What are some good alcohol-free cocktails I can make with Schweppes and syrup

Question

I just started working in a hotel, where we also have a bar.
We don't really have any alcohol free cocktails on our menu and guests frequently ask what I would recommend.

Here are my ingredients:
Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Apple juice, Orange juice, Red Bull
Schweppes: Indian Tonic, Pink Tonic, Ginger Ale, Agrumes, Bitter Lemon, Hibiscus, Orange & Lychee
Syrups: Cane Sugar, Hazelnut, Almond, Vanilla, Caramel, Chai Tea
Fresh lemon and lime

What are some tasty cocktails I can make with these?
Please include what they taste like as in sweet/sour/bitter, but I'm guessing it's all going to be sweet & bitter?
I don't like Schweppes myself, don't like the bitter taste, so haven't tried most of them.

Answer 1

Phew! That ingredient list is a bit of a challenge.

Ginger ale & lime juice (taste: gingery spice plus citrus) or soda water and lime juice (taste: citrus fizz) are both very refreshing, but I don't know if they quite qualify as cocktails.

If you are able to add a couple of other easily obtained ingredients then there are two classics you could offer your guests.

The Arnold Palmer requires cold black tea. The taste is a bit like Lipton's Iced Tea, but very refreshing, especially if you reduce the sugar syrup quantity slightly.

The Shirley Temple requires Grenadine. The taste is tart and fruity (grenadine is a syrup made with pomegranate).

And finally, I'm going to suggest that you experiment with different combinations and perhaps devise a drink of your own (which means you get to name it!)

I reckon apple juice, ginger ale, and a little hazelnut syrup, plus lemon juice to balance all that sweetness, could make something with apple strudel-ish flavours.

Answer 2

Maybe get a few bottles of Lumette to 'sub in' as the spirit and just make classic cocktails that are 0% proof?

Answer 3

Here are two tasty combos made from items in your list that I have sold in the past: (These recipes assume 16oz glass filled with ice.)

• Hand made Vanilla Cola: 7 oz Cola, 1 oz Vanilla Syrup - Stir. Sweet
• Flying Limeade / Lemonade/ Orangeade (named this one myself): 1/3 can of Red Bull (3oz), 1 oz lime juice, oj, or lemon juice, .5oz cane sugar, fill with ginger ale, sprite, or Fanta - Stir. Bitter with sweetness and a slight sourness. (Ginger ale less sweet, sprite more sweet, Fanta even more sweet)

For orangeades, depending on the brand of oj you may want to increase the amount of oj and lower or remove cane sugar.

Red Bull makes a good primary ingredient for non-alcoholic cocktails because people expect Red Bull to taste very bitter but also associate it with a premium price. You can cut the bitterness of it with soda. Fruit flavored sodas like Fanta Orange, Grape, Pineapple, and Strawberry as well as sprite mix well with Red Bull to dilute the bitterness.

The secret to a good Red Bull non-alcoholic cocktail is making something a few steps beyond what people can do at home. From my experiences, people rarely use fresh citrus juice and Hibiscus syrup when pouring themselves something at home. This is a suggestion for a Red Bull drink I have never sold, but I think might work:

3oz Red Bull, .5 oz lemon juice, .5 oz lime juice, 1 oz hibiscus syrup top with ginger ale - Stir.
The sour from the citrus juices and sweetness from the syrup (depending on brand) should negate a lot of the bitterness from the red bull, though some of it will still remain.