This red wine mocktail is the perfect companion to a cheese and charcuterie plate, offering a satisfying alternative to a glass of red. Unlike de-alcoholized wine, our House Red captures the essence of red wine’s flavor profile—fruit, herbs, spice, tannin, and acidity—with a harmonious balance. Fans of wine alternatives like Proxies will feel right at home with this drink.
At its heart is a shrub, a tangy syrup made from fruit, vinegar, sugar, and aromatics. We recommend Element Shrub’s Blueberry Rosemary Shrub or Sweet’s Elderberry Shrub, but you can easily create your own (see recipe below). You’ll also need tart cherry juice or another tart red juice, such as pomegranate, unsweetened cranberry, or red verjus (unfermented wine grape juice).
For the tannic structure and dryness found in red wine, strongly brewed black tea is key. Any standard black tea will work, but experimenting with smoky lapsang souchong or earthy pu’er tea can add a unique twist to this mocktail, making it uniquely yours.
Hosting a party? This mocktail recipe can be batched ahead of time for easy serving! Just multiply the recipe by however many drinks you plan to serve.
Brew a strong cup of black tea and let it steep for 10 minutes, then chill. Optionally, add a sprig of rosemary to the tea while it steeps.
Combine chilled tea, juice, shrub, and bitters in a wine glass and stir. (If all ingredients aren't already chilled, stir briefly with ice and strain into a wine glass.)
Recipe Note
Feel free to use either our Aromatic or New Orleans bitters here (or both). They each have flavors that will contribute nicely to the feeling of red wine. Aromatic adds the baking spice qualities that are found in oak barrel aging, while our New Orleans bitters would add more fruity notes from cherry and hibiscus, as well as anise spice.
Verjus is unfermented wine grape juice and is perfect here because it adds tart grape flavor without too much sweetness. Tart cherry juice also works great, as well as pomegranate or tart cranberry. Each one will just have a different flavor profile, but you'll get the same general feeling of the drink.
Place 2 cups of blueberries in a mason jar or glass bowl. Add 1 cup white sugar, 1/2 ounce All The Bitter Aromatic bitters, 10 sprigs of rosemary, 2 tbsp. cracked black peppercorns, and a pinch of salt. Muddle everything together. Add 8 ounces of apple cider vinegar, 2 ounces of balsamic vinegar, mix well, then cover and let sit in the fridge for 24 hours. Strain and bottle. Shrub can last several months refrigerated, and is wonderful simply mixed with sparkling water.
Leave a comment