Virgin Passion

Fans of our blog already know I never really do dry months like Tournée Minérale. But nevertheless I can share a very nice, easy-to-mix and tasty mocktail recipe. 

What I often miss in mocktails is a solid base. That’s exactly what a spirit provides in a normal cocktail and you often seem to miss that base in a mocktail. Nona June is a pretty good NA replacement for gin and is one of the only products of that kind that provides a good base. I don’t really need juniper for this recipe, but the strong passion fruit flavours will cover that. And what’s more… the passion fruit flavours also make this a great mocktail for Valentine’s Day.

The P***star Martini is a popular classic cocktail with strong flavours of passion fruit and vanilla. That combination shouldn’t be that hard to replicate for this mocktail. You can use fresh passion fruit, passion fruit puree or a good quality passion fruit juice. I’m using Caraïbos Maracujà juice, which is a pretty nice and economic option. Be aware that passion fruit puree only lasts for a month. Also be careful when buying juice, most supermarkets sell passion fruit juice which is actually 70-80% other fruits. We don’t want that. We really need the taste of passion fruit. The Maracujà is a variety of Brazilian passion fruit. It has a thick yellow skin, juicy and almost jelly like inside. A strong and fantastic aroma and lots of small brown soft seeds.

Virgin Passion

Ingredients
40 ml Nona June
40 ml Caraïbos Maracujà
20 ml Fresh lime juice
15-20 ml Vanilla syrup
Optional: ½ egg white if you want a silky foam layer 

Method
Add everything to a shaker with lots of ice. Give it a good shake for 12 seconds and strain in a chilled Martini glass or your favourite alternative. The preferred garnish is a half passion fruit, but you can also pair this drink with some dark chocolate. 

Important
If you want the egg white foam layer, first dry-shake for 10 seconds, then add the ice and shake again.

P.S. This month, this mocktail will also be available at Paal 26 Grand Café. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.