Girl & Tonic - casual cocktails

Blackberry Rose Mule | The Ultimate Springtime Cocktail and Mocktail Recipe

by corrie.pennington / March 22, 2021

Say hello to spring with this Blackberry Rose Mule. This drink recipe is the perfect blend of fruity, floral, and spicy. Enjoy it without vodka for a delicious & flavorful mocktail.

Say hello to spring with this Blackberry Rose Mule. This drink is the perfect blend of fruity, floral, and spicy. I actually enjoyed this as a mocktail (still pregnant) but it would be great with vodka, too. You could also add any other berries you have on hand, too.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like!

As you may or may not know, I’m expecting baby #2. Several weeks back, I reached out to a fellow cocktail lover (@da_gin_joint) on Instagram whose wife had just had a baby. I knew Eric must’ve been making mocktails for her throughout her pregnancy so I asked him for some mocktail recipes. Sure enough, he’d had a whole Mocktail Monday series going on that I totally missed. (Thanks, Instagram algorithms.)

He sent me a few different recipes but his Cool as a Mule really caught my eye. It’s a Blackberry Mule! I love mules of all kinds but had never had one with blackberry.

I’d also recently got some rose simple syrup in the mail and figured I’d try combining them. I wasn’t sure if the blackberry, rose, lime, mint, and ginger flavors would play nicely together or not but figured it was worth a try. And it worked! Honestly next time, I’d probably add a drop or two of rosewater for extra rose notes but it’s def good without.

If you’re a fan of ginger beer, I suggest you try this Blackberry Rose Mule. I enjoyed it without vodka but go ahead and add some to make it a true mule.

Interested in other mule recipes? Check out my Green Tea Moscow Mule, Mother Mule (using a ginger honey shrub!), Orange Cassidy (a citrus & sage mule), and the classic Irish Mule. And if you haven’t had the OG, you’ve gotta try your hand at making a Moscow Mule at some point. It’s one of the easiest cocktails to make at home and you prob always have the ingredients on hand. Well, if you keep ginger beer on hand, which is an essential item around here.

If you make this Blackberry Rose Mule, be sure to tag me on Instagram and leave a comment below. Seeing your re-shakes of my recipes always makes my day!

Ingredients for a Blackberry Rose Mule

1 1/2 oz vodka (omit for a truly delish mocktail)
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz rose simple syrup (buy it or make your own)
5 blackberries
5-7 mint leaves
3+ oz ginger beer

How to Make a Blackberry Rose Mule

Add the vodka, lime juice, rose simple syrup, mint leaves, and blackberries to a cocktail shaker. Muddle gently but muddle well. Add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain into a copper mug or glass that’s filled with crushed ice. Top off the rest of the glass with ginger beer. Stir to incorporate. Garnish with additional blackberries and mint.

Blackberry Rose Mule

Say hello to spring with this Blackberry Rose Mule. This drink recipe is the perfect blend of fruity, floral, and spicy. Enjoy it without vodka for a delicious & flavorful mocktail.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 3 mins

Course Drinks

Servings 1

Equipment

cocktail shaker
muddler

Ingredients

1½ oz vodka (omit for a truly delish mocktail)
½ oz lime juice, freshly squeezed
½ oz rose simple syrup*
5 blackberries
5-7 mint leaves
3+ oz ginger beer

Instructions

Add the vodka, lime juice, rose simple syrup, mint leaves, and blackberries to a cocktail shaker.
Muddle gently but muddle well.
Add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake well.
Strain into a copper mug or glass that's filled with crushed ice.
Top off the rest of the glass with ginger beer. Stir to incorporate.
Garnish with additional blackberries and mint.

Notes

You can buy some rose simple syrup on Amazon or you can learn how to make your own.

Keyword blackberries, cherry limeade, ginger beer, lime juice, mint, mocktail, moscow mule, rose, rose simple syrup

mocktail

Tonic Rickey | An Effortless Alcohol-Free Cocktail Option You Can Make in 2 Minutes

by corrie.pennington / March 2, 2021

This Tonic Rickey mocktail is the perfect drink to make when you don’t feel like imbibing but still want to sip on something special. It requires minimal effort, won’t leave you hungover tomorrow, and you probably already have the ingredients at home. That’s a win-win-win.

I originally saw this Tonic Rickey mocktail recipe on my friend Camille’s Instagram. I’ve followed Camille long enough to know that anything she posts is gonna be good. You can find her original blog post here.

The Tonic Rickey is Camille’s version of a booze-less Gin Rickey, a classic cocktail made using gin, lime, and club soda or seltzer. It’s very similar to a classic Gin & Tonic so if you’re a fan of one, you’ll probably like the other, too.

A quick FYI in case you’re unaware (as I was at one point in life): tonic water and club soda are not the same. And while you can sometimes get away with using one in place of the other, there is a major taste difference between the two. I broke down the differences between all the clear sparkling liquids out there in my Americano cocktail post, but here’s a brief overview:

Club soda = water infused with carbon dioxide and minerals like salt
Tonic water = carbonated water with minerals and also quinine, a bitter essence derived from the cinchona tree; it’s got a distinct taste
Seltzer = carbonated water that usually does not contain any minerals
Sparkling mineral water = typically naturally carbonated and has naturally-present minerals
Sparkling water = carbonated water that can be flavored and sometimes sweetened

In my opinion, club soda, seltzer, mineral water, and sparkling water can all be used interchangeably. Tonic stands apart from them.

I really like Camille’s use of both club soda and tonic water. The reason being is that after the countless Gin & Tonic’s I’ve consumed over the years, my tastebuds now equate the taste of tonic with the taste of gin. And since this recipe is alcohol-free, it gives the drink some needed kick and flair.

Perhaps the best thing about this mocktail recipe is that if you typically keep a semi-well-stocked bar, you’ll always have the ingredients on hand. If you’re new to home bartending and what to know that products I recommend keeping on hand at all times, check out my Cocktails 101 article.

Another great thing about this recipe is that you could easily add some extra pizazz to it by adding a flavored simple syrup or a different variety of bitters. I think using lavender simple syrup with cardamom bitters would make for a killer Lavender & Cardamom Tonic Rickey.

If you make this Tonic Rickey mocktail recipe, be sure to tag both me (@girlandtonic_) and Camille (@thecocktailsnob_)!

Ingredients for a Tonic Rickey Mocktail

1/2 oz fresh, fresh, fresh lime juice
1/2 oz simple syrup (click here to learn how to make your own)
1 1/2 oz tonic water
1 1/2 oz seltzer or club soda
3 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters

How to Make a Tonic Rickey Mocktail

Fill a Collins or highball glass allllll the way up with ice. Add the freshly-squeezed lime juice and simple syrup. Stir with a bar spoon. Pour in the tonic water and club soda, stirring gently to combine. Add the bitters to the top of the glass. You can choose to stir them in or let them settle on their own in the drink. Garnish with a lime wheel or fresh herb.

Tonic Rickey Mocktail

This Tonic Rickey mocktail is the perfect drink to make when you don't feel like imbibing but still want to sip on something special. It requires minimal effort, won't leave you hungover tomorrow, and you probably already have the ingredients at home.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 mins

Course Drinks

Servings 1

Ingredients

½ oz freshly-squeezed lime juice
½ oz simple syrup*
1 ½ oz tonic water
1 ½ oz club soda
3 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

Instructions

Fill a Collins or highball glass all the way up with ice.
Add the freshly-squeezed lime juice and simple syrup. Stir with a bar spoon.
Pour in the tonic water and club soda, stirring gently to combine.
Add the bitters to the top of the glass. You can choose to stir them in or let them settle on their own in the drink.
Garnish with a lime wheel or fresh herb.

Notes

*To learn how to make your own simple syrup (it’s SO easy, I promise!), click here.

Keyword angostura bitters, bitters, club soda, lime, lime juice, mocktail, simple syrup, tonic, tonic rickey

mocktail

Limoncello Mocktail | A Delicious & Easy 3-Ingredient Recipe

by corrie.pennington / February 10, 2021

This limoncello mocktail recipe is every lemon lover’s dream. It’s refreshing, tart, fizzy, and ridiculously easy to make. It’s also ridiculously easy to turn into a cocktail by adding alcohol if you fancy something stronger.

If you saw my most recent blog post, you know that I’m currently expecting a baby. Ah… it feels good to not have to come up with yet another reason for posting yet another mocktail recipe.

I actually saw this recipe on my Insta friend @techieblends page. You can find Sundeep’s original post here. The moment I saw it, I knew I had to make it. I love using oleo saccharum in drinks and this looked like a great way to highlight it.

If you’re unsure what oleo saccharum is, it’s essentially a citrus-y sugar syrup that happens when you let citrus peels and sugar hang out for a bit. You can see how I make mine by reading this post. It’s suuuper easy. Promise. If you can make simple syrup, you can make oleo saccharum.

Sundeep called this recipe a Lemon Fizz Mocktail. And while that name is definitely fitting, I started toying around with the idea of calling it a Limoncello Mocktail. You see, the processes of making oleo saccharum and limoncello are actually quite similar. Just… minus the alcohol. And then I went to the grocery store to buy some lemon sparkling water and saw that LaCroix actually makes limoncello-flavored sparkling water. I knew that the Limoncello Mocktail was meant to be.

I thought the LaCroix limoncello sparkling water (not sponsored, btw) would taste similar to their lemon flavor. But it’s actually very different. I was surprised. It definitely has a more… subdued?… flavor. The lemon isn’t in your face and it’s got a slight floral taste to it. I really dig it. It’s pricey on Amazon but if you can find it at your grocery store, I recommend buying it!

If you can’t find limoncello sparkling water, regular lemon sparkling water would definitely work in this Limoncello Mocktail recipe. Sundeep actually used club soda in his original recipe and he said that he’s also tried it with ginger beer with great results. I think a ginger beer version sounds ah-mazing. I’ll be trying that next.

I did promise you guys in my newsletter and on my IG account that I’d always give you guys ideas for how to turn the next few months’ worth of alcohol-free recipes into alcohol-full ones. And today I’m sticking to my word. If you want to turn this mocktail into a cocktail, add 1 1/2 ounces of your favorite vodka.

Once baby #2 gets here, I plan on making my own real limoncello. But until then, this Limoncello Mocktail will definitely hold me over.

Ingredients for a Limoncello Mocktail

1 1/2 oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice (please. fresh. you should have leftover lemons after peeling them for your oleo saccharum anyway.)
1 oz oleo saccharum (click here for an easy recipe)
2+ oz limoncello-flavored or lemon-flavored sparkling water, unsweetended

How to Make a Limoncello Mocktail

Add the fresh lemon juice and oleo saccharum to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well, about 20 seconds. Strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Top off the glass with your sparkling water. Garnish with a fresh or dehydrated lemon wheel.

Limoncello Mocktail

This limoncello mocktail is every lemon lover's dream. It's refreshing, tart, fizzy, and ridiculously easy to make. It's also ridiculously easy to turn into a cocktail by adding alcohol if you fancy something stronger.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 3 mins

Course Drinks

Servings 1

Equipment

cocktail shaker

Ingredients

1½ oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice*
1 oz oleo saccharum**
2+ oz limoncello- or lemon-flavored sparkling water, unsweetened

Instructions

Add the fresh lemon juice and oleo saccharum to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake well, about 20 seconds.
Strain into a lowball glass filled with crushed ice.
Top off the glass with your sparkling water.
Garnish with a fresh or dehydrated lemon wheel.

Notes

*using bottled lemon juice will seriously affect the taste of this drink. For the love of your tastebuds, use fresh juice from a real lemon.

**Learn how to make oleo saccharum here. It’s easy and only takes a little patience. Plus it’s a good use of lemon peels which are typically thrown own.

Keyword grapefruit sparkling water, lemon, lemon juice, limoncello, oleo saccharum

gin

The Stork Club | A Simple 5 Ingredient Prohibition Era Citrus and Gin Cocktail

by corrie.pennington / February 3, 2021

The Stork Club is Prohibition-era classic cocktail made with citrus and gin. It's named after the infamous New York nightclub. I modified a couple of ingredients to make it alcohol-free which I included in the notes.

The Stork Club is a citrus and gin Prohibition-era cocktail named after the infamous New York nightclub. I modified a couple of ingredients to fit my current dietary restrictions but my altered version is still a great tribute to this Prohibition classic.

I’ve been keeping a secret. For over 3 months now. But it’s time to spill the beans. I’m pregnant! My growing collection of mocktail recipes has raised a few eyebrows and now you know why. I think it goes without saying that you can expect a few more months worth of them. But don’t worry, I will always be giving you ideas for how to make my booze-free recipes booze-full. And I’ll also be posting many classic and modern craft cocktails, thanks to the new zero-proof spirit alternatives I’ve added to my bar cart.

Today’s cocktail recipe is The Stork Club. Quite apropos for a pregnancy announcement post, eh? I’ve got to thank my IG friend Risa of @risajamesphotography for the brilliant idea. The Stork Club is both a place and a drink. So we’ll talk about both.

The Stork Club was the epitome of class, fame, and money. It was built by Sherman Billingsley and was open from 1929-1965, with a brief closure and relocation during 1931 after being raided by Prohibition agents. The Stork Club was most known for its many celebrity patrons, such as Ernest Hemingway, Walter Wenchell, the Roosevelt family, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the Kennedy family, Bing Cosby, Judy Garland… I think you get the picture. It was the place to be.

It’s signature drink was probably enjoyed by most of those celebrities. The traditional Stork Club recipe utilized Old Tom Gin, a sweetened gin that’s harder to find these days, and orange juice. Gin was arguably the most popular spirit during the Prohibition era due to the fact that it requires no aging and can be produced rather quickly by bootleggers. However, this fast-tracked spirit, sometimes referred to as bathtub gin, varied widely in quality and taste. Orange juice did a great job of covering these wrongs.

When I was doing some research for this recipe, I was surprised to see that many recipes differed from one another. Some called for more orange juice, some called for less gin. As I mentioned earlier, I used a zero-proof gin alternative for my particular Stork Club recipe and subbed in orange cordial for Cointreau/orange liqueur. You may want to add more orange juice if you prefer sweeter drinks or increase the lime juice if you like a little more tartness.

If you make The Stork Club, be sure to tag me on Instagram and comment below. Seeing your creations always makes my day!

Ingredients for The Stork Club

1 1/2 oz gin*
1/2 oz orange liqueur**
3/4 oz fresh orange juice
1/4 oz lime juice
dash of Angostura bitters

*since I’m preggo, I used a zero-proof gin alternative. There are several out there, but you can check on my Instagram to see which brand I use & love.

**again, pregnancy means I can’t use orange liqueur so I made an orange cordial instead. It makes the drink a tad sweeter than Cointreau or another orange liqueur would so you can use less if you’re going the alcohol-free route with me.

How to Make The Stork Club Cocktail

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an orange twist. Or, you know, a Mardi Gras king cake baby if you’re trying to announce to the internet that you’re pregnant.

The Stork Club

The Stork Club is Prohibition-era classic made with citrus and gin. It's named after the infamous New York nightclub. I modified a couple of ingredients to make it alcohol-free which I included in the notes.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Drinks

Servings 1

Equipment

cocktail shaker

Ingredients

1½ oz gin*
½ oz orange liqueur**
¾ oz freshly-squeezed orange juice
¼ oz fresh lime juice
1 dash Angostura bitters

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake well.
Strain into a coupe glass.
Garnish with an orange twist.

Notes

*Since I’m pregnant, I used a zero-proof gin alternative. There are several out there, but you can check on my Instagram to see which brand I use & love.

**Again, pregnancy means I can’t use orange liqueur so I made an orange cordial instead. It makes the drink a tad sweeter than Cointreau or another orange liqueur would so you can use less if you’re going the alcohol-free route with me.

Keyword angostura bitters, blood orange juice, gin, lime juice, orange liqueur, stork club cocktail

simple syrup

Oleo Saccharum Recipe | An Easy Step-By-Step Guide on How to Make Oleo Saccharum

by corrie.pennington / February 1, 2021

Oleo Saccharum is a sweet citrus syrup that is produced when sugar and citrus peels are allowed to infuse for a short period of time. The sugar pulls the essential oils out of the peel, where all of the rich citrus flavor hides.

The most commonly used oleo saccharum is made using lemon peels, but any citrus can be used. You could even do a mix of lemon, grapefruit, and orange. Oooh. That’s gonna be next on my list.

What do you do with oleo saccharum though? Oleo saccharum can be used in many cocktails and mocktails as both a sweetener and a burst of flavor. You can also use it to amp up homemade lemonade, in hot tea, or to boost the flavor of baked goods like lemon poppy seed muffins or lemon pound cake.

If you’re looking to use it in your mixed drinks, simply use it in place of traditional simple syrup in a cocktail recipe. Orange oleo saccharum is amazing in an Old Fashioned and a French 75 with lemon oleo saccharum gives the classic champagne cocktail and even bigger citrus boost. I’ve yet to try this idea myself, but I’ve heard that lime oleo saccharum is divine in a mojito.

Now that you know what it is and what you use it for, let’s learn how to make oleo saccharum.

Step-By-Step Guide for How to Make Oleo Saccharum

Note: As with all of my simple syrup recipes, I prefer to make smaller batches of oleo saccharum. This recipe will yield about 2-3 ounces, which is great for 3 cocktail recipes. Feel free to double the recipe for a larger batch.

Step One:

Wash 3-4 small lemons, scrubbing lighting. Usually, we don’t wash citrus but since we’re gonna be extracting all the goodness out of the peels, we want to make sure we aren’t extracting any yuckies, too.

Step Two:

Peel the lemons with a vegetable peeler, leaving behind as much of the white pith as possible. Leaving too much pith on the peels will make the oleo saccharum bitter. I used a paring knife to cut off some of the remaining pith on the peels but if your vegetable peeler is real sharp and your lemons are extra firm, you probably won’t need to do this.

Step Three:

Add the peels to a small bowl or mason jar. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of white sugar over the peels and give it a quick stir or shake to coat the peels with the sugar.

Step 4:

Let the peels sit for several hours. After a couple of hours, you’ll notice some oil being drawn out. You can wait anywhere from 3 hours to overnight for this process. The lemon peels were start to look dry and crispy.

For this particular batch, I waited overnight. You can use a muddler or the back of a spoon to really ramp up the oil extraction, too.

Step 5:

At this point, strain the liquid into a lidded container. Don’t toss the peels yet!

Step 6:

Add 1/4 cup of boiling water to the container with the lemon peels. This will pull the remainder of the oils out and dissolve any remaining sugar.

Step 7:

Strain the peels out and discard. Add the hot water to the lidded container that contains the concentrated syrup. Allow it to cool before storing in the fridge.

Oleo saccharum will taste its best within the first week but it will last up to a month in the fridge. Add a splash of vodka to it to extend the shelf life even more.