Non-alcoholic spirits: Strykk Not G*n review

Sunny days are invariably linked in my mind with cocktails - probably as they remind me of beach holidays from two decades ago when my main requirement for a holiday was sun, a hotel pool and a drink with a little umbrella!

Back then, the cocktails were usually strong - in Greece I remember them being heavy on the spirit, light on the mixer - and I would usually go for something like sex on the beach or pina colada.

I still prefer my cocktails sweet over sour but these days as I’m either more discerning or just can’t cope with hangovers any more - I’d rather have one or two expertly crafted cocktails served in a martini glass where the spirit stands out and the predominant taste isn’t grenadine.

But as a busy mum and someone who doesn’t get to go out much at all, sometimes I want a delicious drink to enjoy in my garden in the evening that isn’t actually alcohol but still feels like the experience of sipping a cocktail from a martini glass.

I think this desire for a sophisticated cocktail experience at home - but without the alcohol - is what has led to the rise of alcohol free spirits. Seedlip say they created the first range of distilled non-alcoholic spirits, blending a range of botanicals to create three flavours - grove, garden and spice. Other companies have followed in their footsteps and I came across Strykk, which makes what it calls 'proper' non-alcoholic alternatives, like Not G*n which is a botanicals and juniper based alternative to gin, Not R*m (rum alternative) and Not V*dka - a vodka alternative which has recently been followed by a vanilla vodka alternative which I really rate.

We had a party for a family birthday recently and as there were almost entirely non-drinkers (either because they don't drink anyway or they were driving) I made a big pitcher of punch - a mixture of cloudy apple juice, elderflower cordial and sparkling water (you can also use soda water). It's nice with a few sprigs of mint added too. It tasted even better with a little Not G*n added!

Another drink I had considered making but didn't in the end was a rhubarb sour with Not G*n, rhubarb syrup and lemon juice, topped up with soda water.

I feel like there are so many new possibilities open with a grown up non-alcoholic alternative to spirits and I have already bought the vanilla vodka alternative to add to my gin - or not gin rather. Have you tried any non-alcoholic spirits and which ones do you recommend?

Cheers!

Gammon Steaks with Sloe Gin Sauce

I'm not a big gin drinker but have occasionally enjoyed a gin and tonic if there's a decent twist of lime, but sloe gin is something I don't really drink - though I do have a bottle of homemade sloe gin in the cupboard that my friend Jane gave me, and it's almost empty, so it obviously got drunk at some point!

The theme for this month's Baking with Spirit is gin, and I knew I'd eaten a few restaurant meals that used sloe gin in a savoury sauce, and decided I wanted to do something similar. My parents were visiting and we'd discussed what they wanted to eat for dinner and settled on gammon steaks, and I decided that a sloe gin sauce would work well with the gammon.

I had a look online for some recipes but ended up not really following one properly and kind of making it up as I went along, though it was pretty simple. Here's what you need to do:
1. Get your mum to cook the gammon steaks and make some mashed potato while you're on your way home from work (!)
2. Pour about 100ml of sloe gin into a pan and add half a beef stock cube and about 100ml of water
3. Bring to the boil and allow to bubble
4. Add about 50 ml double cream
5. Turn down the heat and cook until thickened
6. Serve over gammon, though this would also go well with other meats.

I also got the chance to use a really nifty little gadget my boyfriend bought me for my birthday (or was it last Christmas?). It's an auto-stirrer, so you stand it in a pan of sauce, switch it on and you can go off and do other things without needing to stand over the pan and constantly stir.

It's a great little gadget - it needs four AA batteries and is quite small so will fit even in the smallest pan. It stands upright and has four silicon feet at the bottom so it won't scratch your pan. You switch it on and it rotates and moves around in the pan, to stop your sauce sticking. It's absolutely perfect for anyone who is as impatient as me - I can never be bothered to stand over a pan and stir so often come back to find my sauce has started to stick!

Adding the cream to the sauce

Back in with the auto-stirrer

And here's the sauce poured over the gammon. It was really nice, if you've not had sloe gin before I would liken this more to a red wine sauce than normal gin, and it was nice and creamy and just the right consistency.

I'm sending this to Baking with Spirit, hosted by Janine at Cake of the Week, as the theme this month is gin. Shame I didn't get a chance to make a cake this month - I've made gin and tonic cupcakes before, which had tonic water in the cake and gin in the icing, which were really nice!