Bring the Fun Without the Booze

Words and Recipe by Garth Poe

The importance of N/A cocktails is something that didn't dawn on me as a young bartender. I saw them as spruced up lemonades that bogged down the service well and ran through juice quicker. It wasn't until a couple years ago that I really started to look at them as cocktails in their own right. There were certainly multiple factors that led to this realization, but the most influential came from a close friend of mine, who is also a bartender, deciding to give up alcohol. I had gone to visit him and was so nervous about going out that night given my friend's newfound sobriety. Needless to say, this apprehension did not last long. We toured the city, stopping along the way in one amazing cocktail bar after another, sharing and analyzing N/A cocktails like we never missed a beat. It was at this moment that I realized zero proof cocktails represent something so much bigger than a nonalcoholic menu item. They represent warmth and inclusion—they represent hospitality.

I am a big believer in building zero proof cocktails around interesting shrubs. A shrub is a marriage of plant, vinegar, and sugar. They can be made using essentially any fruit or vegetable imaginable with a wide variance of intensity, depending on the vinegar content. This means the flavor spectrum for the cocktail is almost endless—and that's before we even talk about the addition of herbs and spices. A shrub not only provides a palate base, but also adds body to a cocktail in a way that closely mirrors that of a spirit. Achieving this kind body or texture can sometimes be challenging when working with all zero proof ingredients. All this to say, a shrub is an easy way to achieve awesome results in a cocktail regardless of the proof, and it can all be done in the home kitchen.

This recipe is a zero proof cocktail that we ran at Easy Bistro & Bar last fall and winter. We made a shrub to preserve the beautiful summer strawberries we had gotten and to carry some of that magic into the cooler months. We used the Seedlip Aromatic for its fall spice characteristic. This is a great substitute for a whiskey sour as the cold starts to creep and everyone turns their attention toward the holidays.

Risky Business

1.5 oz. Seedlip Aromatic (#94) 

.75 oz. grenadine

.5 oz. Strawberry/Balsamic Shrub

.5 oz. lemon juice

.5 oz. lime juice

3 cardamom pods

Combine all ingredients in shaker tin, mount with ice, and shake. Strain into etched extra-large old-fashioned glasses, mount with ice, lemon flag garnish.

Garth Poe

Garth Poe is the Beverage Director for Easy Bistro & Bar, Main Street Meats, and LIttle Coyote in Chattanooga, TN. Originally from the Gulf Coast of Alabama, Garth began barbacking and bartending in high-volume environments in college, mostly serving cheap beers and kamikazes. After college and a stint in the Navy, Garth moved to Chattanooga, TN in 2015, and soon after began working behind the bar for Chef Erik Niel’s restaurant, Easy Bistro & Bar. For the next four years, Garth trained under mentors – learning everything he could about beverage – before being offered the Bar Manager position at Easy Bistro’s new location in Chattanooga’s West Village neighborhood. In 2022, Garth was also offered the Bar Manager position at Erik & Amanda Niel’s second concept, Main Street Meats, where he had the fun challenge of applying what he had learned at Easy Bistro to a more casual, fast-paced environment. Adding to his expertise, he also became fluent in creating frozen cocktails, a signature part of the drink menu there. In 2023, Garth began concepting cocktails and the spirits list for the Niels’ third concept, Little Coyote, which opened in November 2023. Garth now oversees the bar programs at all three restaurants as Beverage Director.