Summer Mocktails: 5 Tips For A Perfect Orange Blossom
Come summer, you would want to indulge in refreshing drinks to beat the rising heat and rejuvenate your spirits that threaten to sweat away amidst the humid, warm climes. Mocktails are thoroughly welcoming concoctions for such times as they act as delicious hydrants dancing on your taste buds. Over time, mixologists have worked hard to craft very interesting mocktails or non-alcoholic drinks whose potent flavours are now sought after by those moving towards more conscious ways of living.
One such refreshing stunner is the orange blossom mocktail made by mixing tangy orange juice with some simple syrup or honey and a dash of orange blossom water. The core ingredient introducing its citrus, floral touch into the mocktail is prepared by distilling fresh orange blossoms, giving the drink its name. This mocktail could well become the highlight of any brunch you host because of its sour and tangy yet slightly sweet taste and its bright orange hue. But getting the orange blossom mocktail right requires just a tad bit of skill.
Read on below to know more about some of the ways in which you can perfect your orange blossom mocktail and make it the showstopper at your next summertime gathering:
Adding Honey
Getting the ingredient ratios right is perhaps the most crucial step towards perfecting your mixology game. The amount of citrus juice added in proportion to the amount of orange blossom water you would add to the mocktail recipe determines how intensely flavoured the drink would be. Simultaneously, adding just the right amount of honey is as important because it introduces sweetness into an otherwise tangy drink. You can do away with sugar and instead pour in a tablespoon of honey to give the drink more complexity and a syrupy texture.
Orange Blossom Water
This mocktail requires you to use orange blossom water whose floral, sweet and citrus notes imbue freshness into the drink so when you prepare a large batch, you would need to add at least three to four tablespoons of this potent liquid. Orange blossom water has a strong flavour so you might want to use it carefully yet generously so the mocktail becomes flavourful and not underwhelming. Paired with orange juice, the floral water will work towards giving the drink a fruity and flowery quality at once, making it the perfect chilled beverage for summer weather.
Add Citrus Bitters
For those moments when you cannot find quality orange blossom water, you can use angostura bitters to add a heightened tartness and acidity to the drink. However, the addition of citrus bitters into a mocktail already containing orange blossom water and orange juice will further enhance the flavours of this simple recipe to make it a very layered drink that packs lots of sweet, tangy, syrupy and bitter flavours. Orange blossom water is a very versatile ingredient so you can pair it with bitters and it will still manage to shine through all the different textural components found in the mocktail.
Flavoured Sparkling Water
Another way to perfect your orange blossom recipe is to use flavoured sparkling water instead of your usual tonic water or club soda. Lemon-lime soda or orange fizz gives the drink a stronger taste that will only be elevated when the mocktail is infused with a sweetener like honey which enhances the flavour notes of all other ingredients in the drink. Such a flavoured mix will also give the mocktail a tasty fizz, celebrating its zesty appeal and freshness particularly during warm weather.
Homemade Orange Juice
One of the best ways to ensure that your drink tastes delicious is to use fresh ingredients. There is no better mixer than homemade freshly squeezed orange juice devoid of added sugars to enhance the flavour profile of your mocktail. The pulpy juice will contain all the sour and sweet taste inherent to the fruit and can infuse a delightfully fresh quality into your mocktail game. You can be generous with the use of this homemade elixir as you need not be wary of making the drink too sweet.
