My wife Amy and I had the pleasure of eating a multi-course vegetarian meal a few years back. The dinner came with many drink options, wine, cocktails, and homemade sodas/mocktails.  For no reason other then curiosity, we chose to drink the mocktails and we were glad we did.  It was an amazing dinner all the way around.

This recipe is based on a recipe in Bon Appétit.  It’s a delicious non-alcoholic drink perfect for those times you want to feel like an adult but without the buzz.  It’s impressive, bold, and very drinkable —vodka would be a great addition too.

4 stalks celery, chopped (about 3/4 cup)

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup simple syrup

1/4 tsp Angostera bitters

Ice

Sparkling water or club soda

1. Place the celery into a blender along with 1/4 cup water.  Puree until smooth and foamy.
2. Strain into a cocktail shaker full of ice.  Press down on the pulp with the back of a spoon to get all the extraction.
3. Add the lemon juice, simple syrup, and bitters.  Stir.
4. Fill two rocks glasses with ice.  Strain the Collins mix into the glasses filling them about 2/3 full.  Top off with sparkling water, stir, and enjoy.

RECIPE CARD: Celery and Lemon Tom Collins (mocktail or cocktail)