For this winter season, The Goldener Hirsch Inn, Auberge Resorts Collection, is releasing their first three non-alcoholic cocktails.These drinks are a result of the inn’s move away from the idea of “mocktails,” Executive Chef Senthil Krishnamurthy said while at their Austrian-inspired bar. These drinks are far from an attempted imitation, the juice that passes for a cocktail substitute these days or just simply removing the alcoholic ingredient — they’re complex, scientific re-creations of the same classics. “They actually take the base flavors of each alcohol. For example, a gin has juniper, so they actually use the same base flavor to create a base, just without the alcohol,” Krishnamurthy said. “Believe it or not, when you taste it, you will not know the difference.”Lead Bartender Facundo Acosta initiated the project, inspired by The Aviary bar in Chicago, known for its molecular gastronomy cocktails, as well as a conversation with a guest.“A guest, she was trying to avoid alcohol because she has an alcoholic problem and she loves margaritas. So I told her, ‘I’m going to start working on non-alcoholic cocktails.’ And she pushed me to do it,” Acosta said. So the margarita was the first non-alcoholic cocktail Acosta attempted, researching how to make a spirit substitute for the popular tequila or mezcal-based cocktail, which is where molecular gastronomy came in.“They all went mad scientist,” Krishnamurthy said with a laugh.Acosta and his team began spending more time in the kitchen, experimenting with spices to recreate different spirits. Spices and a sous vie, the process of vacuum-sealing and cooking something in a temperature controlled water bath, were the two key elements to creating their own line up of non-alcoholic spirits, Acosta said. Then it was trial and error until they got it right.Lead Bartender Facundo Acosta slices a jalapeño for the non-alcoholic margarita. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record“I’m a Virgo, so everything I do, it has to be perfect,” he said. “Trying, trying, trying, trying, trying, creating, listen to people, what they like, what they don’t (like).”For the mezcal, the key was to capture its smoky flavor, so they used a smoky Chinese tea called lapsang souchong, liquid smoke and charred pineapple skins. The gin, of course, had juniper. But they also made it more herbal and thicker by using vegetable glycerin, an herbal-flavored molasses-like ingredient. The Amaro they found was best cooked in a saucepan, and they could make different options, some more sweet and others more savoury. The non-alcoholic Chartreuse herbal liqueur uses cardamom pods, cardamom seeds, fenugreek, lemon and orange peel for acidity, and the non-alcoholic bitters has anise, cinnamon and lots of clove, Acosta said. “When you taste the spirit, the booze, it’s not always going to be the same flavor as the alcohol one. For example, the mezcal, you’re going to get the smoky flavor, you’re going to get the kind of spicy hint flavor, but it’s never going to be the same,” Acosta admits. “But when you mix it with lime juice with some Serrano pepper, with a little bit of agave, you’re going to taste (it).” When the non-alcoholic margarita was finished — using non-alcoholic mezcal, non-alcoholic orange liqueur and a non-alcoholic herbal liqueur — Acosta had their guest try the drink first.Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordCredit: Clayton Steward/Park Record“She was like, ‘Facundo, this is amazing, what did you do? I want to come here every day to drink this,’” he remembered.From there, Acosta’s goal has been to make a non-alcoholic version of all the most popular drinks, giving guests the option to enjoy their favorite cocktails without drinking alcohol. It’s a way to maintain the American culture of going out for a drink while allowing individuals to maintain personal goals.“People use the bar or cocktails or drinks to make social relationships and business,” Acosta said. “Here, specifically in Utah, there’s a lot of people who don’t drink alcohol, so give them that option to drink an actual cocktail.”The project has also been spurred on by the hotel food and beverage department’s vision: for a guest to engage with a drink through all five senses. Aside from the obvious emphasis on taste, Acosta’s team builds a cocktail with a specific smell and visual components, too.Playing with fire is one way they enhance the aroma of each drink. A charred cinnamon stick, dried mango slice or thyme sprig releases uniquely scented smoke that enhances the flavors of the cocktail, and lingers on the nose during each sip.Other strongly-scented garnish has a similar effect, like a large mint sprout or tajin salted rim, which incorporates an added layer to the sensual experience.Visually, Acosta’s cocktails are often very colorful, oranges and greens and pinks woven through each drink with the use of juices or syrups or garnishes, too.This season’s non-alcoholic spritz, “Still Standing,” made with their house-made zero proof Amaro and a cucumber-mint cordial, is garnished with a long slice of cucumber tucked vertically along the inside edge of the wine glass. The resulting look is almost like a painting, the strip of cucumber like polka-dotted stripes as its seeds blur with the brown-green liquid. “Still Standing” N/A spritz Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record“Still Standing” N/A spritz Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record“Still Standing” N/A spritz Credit: Clayton Steward/Park Record“Still Standing” N/A spritz Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordThe margarita, named “Na Na Na” after the three non-alcoholic spirits in the drink, is a blend of orange colors. Made with all zero proof spirits, the drink also uses pineapple juice, which makes the drink a pale orange, complemented by an orangey-red tajin rim and a dried mango, blackened on the tip for a stark contrast.Also released for this season is a non-alcoholic gin cocktail called “Gin-Till Thyme.” This pink drink is slightly sweeter, a sipping-style drink served in a whiskey glass with a large cube of ice. A blend of a house-made strawberry juice, salt solution, thyme syrup and Verjus Rouge, which is like a non-alcoholic red wine, the drink is another complex alternative for those wanting the experience of a cocktail without the alcohol.Acosta said the team is just getting started on this project, and he’s coming up with ideas on how to make other popular drinks like an old fashioned or an espresso martini, two of the hotel’s most-ordered cocktails. “Right now we have this Amaro, gin and mezcal. We have (also made) whiskey, we have rum, we have tequila, so I’m going to work on those three to make about three more non-alcoholic cocktails,” he said.The Goldener Hirsch Restaurant is open for the season, with Acosta’s new non-alcoholic cocktails on the menu. The bar in the restaurant is also open from 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. on Monday-Friday, or 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. They also have three mocktails on the menu more geared for kids, Acosta said. For more information on the restaurant: aubergeresorts.com/goldenerhirsch/dine/goldener-hirsch-restaurant. The post Non-alcoholic cocktails at Goldener Hirsch capture classic recipes through molecular gastronomy appeared first on Park Record.