Alcohol-free Drinks for Late Summer, Early Autumn
2021-09-21
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1Some people do not want to drink alcohol but still want to enjoy a special drink at a celebration, party, or a night out with friends.
2In the recent past in the United States, those people had limited choices.
3They could celebrate with overly-sweet, non-alcoholic wine or watery non-alcoholic beer.
4Well, not anymore.
5As more people decide to cut out alcohol, there are more choices of non-alcoholic drinks.
6Drink makers are creating beverages that are tastier, more interesting, and even healthy.
7Interest in not drinking alcohol has been growing for years.
8Now there are more choices at restaurants and drinking place called bars.
9Some bars now even specialize in alcohol-free drinks.
10The pandemic led some people to examine alcohol.
11For health or weight loss reasons, many people cut down or just stopped altogether.
12In the U.S, brothers Massimo and Louis Borrelli noted a growing interest for non-alcoholic drinks during the pandemic.
13Europe, and Britain in particular, have been leaders of the high quality, non-alcoholic drinks market.
14Borrelli said that three years ago, there were only about 15 to 20 good non-alcoholic products available.
15Now, he says, there are over 200 with more coming.
16So, back in October 2020, they created an online marketplace for non-alcoholic beverages.
17They called it No & Low.
18Louis Borelli says there are three main kinds of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol products for sale at No & Low.
19First, are products that re-create individual alcohols like rum and gin, but without the alcohol content.
20Second, he said, are mocktails, mixed drinks that do not contain alcohol.
21Many mocktails include some of the flavors found in alcoholic drinks.
22And third, Borrelli said, are drinks that are "all their own thing."
23They do not try to copy alcoholic drinks but instead offer a different drinking experience.
24He added that many of these products are often good for you.
25On the website TheKitchn, food and drink writer Kelli Foster offers some tips, or advice, on how to make your own mocktails.
26She suggests using fresh, seasonal items available in your area.
27With cooler autumn temperatures, use flavors like pear, apple, sage, and rosemary.
28In summery, warm temperatures, try peach, watermelon, mango, mint, and basil.
29She says balancing flavors is critical to making a good drink.
30Some non-alcoholic drinks can be too sweet.
31So, she suggests adding sour and bitter flavors to balance out the sweet.
32For sour flavors she says to use fruits like citrus, cranberries, and tamarind.
33Different vinegars can also add sour flavor.
34And do not forget spices that add heat.
35Cinnamon, star anise, and ginger can spice up your drink.
36You can even use peppercorns for extra heat and flavor.
37These warmer spices are especially nice for cooler summer or autumn nights.
38Make the drinks look as pretty as alcoholic cocktails. Use a pretty glass.
39And add a garnish.
40This could be a flower, a piece of fruit, or an herb that rests on the glass.
41A good garnish not only makes the drink prettier, but sometimes they tell you about the drink.
42A drink garnished with lemon or mint probably contains those flavors.
43I'm Anna Matteo.
1Some people do not want to drink alcohol but still want to enjoy a special drink at a celebration, party, or a night out with friends. 2In the recent past in the United States, those people had limited choices. They could celebrate with overly-sweet, non-alcoholic wine or watery non-alcoholic beer. 3Well, not anymore. 4As more people decide to cut out alcohol, there are more choices of non-alcoholic drinks. Drink makers are creating beverages that are tastier, more interesting, and even healthy. 5Interest in not drinking alcohol has been growing for years. Now there are more choices at restaurants and drinking place called bars. Some bars now even specialize in alcohol-free drinks. 6The pandemic led some people to examine alcohol. For health or weight loss reasons, many people cut down or just stopped altogether. In the U.S, brothers Massimo and Louis Borrelli noted a growing interest for non-alcoholic drinks during the pandemic. 7Europe, and Britain in particular, have been leaders of the high quality, non-alcoholic drinks market. Borrelli said that three years ago, there were only about 15 to 20 good non-alcoholic products available. Now, he says, there are over 200 with more coming. 8So, back in October 2020, they created an online marketplace for non-alcoholic beverages. They called it No & Low. 9Louis Borelli says there are three main kinds of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol products for sale at No & Low. 10First, are products that re-create individual alcohols like rum and gin, but without the alcohol content. 11Second, he said, are mocktails, mixed drinks that do not contain alcohol. Many mocktails include some of the flavors found in alcoholic drinks. 12And third, Borrelli said, are drinks that are "all their own thing." They do not try to copy alcoholic drinks but instead offer a different drinking experience. He added that many of these products are often good for you. 13Tips from an expert 14On the website TheKitchn, food and drink writer Kelli Foster offers some tips, or advice, on how to make your own mocktails. 15She suggests using fresh, seasonal items available in your area. With cooler autumn temperatures, use flavors like pear, apple, sage, and rosemary. In summery, warm temperatures, try peach, watermelon, mango, mint, and basil. 16She says balancing flavors is critical to making a good drink. Some non-alcoholic drinks can be too sweet. So, she suggests adding sour and bitter flavors to balance out the sweet. For sour flavors she says to use fruits like citrus, cranberries, and tamarind. Different vinegars can also add sour flavor. 17And do not forget spices that add heat. Cinnamon, star anise, and ginger can spice up your drink. You can even use peppercorns for extra heat and flavor. These warmer spices are especially nice for cooler summer or autumn nights. 18Make the drinks look as pretty as alcoholic cocktails. Use a pretty glass. And add a garnish. This could be a flower, a piece of fruit, or an herb that rests on the glass. 19A good garnish not only makes the drink prettier, but sometimes they tell you about the drink. A drink garnished with lemon or mint probably contains those flavors. 20I'm Anna Matteo. 21Do you have a favorite non-alcoholic drink for a celebration? Share it in the Comments Section. 22Katie Workman reported this story for The Associated Press. Kelli Foster shared her tips on the website TheKitchn. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. 23_________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25beverage - n. a drinkable liquid 26mocktail - n. a nonalcoholic cocktail : a "fake" cocktail : a usually iced drink made with any of various ingredients (such as juice, herbs, and soda water) but without alcohol a usually iced drink of wine or distilled liquor mixed with flavoring ingredients mock + cocktail = mocktail 27tip - n. a piece of useful or secret information 28flavor - n. a particular type of taste 29sour - adj. having an acid taste that is like the taste of a lemon 30bitter - adj. having a strong and sometimes unpleasant flavor that is the opposite of sweet 31spice - n. a substance (such as pepper or nutmeg) that is used in cooking to add flavor to food and that comes from a dried plant and is usually a powder or seed 32garnish - n. something (such as small pieces of fruit, chopped herbs, etc.) that is put on food as a decoration