Mocktail Lazy Red Cheeks

This mocktail is an alcohol-free twist on an Antwerp classic, the Lazy Red Cheeks. A deliciously refreshing and tangy summer drink with fresh raspberries and violets, served ice-cold over crushed ice. In the alcoholic version, vodka is used solely to enhance the raspberry flavor, but you can achieve the same effect with Stryyk Not Vodka. Fun fact: it was Tom Barman who named this Belgian classic.

Ingredients

30 ml raspberry puree (or 4 fresh raspberries and 1 tsp cane sugar)
30 ml lime juice
15 ml violet syrup
10 ml sugar syrup (1:1)
20 ml AQUALEX sparkling water
Optional: 30 ml Stryyk Not Vodka
Garnish: fresh raspberry, fresh mint, lime wedge, and a violet flower

Preparation

Fill a tumbler glass with fresh raspberries and 1 tsp of cane sugar, then muddle the raspberries in the glass. Alternatively, add the raspberry puree directly into the glass.
Add the lime juice, violet syrup, and sugar syrup, then stir to combine.
Fill the glass to the rim with crushed ice and stir again.
Top it off with AQUALEX sparkling water.
Garnish with a fresh raspberry, lime wedge, mint, and a violet flower. Serve with a biodegradable straw.

Discover more delicious AQUALEX mocktails

Hannes Desmedt x AQUALEX

This mocktail was created in collaboration with Hannes Desmedt.

Hannes Desmedt, trained as a sommelier, developed a love for fine wines and a passion for food pairing, which led him to explore gastronomic cocktails. He taught himself "the art of mixology" and applied it to create alcohol-free food pairings at the three-star restaurant Hertog Jan in Zedelgem. After several years working in Belgium's top gastronomy scene, Hannes founded his own consulting company, Wine Blend. Through participation in prestigious competitions and winning the Copa Jerez & Campari Negroni Competition, he quickly became a well-known figure in the bartender community. Hannes now specializes primarily in alcohol-free & low-alcohol cocktail catering/workshops and teaches at the Eigentijds Vlaams Wine Institute/Syntra West about low-no cocktails in the hospitality industry.