Welcome to Teetotaler, a new online column geared at showing you the amazing non-alcoholic drink options around the city. You’ve seen our recommendations for where to get the best brews, booze and bubbly around town. Now it’s time to show you that you don’t have to get tipsy to taste the best this city has to offer. Here’s to the teetotalers in all of us. For those who don’t wish to imbibe but long to be part of the social atmosphere that so often revolves around telling the bartender to “give me another,” one overlooked option is the virgin cocktail. While people often neglect these drinks fearing they’ll end up sipping on a Shirley Temple (and that, god forbid, someone will notice), one local bartender is making virgin cocktails anyone would be proud to order.
When I asked Franco bar manager T.J. Vytlacil for some recommendations on a virgin cocktail, I asked for something sweet but not too tart. He threw together some lime juice, simple syrup, a few dashes of bitters (Angostura and Molé), and an ounce of grapefruit. He garnished it with a sage leaf and topped it with just a splash of club soda. While the bitters do contain alcohol, the level is so low it’s nearly undetectable. The lime and grapefruit make for a tart combination, while the sage creates a potency that’s both subtle and unique.
All of our coverage on T.J. Vytlacil
This article appears in Sep 1-30, 2010.