters for complexity
“The downfall with home bartending is we generally end up with non-alcoholic drinks that are too sweet. Non-alcoholic Italian bitters and amaros add those more complex notes you need. You can create a pretty decent Negroni with non-alcoholic spirits like Martini’s Floreale and Vibrante. I also love Bark & Bitter, Roots Divino, and Lucano Amaro Zero for this.”
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Use non-alcoholic sparkling wine for texture and taste
“Leitz Einz-Zwei Zero is a dry-style Riesling with bubbles—very close to prosecco. French Bloom is also wonderfully structured with chardonnay-style bubbles. I actually enjoy drinking these solo, but they can also be used to add mouthfeel and flavour to non-alcoholic cocktails. The Einz-Zwei makes a glorious riff on an Aperol Spritz.”
Boost flavour with tea and drinking vinegars
“We use cold brew teas, like genmaicha, yuzu sencha, and oolong, to create all these different flavours. I also use drinking vinegars as a versatile ingredient. I have a Korean white grape vinegar that adds so much dimension. It’s acidic and you’re also getting the fruity roundness of the white grape.”
Don’t skimp on garnishes and glassware
“The biggest disservice we do to non-alcoholic cocktails is treating garnishes and glassware as an afterthought. You want that beautiful Nick & Nora glass or that heavy rocks glass. Adding ice is important. Try expressing citrus oils on your non-alcoholic Negroni. Find the best fresh herbs you can get. Add a little cookie or a snack as a garnish.”
Experiment and get inspired
“When I started bartending, you could only learn from a mentor or scour a few books. Now there’s Instagram and YouTube tutorials showing techniques step-by-step. Take inspiration from cooking and baking, and try applying those techniques to cocktails. Explore what’s on grocery store shelves. That’s where the adventure starts.”
Feature image by Jessica Blaine Smith.
