Verjuice Sage Spritz Mocktail Recipe
Unripe grape juice with sage and soda — the sourness wine has before it becomes wine.
- Category: Mocktail
- Glass: Wine glass
- ABV: 0%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
- Alcohol-free: ✓
Ingredients
- Verjuice45 ml (1.5 oz)
- Simple syrup20 ml (0.7 oz)
- Sage leaves4 piece
- Sparkling water120 ml (4.1 oz)
How to Make It
- Slap the sage leaves and shake them with the verjuice, syrup and ice.
- Double-strain into a wine glass over fresh ice.
- Top with sparkling water.
- Garnish with a sage leaf and a few green grapes.
Garnish
Sage leaf and green grapes
What it tastes like
The citrus acidity leads, it has a green, botanical backdrop, it is carbonated and it is layered, giving you something different each sip.
The technique
Shaking. Anything with juice, syrup, egg white or cream gets shaken: the shaker chills the drink and adds roughly 20% water, and that water is what takes the edge off. Twelve to fifteen seconds, until the tin frosts over. Under-shaking leaves the drink harsh because it never got enough dilution.
Glass and ice
A stemmed wine glass. The big bowl leaves room for ice and fruit, and gives the aroma somewhere to gather.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Simple syrup
- One part sugar to one part water, stirred until it dissolves — no need to boil it. Keeps a month in the fridge. No syrup? Use the same amount of honey, loosened with a little water.
- Sparkling water
- Mineral water or plain soda both work; the minerals in mineral water leave a faint salty depth. The fizz lasts longest in a small, unopened bottle.
The Story
Verjuice was the everyday acid of medieval kitchens across the Mediterranean, displaced by lemons and now back precisely because it is not citrus.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Verjuice Sage Spritz mixed?
- It is shaken and served in a wine glass.
- Does a Verjuice Sage Spritz contain alcohol?
- No. It is safe to serve to children, to anyone pregnant, and to whoever is driving.
- Is a Verjuice Sage Spritz hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.