In recent years, a number of companies have introduced alcohol-free “spirits,” like Seedlip, an English brand of complex botanical and spice concoctions. Some, like the unspiked cosmopolitan that follows, can be made by the pitcher to serve over ice and enhance anyone’s summer picnic, including children’s. The one relatively uncommon item that is worth investing in is verjus, the alcohol-free juice of unripe green grapes, usually made by wineries. In the kitchen, it is a milder stand-in for vinegar (wine vinegars do have a little alcohol). But in a glass topped with soda or good tonic water and a spritz of lime, it becomes an easy party drink.

Source: New York Times June 27, 2020 11:26 UTC