Carrot Cake Quencher Mocktail

Garnish this carrot cake mocktail with a slice of brûléed citrus and remember to tuck one into the drink for a bit of smoky sweetness. As a non-alcoholic brunch drink, this serves up the flavors of the spiced dessert with the brightness of clementine or mandarin juice, since I always add a hint of orange to carrot cake.  A cinnamon simple syrup made with raw cane turbinado sugar, which retains some natural molasses, adds spice with deeper notes and just-enough sweetness to each cheerful glass.

While a carrot juice and citrus mocktail is perfect any time of year, now is when clementines, tangerines, and many other citrus fruits that brighten winter days are at their peak. Here they help the carrots that stay with us throughout the cold months shine in new ways. Rely on a few of their fresh tops to help the brûléed wheels on the rim stay in place.

Ingredients

Cinnamon Simple Syrup

1 ¼ cups cup filtered water
⅔ cup raw cane turbinado sugar
2 crushed cinnamon sticks

Mocktail

1 strip clementine (or mandarin) zest
2 ½ ounces carrot juice
2 ounces fresh clementine (or mandarin) juice
½ ounce cinnamon simple syrup
1 wheel brûléed clementine plus extra for garnish

Whether making this recipe for a New Year’s brunch, holiday celebration, or weekday treat, the color alone is sure to spark some cheer. With dessert-inspired flavor, you might even pour another glass for a just-sweet-enough end to a meal.

When selecting carrot juice for this recipe, I choose one made completely from carrots with no additional ingredients such as lemon juice. If using one with lemon juice, you may need to adjust the amount of fresh citrus in this recipe. Carrots can also be pressed at home using an electric juicer.

While making your own carrot juice for this recipe is optional, making fresh citrus is much simpler and can be done with a handheld juicer or press. The flavor is outstanding and key to this drink. Remember to reserve a piece of the zest before juicing the fruit as it is easier to remove when still whole. A vegetable peeler helps you to get a nice strip free of any pith, which can lend bitterness to the drink.

How to Make Cinnamon Simple Syrup

Raw cane turbinado sugar retains some natural molasses, giving the cinnamon syrup for this recipe a deeper color and flavor. Combine the filtered water, sugar, and crushed cinnamon sticks in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for 1 hour before straining syrup to remove cinnamon pieces. Let syrup cool.

How to Brûlée Citrus Slices

Raw sugar caramelizes well and lends a deeper flavor to the brûléed clementine wheels. This is the same sugar used in the cinnamon simple syrup for this drink recipe. Prepare the wheels using the method below right before mixing the mocktail.

Begin by slicing the cleaned citrus into thin rounds. Lay the slices on a paper towel to absorb some of their juice and let sit for a few minutes, as the sugar on a drier slice will caramelize more easily.

In the meantime, lay a heavy-duty metal baking rack than can withstand high heat on a baking sheet of the same kind. Remove anything else from the area so you have a safe working space. Place the citrus slices on the rack, sprinkle the slices liberally with raw sugar and use a kitchen torch to toast the sugar until it becomes crackly and browned, keeping the torch moving around the slice rather to avoid overheating one area. Be careful not to burn the sugar. Make sure to read all the directions that come with the kitchen torch so you know how to adjust the flame size and use the gas dial.

Alternately, fruit slices can be brûléed using the broiler. Sprinkle the sugar on the slices and place the slices on a heavy duty baking sheet safe for broiler use.

How to Make the Carrot Cake Mocktail

Muddle the strip of citrus zest in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add the carrot juice, clementine or mandarin juice, and cinnamon syrup. Fill the shaker part-way with ice, shake, and strain into a glass (ice optional). Tuck a wheel of brûléed citrus in the glass and use an additional as a garnish. For the drink pictured in this recipe, I used carrot tops from the garden as part of the garnish as well.

When making non-alcoholic brunch drinks, you also may want to serve a savory option such as my bloody mary mocktail. For a spicy citrus option with heat, try this spicy blood orange mocktail.