Cocktail & Other Recipes Cocktail Type Nonalcoholic

Vitamin Parade

Natasha David uses carrot, pineapple, and ginger in this non-alcoholic wonder.

By
Audrey Morgan
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Audrey Morgan
Audrey Morgan is the associate editor at Liquor.com, where she writes and edits features, explainers, bottle reviews, bartender profiles, and more.
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Published 01/9/23
Vitamin Parade non alcoholic cocktail

Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

As its name implies, this vibrant non-alcoholic drink from bartending pro Natasha David is chock-full of good-for-you ingredients. In fact, David calls the cinnamon-spiced combination of fresh juices and ginger beer “pure liquid fortification.”

“Combining two of my favorites here, freshly pressed carrot and pineapple juices, with the clean spicy notes of the ginger makes this an ideal companion to raucous conversation or a lively, straight-out-of-bed solo morning,” writes David in her 2022 book Drink Lightly. “Your body should feel good about drinking this, look forward to it, maybe even crave it so much that you make it part of your weekly rotation of self-care rituals.”

An egg white gives this drink its silky texture and frothy head, while a homemade cinnamon syrup adds extra body and flavor. David relies on an immersion circulator (or sous vide machine) for best results when making the cinnamon syrup. “By using a controlled environment, you can create the ideal climate to extract all the raw, bright flavors of your ingredients,” she says. However, if you don’t have an immersion circulator, a simpler version can be made in a saucepan.

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces fresh carrot juice

  • 3/4 ounce fresh pineapple juice

  • 3/4 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed

  • 1/2 ounce Cinnamon Syrup (recipe below, or alternately, cinnamon simple syrup)

  • 1 organic egg white

  • Ginger beer, to top

  • Garnish: pineapple wedge

Steps

  1. Combine the carrot juice, pineapple juice, lemon juice, syrup, and egg white in a shaker.

  2. Dry-shake with no ice for 15–20 seconds until foam forms.

  3. Add ice and shake. Fine-strain into a fizz glass.

  4. Top with ginger beer.

  5. Express a lemon twist over cocktail then discard.

  6. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.

  7. To make sous-vide Cinnamon Syrup: Fill a basin with water and set an immersion circulator to 135 degrees F. As it comes to temperature, combine 500 grams simple syrup and 10 grams Saigon cinnamon bark in a sealable, heatproof silicone bag, making sure to push out all the air. Once the circulator has reached the desired temperature, place the sealed bag in the water bath. Let cook for 2 hours. Once done, transfer the infusion to an ice bath until it reaches room temperature. Strain through a chinois or fine mesh strainer. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

What Tools Do I Need?

The pressed carrot and pineapple juices call for a juicer or extractor. (If you are using store-bought juices, make sure to buy pressed pineapple juice, not canned.) David fine-strains juices before adding them to cocktails; tea strainers work well for this task. She also employs an immersion circulator for the cinnamon syrup. This technique, also called the sous-vide method, calls for filling a basin with hot water, placing a vacuum-sealed bag with your ingredients in the water bath, and cooking the mixture on low heat with the immersion circulator to maintain as much raw flavor as possible. Immersion circulators are an essential tool at many cocktail bars, but home bartenders can also make a simpler version in a saucepan.

Do I Have to Use an Egg White?

An egg white gives this drink its silky texture and frothy top, but a great vegan substitute is aquafaba, or chickpea water. When using aquafaba in drinks, you can simply reserve the water that’s leftover in a can of drained chickpeas, or you can make your own aquafaba by soaking dry chickpeas in water overnight, then cooking them and reserving the water.

What Is a Dry Shake?

Dry-shaking is a technique that involves shaking ingredients such as egg whites and aquafaba without ice. This technique emulsifies the ingredients and results in a silky texture and frothy head. A second wet shake, with ice, chills and dilutes the drink.