Green Tea Yuzu Sour Mocktail
Green Tea Yuzu Sour Mocktail — sweet, tart, with floral and herbal notes. It’s refreshing, delicious and just right when you want an alcohol-free cocktail!
Non-Alcoholic Sour Green Tea Yuzu Drink
I was out in Seattle last summer and enjoyed a Green Tea Sour cocktail at Japonessa, a Japanese-Latin American fusion spot with an awesome sushi happy hour!
When the opportunity arose to create a tea-inspired recipe for the Cozy Mystery Cooking Club (we’re reading Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes from the Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery series) , I immediately went to drinks — versus tea cakes or biscuits — and remembered that cocktail!
My non-alcoholic take has the classic sweet-tartness of a sour with the floral and herbal notes of green tea that you can both smell and taste. Garnish with mint and lemon and the scents will add yet another layer to the experience.
Gather Your Ingredients
- Green tea — freshly brewed. I brewed a pot from loose leaf tea, but if sachet’s are more your speed, go for it. Allow the tea to cool completely.
- Yuzu juice — yuzu is a citrus fruit primarily associated with Japanese and Korean cuisine. It has a tart flavor profile with some lovely floral and herbal notes. You can find it at international markets, Whole Foods and on Amazon.
- Fresh lemon juice —along with the yuzu, it provides that citrus tartness found in sours.
- Ginger beer — provides just a little bite and plays so well with green tea and yuzu.
- Egg white — this is optional, but a classic addition to sours. When shaken with the other ingredients it creates a pretty froth.
- Peychaud’s Bitters — gently seasons the cocktail with notes of fruit and spice.
- Granulated sugar — this is combined with yuzu juice to create a yuzu simple syrup that is divine!0
How To Make a Green Tea Sour Mocktail
First, make the yuzu simple syrup — combine equal parts yuzu juice and sugar in a heat-safe bowl or measuring cup. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Microwave again in 15 second increments as needed until the sugar has dissolved. Let it cool completely before using.
Exact measurements for one cocktail are listed in the recipe card below, but here’s the general idea…
- Fill a rocks glass with ice and add the ginger beer.
- Measure the green tea, yuzu simple syrup, lemon juice, egg white and a dash or two of bitters into a cocktail shaker. Close it tightly and shake for 30 seconds.
- Add a couple ice cubes, then shake again. Strain the mixture into the rocks glass.
- Garnish with a cherry, sliced lemon and fresh mint.
Helpful Recipe Tips
We absolutely played with some options and my favorites were citrus-flavored vodka and of course, bourbon! Simply add 1 to 1-1/2 ounces of your spirit of choice.
If you plan to enjoy this mocktail on the regular, make a batch of yuzu simple syrup and store the extra in an airtight jar or container in the refrigerator. It should keep for 3 to 4 weeks.
You may have noticed that you’re instructed to add the ginger beer to the glass rather than shaking it with the other ingredients. The reason? Carbonation = big mess.
If you’re using fresh, pasteurized eggs from the supermarket, you have little to worry about in terms of food-related illness. If you are concerned at all, simply omit the egg white. If you are using it, I like to whisk it just a bit with fork to loosen it up. It makes it easier to measure out.
When to Make This Green Tea Yuzu Drink
Dry January is the perfect opportunity to introduce this mocktail into your rotation. It’s ideal anytime you want to take a step back from imbibing, and are looking for something more interesting to sip. Given it’s tea roots, I’d say it would also be a fun option to accompany your weekend brunch!
It’s also the perfect accompaniment to spicy dishes, like Spicy White Bean Turkey Pumpkin Chili, Spicy Whiskey Glazed Chicken Wings or anything you serve with My Mom’s Nuoc Mam Recipe!
You Might Like These Drinks, Too!
- Hibiscus Tea Mimosas
- Hard Pineapple Lemonade
- Blueberry Hibiscus Lemonade
- Plum + Lime Whiskey Smash Cocktail
- Frozen Zombie Mocktail
Green Tea Yuzu Sour Mocktail
Equipment
Ingredients
Mocktail
- ice cubes
- ½ ounce ginger beer
- 3 ounce brewed green tea, cooled
- 1 ounce yuzu simple syrup, ingredients below, see notes for instructions
- ½ ounce fresh lemon juice
- ½ ounce egg white*, optional
- Peychaud's Bitters
Optional Garnishes
- cherries
- lemon slices
- mint sprigs
Yuzu Simple Syrup (makes enough for 2+ drinks)
- ¼ cup yuzu juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Fill a rocks glass with ice cubes and add the ginger beer.
- Measure the green tea, yuzu simple syrup, fresh lemon juice, and egg white (if using) into a cocktail shaker. Add 2 to 3 dashes of Peychaud's bitters.
- Tightly close the shaker and shake for 30 seconds. Carefully uncap, add a couple ice cubes and shake again. Strain into the rocks glass.
- Garnish with cherries, lemon and mint.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin for Later! Green Tea Yuzu Sour Mocktail
