美国国家公共电台 NPR A Mixologist's Guide To 'No-Proof' Cocktails

 

SUSAN DAVIS, HOST:

This weekend is a drinking weekend for some but not everyone. And if you want a non-alcoholic¹ drink, it's a good time to be alive. The alcohol-free cocktail² is real. It's getting more popular not just among millennials, who are drinking less than their parents, but among people seeking healthier lifestyles - pregnant women and, sometimes, people who just don't feel like it. Derek Brown is finding ways to cater³ to them. He's the president of Drink Company here in Washington and served as the chief spirits advisor⁴ to the National Archives Foundation.

Hi, Derek.

DEREK BROWN: Hey. How are you?

DAVIS: So I made a point not to use the word mocktail because...

BROWN: Thank you (laughter).

DAVIS: I know you have thoughts about this word.

BROWN: That's right. I mean, almost every indication of what the definition for mock is or to mock is negative. So, you know, we've got to find a better word. I don't - I actually don't even know what that word is (laughter).

DAVIS: Well, I was going to ask you, as someone who thinks a lot about this - I mean, I've heard them referred to as alcohol-free cocktails⁵. I've heard zero-proof cocktails.

BROWN: Right.

DAVIS: Do you have a brand? Or how would you sell it in one of your bars?

BROWN: Well, the Columbia Room, which is a bar in Washington, D.C. - what we've done is we've used the label no proof, but we're switching that. And here's what we're doing. Instead of having this as a separate section, we're working it into the drinks menu. And we're just going to find a way to indicate it by a symbol or gradient.

DAVIS: What do you think is driving the trend of people drinking non-alcoholic drinks?

BROWN: I think a couple of things. One - those people have always been there, but they've always kind of been relegated⁶ to the shadows of bars. You know, they're embarrassed to order for whatever reason because it's called a mocktail or because they just don't have it. You know, you've gone into so many bars. And you ask them what non-alcoholic drinks they have, and they go, Coca-Cola. And that's it. Some people, actually, just have a higher concentration of taste receptors on their tongue, so alcohol tastes like burning to them. So they need something different. And so one - they've always been there. Two - I think there are a lot of health issues that are kind of popping up around alcohol and mental health in general. And I think that you can drink and drink non-alcoholic drinks. You don't have to choose.

DAVIS: I mean, to be clear, your business still very much is alcohol-based. Do you...

BROWN: Oh, absolutely.

DAVIS: Does the industry see sort of this rise or people's interest in drinking less as sort of threatening to the bar and restaurant industry?

BROWN: No, I don't think it's threatening at all because what we do is we make delicious drinks. Can we make delicious drinks without alcohol? Yes. And also, there's a whole new wave of ingredients that are distilled⁷ but not alcohol.

DAVIS: OK, so let's get to the fun stuff.

BROWN: Today I'm going to mix something that's based off a actual cocktail called the lion's tail. This one is called the spirit-free lion's tail. And so what we do is we're going to start with Seedlip Spice 94, which is an aromatic⁸ distilled spirit, for lack of a better word, but there's no alcohol in it. Then I'm going to add a little bit of maple⁹ syrup¹⁰ that's been infused with allspice. I'm going to now add a half-ounce of fresh-squeezed lime juice. And then lastly, I'm going to add a quarter-ounce of aquafaba.

DAVIS: What?

BROWN: Aquafaba is a confusing word to most people.

DAVIS: Probably not a kitchen staple¹¹ in most places.

BROWN: No. Well, it might be. It depends if they make hummus or not. This is a chickpea water.

DAVIS: Interesting.

BROWN: And it's actually used instead of egg whites. So...

DAVIS: Give it, like, a texture¹².

BROWN: Exactly. So in this case, this drink is not only alcohol-free. It's also vegan.

DAVIS: It's basically a health food is what you're telling me.

BROWN: Yeah, exactly. Drink a lot of them.

DAVIS: Drink a lot of them.

BROWN: You probably can't even hear this over the microphone. But I'm shaking it without ice first because that helps to give it more volume. So now I'm going to add ice to it. I'm shaking sitting down. This is so weird¹³ for me.

(SOUNDBITE OF ICE CUBES RATTLING)

BROWN: Fellow bartenders are counting how much I'm shaking, so...

DAVIS: How many times should you shake it?

BROWN: Well, you know, about 12 seconds, I guess, is just perfectly¹⁴ fine.

DAVIS: Oh, this - I mean, it looks like your cocktail. You're serving it in what is a very - how would you describe this glass? Is this like...

BROWN: This is...

DAVIS: It's kind of like a coupe but not really.

BROWN: Yeah, like a sour glass.

DAVIS: OK.

BROWN: You know, it's a little bit wider. So now on top, I'm going to put a star anise pod.

DAVIS: I mean, it almost tastes like it could be one of - to me, this could taste like an alcoholic drink that tastes so good, you don't taste the alcohol in it.

BROWN: Exactly.

DAVIS: That's how I would describe it.

(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: It's one of my favorite non-alcoholic drinks.

DAVIS: One thing I didn't think about, too, is you serve these in cocktail glasses, which also lends itself to sort of an equilibrium¹⁵ at the table - right? - among the drinkers and non-drinkers.

BROWN: Exactly. Nobody will know that you're drinking something non-alcoholic.

DAVIS: So many people this weekend are having people over or going over to a party. If you're throwing a party - and I think most Americans are going to have beer and wine at their barbecues. But if you want to offer something beyond just canned soda¹⁶, is there a way that people in their homes can maybe think of offering drinks that are catering¹⁷ to their non-drinking friends?

BROWN: Absolutely. I think one of the keys is to use fresh ingredients. So if you're using a citrus component¹⁸ or lime in this case or lemon, make sure you're using fresh citrus. Squeeze it. Then you can mix sodas¹⁹ as well, which is kind of nice. You can make some kind of - use anything, any fruit. Strawberry's a great example. Add sugar to it. Create a syrup, and then add a soda water to that. There are also different kinds of non-alcoholic ingredients, like the Seedlip, or bitters. Like, Fee Brothers makes a black walnut²⁰ bitter that's a great addition to it that adds a more complex ingredient to it than just sort of lemonade per se. So I think that what you're looking for is the same thing you're looking for with classic cocktails. You're using fresh ingredients. You're basing it off recipes that are out there. You can find so many great recipes on the Internet. And I know that there's more and more books that are coming out that have non-alcoholic drinks.

DAVIS: Derek Brown - he's also got a book - "Spirits, Sugar, Water, Bitters: How Cocktail Conquered The World" (ph).

Thanks, Derek.

BROWN: Thank you.

1 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

2 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

3 cater   

vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务

参考例句：

• I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
• Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。

4 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

5 cocktails   

n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物

参考例句：

• Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。 来自辞典例句
• Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。 来自辞典例句

6 relegated   

v.使降级( relegate的过去式和过去分词 )；使降职；转移；把…归类

参考例句：

• She was then relegated to the role of assistant. 随后她被降级做助手了。
• I think that should be relegated to the garbage can of history. 我认为应该把它扔进历史的垃圾箱。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 distilled   

adj.由蒸馏得来的v.蒸馏( distil的过去式和过去分词 )；从…提取精华

参考例句：

• The televised interview was distilled from 16 hours of film. 那次电视采访是从16个小时的影片中选出的精华。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Gasoline is distilled from crude oil. 汽油是从原油中提炼出来的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 aromatic   

adj.芳香的，有香味的

参考例句：

• It has an agreeable aromatic smell.它有一种好闻的香味。
• It is light,fruity aromatic and a perfect choice for ending a meal.它是口感轻淡，圆润，芳香的，用于结束一顿饭完美的选择。

9 maple   

n.槭树，枫树，槭木

参考例句：

• Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。

10 syrup   

n.糖浆，糖水

参考例句：

• I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
• Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。

11 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

12 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

13 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

14 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

15 equilibrium   

n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静

参考例句：

• Change in the world around us disturbs our inner equilibrium.我们周围世界的变化扰乱了我们内心的平静。
• This is best expressed in the form of an equilibrium constant.这最好用平衡常数的形式来表示。

16 soda   

n.苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
• I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。

17 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

18 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

19 sodas   

n.苏打( soda的名词复数 )；碱；苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• There are plenty of sodas in the refrigerator. 冰箱里有很多碳酸饮料。 来自辞典例句
• Two whisky and sodas, please. 请来两杯威士忌苏打。 来自辞典例句

20 walnut   

n.胡桃，胡桃木，胡桃色，茶色

参考例句：

• Walnut is a local specialty here.核桃是此地的土特产。
• The stool comes in several sizes in walnut or mahogany.凳子有几种尺寸，材质分胡桃木和红木两种。