Mocktail Monday #2: The Dew Drop

Ah, what a lovely non-alcoholic lemon drop martini.  How did I get it such a vibrant color?

Mountain Dew.  Yup, that’s the twist this week.

Trying to find something that would play well with but not overshadow the intense citrus flavors of the fluorescent soda, I decided to take inspiration from an even more polarizing drink: gin! 

In my preliminary research into normal, not-fucked-up mocktails, I found one that featured a rosemary and juniper berry simple syrup, which caught my attention as juniper berry is what gives gin that love-it-or-hate-it piney taste.  It seemed only natural that only a truly mold-breaking mocktail would dare fly this close to the sun in terms of making you think “Hey, remember alcohol? This is almost that.”  And again, this is a Mountain Dew mocktail.  I’m flying right at the sun, babey. 

And in case you thought my hubris had really gotten the best of me, no, this isn’t just “add syrup to Mountain Dew to make even more concentrated sugar water.” A hefty portion of fresh lemon juice brightens it up (both flavorwise and in mouthfeel- I did taste it without the lemon and it was extremely viscous).  The end result was surprisingly complex, starting off with that classic Dew taste but with those gin botanicals creeping up on you, finishing with the citrus again. 

[In other, Mountain Dew-tangential news, Taco Bell’s Taco Lover’s Pass (that I originally talked about when it was being tested back in September) is now available nationwide.  Go nuts, yall.]

The Recipe

4 oz Mountain Dew

1 oz Rosemary juniper syrup* 

1 oz lemon juice

*Boil 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, 3 sprigs of rosemary, and 1 Tbs of juniper berries (crushed, if you want the juniper to be extra strong) until reduced to a syrupy consistency.  Let steep for at least 20 minutes, strain.

Combine all ingredients in a glass, stir to combine.  Garnish with lemon peel twist, rosemary sprig, and obnoxious large round ice cube. 

Tune in next week to see if I make another fucking yellow drink