Make this nonalcoholic version of sangria with the recipe below.
Recipes and styling: Nate Evans
Photography: Duane Tinkey
To absolutely nobody’s surprise, Gen Z is shaking things up again — just not their martinis. Alcohol is out among the newest generation on the grown-up block.
A Gallup poll from 2023 reports about 62% of adults under 35 say they drink alcohol, down from 72% two decades ago. “Sobercurious” and “Alcoholfree” are popular tags on TikTok, where users hype up no hangovers and trade ideas for booze-free hangouts.
Nate Evans, a bartender at Django, takes the art of NA cocktails seriously. “I want to put the same effort and creativity into nonalcoholic cocktails as when I’m creating feature drinks for a menu,” he said. “They can be more than just juice and club soda.”
This past summer, in collaboration with Ben Bourland of Harbinger, Evans organized a pop-up tiki cocktail party on the Django patio dedicated entirely to nonalcoholic drinks. Evans also created three craft mocktails for the Des Moines Arts Festival’s first Liquid Art Bar.
So if you’re jumping on the low- or no-spirit train for the holidays, Dry January or ever after, check out two of Evans’ recipes. You can order them at Django or mix them up at home without touching your bar cart.
“I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sangria”
Makes one serving
1.5 ounces Verjus Blanc
1.5 ounces Verjus Rouge
1 ounce ginger beer
.5 ounce lemon juice
.5 ounce honey syrup
Orange slice for garnish
1. Build the drink. In a regular wine glass, add Verjus, ginger beer, lemon juice and honey syrup. (Find simple syrup recipes below.)
2. Add ice. Fill the glass to the top with ice.
3. Top it with soda and add orange slice garnish.
“C’old Fashioned”
Makes one serving
1.5 ounces cold brew coffee concentrate
.5 ounce mulled syrup
Orange swath or cherry for garnish
1. Build the drink. In a rocks glass, mix cold brew concentrate and mulled syrup. (Find simple syrup recipes on page 78.)
2. Add ice. One large square cube is classic in an old fashioned, but a few regular cubes work just fine, too.
3. Top it with a garnish of orange swath or cherry, or both.
Party Time
For large batches to serve a crowd, multiply the recipe ratios by the number of servings you plan to make. Build the drink without ice in a large container. When ready to serve, pour 5 ounces over ice in each glass and top with any soda water or garnishes listed.
Simple Syrups Made Simple
Stir the ingredients together in a pot and bring to a boil. Immediately turn off the heat and let the mixture cool, covered, for 15 minutes. Strain out any solids. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month. You can use the syrups in cocktails, mocktails, coffee and tea.
Honey Syrup
Makes 1 quart
16 ounces honey
16 ounces water
Mulled Syrup
Makes 1 quart
2 cups sugar
16 ounces water
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
3 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
6 whole anise stars
1 handful of raisins
Pro tip: Adjust the mulling spices to your own taste by adding more or less of each spice. Or use a premade mulling spice mix to save time. You can find mixes at AllSpice, Fareway, Target and Whole Foods.
