Zero Proof Cocktails: Press & Awards
“Zero Proof: 90 Non-Alcoholic Recipes For Mindful Drinking”
BY ELva Ramirez
— Press Mentions & awards—
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - BEST BOOKS 2021, LIFESTYLE
Ramirez’s debut lifts the spirits with cocktails that are free of alcohol. While that concept may cause some revelers to pause, the drinks here are nothing to scoff at—exotic ingredients meet boozy flavors to make sobriety a delicious affair.
Ramirez, a former producer and reporter for the Wall Street Journal, offers a (non)spirited case for imbibing without alcohol, with help from some of the world’s best bartenders, in her fantastic debut.
Prefaced with a condensed history of how “colonial Americans wove drinking into the fabric of socializing,” the recipes presented are part of the recent movement to normalize sobriety by applying the same care and craft to nonalcoholic beverages that’s given to boozy cocktails (to start: 86 the term mocktail). While some drinks, such as Ramirez’s GT&C (“gin, tonic, and cordial”), call for Ritual Zero Proof’s alcohol-free gin as a spirit substitute, most recipes—like the cucumber-forward Half Day or Ginger and Mint Swizzle—let the flavors of fresh ingredients do the talking.
The New York Post
Brooklyn journalist Elva Ramirez, author of the new book “Zero Proof: 90 Non-Alcoholic Recipes for Mindful Drinking” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), said the social disruptions of the past year helped people “reassess their relationship with alcohol” — and that it’s easier than ever to feel accepted if you’re sober.
“American social culture is a drinking culture,” said Ramirez. “We’ve always been suspicious of people who don’t drink. What’s different now is that there’s a deluge of new products on the market and the fact that [not drinking] is seen as an individual choice, not something to be ashamed of.”
. . . Ramirez’s book highlights scores of booze-free recipes, many of them created right here in New York.
The Olive Highball, from mixologist Maxime Belfrand at upscale restaurant Saxon + Parole on the Bowery, blends Seedlip Garden 108, flavored with rosemary, thyme and spearmint, with non-alcoholic sparkling wine and Fever-Tree tonic water. Ramirez likens it to an effervescent dirty martini.
Meanwhile, the Umami and Daddy is “the drink you make to show off at parties,” said Ramirez. Created by Will Wyatt of East Village cocktail boite Mister Paradise, it features clear tomato liquid and the juice of unripe grapes.
BlackBook
We looked to Zero Proof author Elva Ramirez for suggestions on how to reduce our alcohol intake, something most of us have understandably amped up over the last year.
NPR: THE COLIN MCENROE SHOW
Drinking alcohol has a number of negative impacts. But humans have been doing it for thousands of years, and show no signs of stopping.
This hour, we discuss why we drink, why more people are moving towards sobriety through the “sober curious” movement, and the rise of nonalcoholic cocktails.
BARTENDER AT LARGE
For this episode of the show, we are joined by author and writer, Elva Ramirez to discuss her new book, Zero Proof Cocktails. Her book not only features incredible recipes, but also details the history of the non-alcoholic cocktail in America.
Boothby.
Ramirez explains what zero proof drinks are, how they differ to mocktails, and touches on the history of non alcoholic drink options dating back to the professor Jerry Thomas and his 1887 book, The Bar-Tender’s Guide.
Liquor.com
This insidery book is sprinkled liberally with familiar names from the bartending world. “Think like a bartender” is urged from literally the first sentence.
Drinks are high effort—sous vide, hydrosols, and bespoke cordials and consommés abound—but yield multilayered libations that would be welcome on any fancy leather-bound cocktail menu. The photos are lush and enticing.
FORTUNE
Just because a couple is into cocktails doesn’t mean they have to always be drinking booze; it’s all about moderation. Lifestyle journalist and author Elva Ramirez knows this best. She spent months finding the best zero-proof mocktails from the world’s top bartenders for her recipe book, Zero Proof: 90 Non-Alcoholic Recipes for Mindful Drinking, just released this spring.
Currents
In “Zero Proof,” Ramirez includes 90 recipes highlighting what the world’s best bartenders do when they can’t use booze. “They have great ideas of flavor profiles and ingredients. They have training to produce something beautiful and creative. They use all that creativity to come up with something quite lovely.”
FSR Magazine
Indeed, health plays an important role in this group’s purchasing decisions. Where Gen X and millennials were cutting calories or carbs, Gen Z seeks out wholesome ingredients. Elva Ramirez, author of the new book Zero Proof Cocktails: A collection of 90 Non-Alcoholic Recipes for Mindful Drinking, credits their early exposure to specialty diets like keto, vegetarian, and vegan for instilling a health-conscious attitude.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In this thoroughly researched book, published April 13, food journalist Elva Ramirez dives into how we socialize and drink. From the history of temperance to the mocktail and now “zero proof,” drinks, she tracks the evolution of drinking in moderation.
Barron’s Penta
Three NA cocktail books recently debuted on bookshelves within an eight-month period. . .Elva Ramirez's Zero Proof Cocktails: 90 Non-Alcoholic Recipes for Mindful Drinking, was released in May, focused on sourcing intensive recipes from the bar world.
SOME GOOD CLEAN FUN
Zero Proof is thankfully more than just a collection of elevated cocktails without alcohol. Ramirez chose to start this elegant collection with an overview and historical roundup of the non-alcoholic drinks concept, a thoroughly delightful account of when the world began to be mindful of their drinks and how far we’ve come since.
The Kit
Her book, coming out next month, is a curated collection of spirit-free recipes that the veteran drinks writer sourced from bartenders around the world.