Non-Alcoholic Beverages in Cayuga County
By: Allyshia Renay
When one thinks of Cayuga County, thoughts of history, relaxing stays and even wine typically comes to mind. After all, within the realm of Cayuga reside the Harriet Tubman home, one of NY’s top ranked hotels, Aurora Inn, and COUNTLESS vineyards such as Quarry Ridge and Knapp Winery. So, when I asked doing a Zero-Proof Mocktail Tour in a place with over 25 wineries, I thought I’d hit the jackpot because as a non-drinker: It was my time to shine! I was finally going to get a glass of something that wasn’t only a 2-ingredient juice and soda mix, lol!
Having already created a wine show highlighting a couple wineries in Cayuga, I was excited to learn that I would get to tour some of the small businesses in the area, which I am a HUGE fan of supporting whenever I travel. As I am writing this, I’m reminiscing about all the delicious mocktails – AND FOOD – that I got to experience so let me go ahead and give you a quick breakdown of the locales that made me such yummy beverages and what food I would pair with each drink.
Now keep in mind, that I am totally aware that mocktails are the counterpoints to the traditional cocktail in that they are generally served BEFORE dinner. But for a non-drinker, ordering a mocktail at dinner would serve as a glass of wine for me. So, let’s get into some of the mocktails I sampled in Cayuga County:
1833 Restaurant and Bar
1833 Kitchen & Bar is a restaurant that part of the beautiful Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa. Here, I tried a simple mocktail called the “PG Hugo.” This beverage contains lime cordial, mint, soda water, and Gifford elderflower. I love the taste of mint in a beverage because of the nice, crisp aftertaste so would pair this particular mocktail with the Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken from the brunch menu OR the Cured Yellowfin Tuna, which is a first-course on the dinner menu.
Mocktail Ingredients: Gifford elderflower, lime cordial, mint, soda
Cellar and Folley
Listen: Cellar and Folley has upped the mocktail game, for sure. I had the most intricate drink called “The Sublime Time,” created by C&F co-owner Collin Chilbert. Are you kidding me: A dessert mocktail?! This drink included ingredients such as key lime juice (of course), zero proof whiskey and graham cracker crumbs around the rim of the glass. Now, I know it may seem a bit much but pair this drink with a nice slice of Key Lime Pie since the beverage is not too sweet.
Mocktail Ingredients: Graham Cracker Simple Syrup, Zero Proof Ritual Whiskey Alternative, Key Lime Juice, Pineapple Juice, Coconut Cream, Graham Cracker Crust Rim
Combgrown Mead
The owner of this charming establishment – Elaine Ferrier – created a non-alcoholic beverage called the “Bee Yard” that consists of many ingredients, including Fee Foam (which she actually learned from the aforementioned Cellar and Folley), rose honey lemon and Zero Proof Ritual Gin Alternative. This beverage has a very light taste and is a great balance to a heavy dinner, lol. I would pair this with a small steak, some roasted fingerling potatoes, and a side of collard greens (I am from the South, after all, lol).
Mocktail Ingredients: Ice, Fee Foam (Vegan Egg White Substitute), Zero Proof Ritual Gin Alternative, Rose-Honey-Lemon Mixture, Simple Syrup, Wedge of Fresh Lemon
Roast and Toast
Located in downtown Auburn, NY, Roast and Toast is a place that has a variety of – you guessed it -TOAST! Whilst there, I tried a mocktail called the “Honalee.” I will say that this was the “prettiest” mocktail I had, and it was sweet as well (which is a plus for someone who LOVES sweets like myself). With ingredients like lemon and raspberry foam, this mocktail would go well with the R&T Smoked Apple Grilled Cheese sandwich on their menu due to the presence of prosciutto. And for extra measure, make sure they “press” the sandwich for the extra crunch!
Mocktail Ingredients: Green Tea, Lemon, Simple Syrup, w/Raspberry Foam
So that’s it (for now). Trust me when I tell you that I was absolutely floored by the creativity of the mocktails I enjoyed on this tour. When you live in NYC, you sometimes think that there’s nothing you can have elsewhere that you cannot have in Manhattan and boy, was I proven wrong. I am telling y’all: This “vi-NO” journey through Cayuga County has really opened my eyes to the world of mocktails, so much so that when I next head out in The City, I’m going to be expecting them to BRING IT!