Recipe for Jonathan's Refreshing Berry Blast Mocktail

The weather has been horrendously scorching recently. Sometimes I feel like I'm being cooked sous vide.

Wah, so atas (Singaporean language for high-class). What is sous vide? Basically, it's a style of cooking where food (usually meat) is placed into vacuum-sealed bags and immersed in a hot (but not boiling) water bath for a long period of time. This "low and slow" method results in meat which is more tender and juicy.

Or so the theory goes. I've never touched a hob in my life so I can't verify for myself. It works for most people though.

Anyway, I fancy myself an amateur cook, mixologist, critic, and recipe writer, so I came up with this brilliant idea to make a delicious and cooling drink to make the hot and sunny days a little more bearable.

Without further ado, please welcome my Refreshing Berry Blast Mocktail. Isn't it such a great name? "Berry Blast" is an alliteration so it's got a nice and catchy ring to it. Just like the name of this blog.

But I digress.

Jonathan's Refreshing Berry Blast Mocktail
Serves 3

Ingredients:
F&N Soda Water

Santisook Lime Juice

Giant Apple Cranberry Juice Drink

Honey
Ice

Method:

1. In a standard coffee mug (this is meant to be drunk by normal human beings, not people who put all liquids into puny glasses), add half a tablespoon of lime juice and one tablespoon of honey.
2. Pour in the apple cranberry juice until the level of liquid is just below half of the mug's full capacity.
3. Top off the drink with the soda water, making sure to leave about one centimetre of space between the top of the liquid and the rim of the mug.
4. Wrap a handful of ice cubes in a clean towel and smash them with a rolling pin, rubber mallet, the Encyclopaedia Britannica, or your mother-in-law.
5. Congratulations! You now have some crushed ice. Sprinkle some over your drink.
6. Stick a straw into the drink and swirl it around two times very slowly. The aim is to get the ingredients mixed together without driving out the bubbles and making the drink go flat.
7. Repeat Steps 1 to 6 until you have emptied the entire can of soda water. Do not keep the remaining soda water in the open can otherwise it will simply become water and be wasted. You should be able to fill three standard coffee mugs.
8. Find two friends to enjoy the drink with! Or drink all three portions by yourself. Be mindful that the drink goes flat after some time though.

This drink is a little on the sweet side. If that's not quite your cup of tea, balance out the flavours a bit by introducing some mint, sea salt, or vodka into the mix. Alternatively, try replacing the normal honey with manuka, which has some earthy and herbal notes (you arrogant bugger, you!).

And there it is! My first attempt at writing a recipe. I must admit that it appears to be suffering from an identity crisis, like a science experiment had carnal relations with a Dave Barry column. But oh well, not bad for a maiden effort I think.

I hope you give this recipe a try! Please don't die. (Hey, it rhymes.)