DRINK THINK The Elixir

Alcohol-free by Drink Think

The Elixir

The alchemists' other quest.

They hunted for gold, and they hunted for the elixir of life. This is our room for the second: drinks with all the craft, flavour and theatre, and none of the alcohol. For the sober, the sober-curious, the designated driver and anyone who simply fancies something different tonight.

The alchemy of zero

Take the alcohol out and you lose more than the buzz: you lose body, warmth and dryness. A great zero-proof drink puts each of them back on purpose.

  • BodyHoney, tea tannin, a little fruit purée or a silky egg-free foam to give the drink weight in the mouth.
  • BiteGinger, black pepper or a whisper of chilli to bring back the warmth spirits usually give.
  • BitternessGrapefruit and citrus peel, strong tea, hibiscus or cacao nibs for the grown-up edge.
  • AcidFresh lemon and lime, verjus or shrubs to keep it bright and stop it tasting like squash.
  • AromaHerbs, flowers and a twist of peel over the top: half of flavour is in the nose.

From the lab

Zero-proof serves from the Drink Think drinks lab. Every drink is food for the body; these just take a little more craft.

Our signature

Elixir of Life

Green, bright and gently warming: the one we pour when someone asks for "something special, without".

  • 75ml cold-brewed jasmine green tea
  • 50ml cloudy apple juice
  • 15ml fresh lime juice
  • 10ml ginger syrup
  • A sprig of rosemary

Shake everything except the rosemary hard over ice. Strain into a coupe or over fresh ice. Slap the rosemary between your palms to wake it up and lay it on top.

Watch it change

Quicksilver

Named for mercury, the alchemists' shape-shifting metal. It starts deep blue and turns violet in front of your eyes.

  • 60ml chilled butterfly pea flower tea
  • 10ml honey syrup (2 parts honey, 1 part warm water)
  • 120ml chilled soda water
  • 15ml fresh lemon juice, served on the side

Build the tea and honey syrup over ice in a tall glass and top with soda. Hand over the lemon in a little jug and let your guest pour it in: the acid flips the colour from blue to violet.

From The Rabbit Hole

Gordion Zero

Our alcohol-free nod to King Midas's funeral feast, 2,700 years later. Find the full story at the bottom of the rabbit hole.

  • 75ml white grape juice
  • 20ml honey syrup
  • 15ml fresh lemon juice
  • A few strands of saffron
  • 75ml soda water or 0.0% wheat beer, to top

Stir the grape juice, honey syrup, lemon and saffron over ice in a tumbler. Top with soda or 0.0% wheat beer and finish with a lemon twist.

The everyday elixir

Black Gold Tonic

Coffee and tea are the elixirs most of us drink every day. Treat them with the same care as anything behind the bar.

  • 30ml freshly pulled espresso (or 50ml strong cold brew)
  • 120ml premium tonic water, well chilled
  • A strip of orange peel

Fill a tall glass with ice and pour in the tonic. Float the coffee slowly over the back of a spoon so it sits on top in a dark layer. Twist the orange peel over the glass and drop it in.

Batching for a crowd

Brew teas cold, eight to twelve hours in the fridge, so they stay smooth instead of stewed.

Batch everything except ice and bubbles. Chill the batch hard, then pour over ice and top with the fizz at the moment you serve.

Give your zero-proof menu the same glassware, garnish and care as the cocktails. Nobody should feel they've been handed the children's table.

Alcohol-free time travel

The Time Machine

Type in a year and see what people were sipping. Every stop is alcohol-free.

Or jump to

Destination: ?

Set the dial

Tea, coffee, chocolate, lemonade, milk: pick a year and we'll take you to the nearest cup we know of.

The debate

Is zero-proof the future of the bar, or a fashion that'll pass?

Members are talking it through in the Drink Think VIP Lounge, drinkers and non-drinkers alike.

Join Drink Think VIP.Awaken your inner alchemist.

What we drink, we become. Understanding our relationship with drink is the most important thing of all. Scott Gemmell, founder of Drink Think, on Scotland, drink and health:

Watch Scott's TEDx talk in Stirling →

What we drink, we become.

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