Rooibos Orange Old Fashioned mocktail recipe
Rooibos, orange and aromatic bitters in a caffeine-free stirred rocks drink.
Method: Stir · Glass: Double rocks glass · Time: 8 minutes plus chilling · Difficulty: Intermediate
Ingredients
- 3 oz strong chilled rooibos tea
- ½ oz demerara syrup
- 2 dashes alcohol-free aromatic bitters
- 1 dash saline solution
- 1 large cube clear ice
How to make it
- Brew rooibos stronger than a normal cup and chill it completely.
- Add rooibos, demerara syrup, bitters and saline to a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir until the mixing glass is very cold, then strain over one large cube in a double rocks glass.
- Express the orange peel over the surface, rub it around the rim and serve.
Garnish
One wide expressed orange peel
Why this balance works
Rooibos has a naturally round, honeyed quality, so it can take a small amount of dark syrup without becoming heavy. The saline is only there to make the orange and spice read more clearly. If the tea tastes weak before mixing, steep a new, stronger batch rather than adding extra bitters.
Technique to keep
A stirred zero-proof drink still needs deliberate dilution. Chill the tea first, then stir it over ice before it reaches the large serving cube. That keeps the finished drink concentrated at the first sip and gives the orange oil space to do its work.
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