Ah, the sweet smell of coconut and pineapple. We might be landbound, but we can still channel the tropical aesthetic with a piña colada mocktail. Tyler Lewis shares a taste of summer with his Piña NO-Lada recipe, a creamy, refreshing drink that balances the rich sweetness of coconut with the bright, tangy notes of pineapple. Perfect for sipping poolside or just escaping the everyday grind, this alcohol-free version captures all the indulgence of the classic cocktail without any of the booze, making this piña colada mocktail a sunny, guilt-free treat any time of year.
Add piña colada mix and lime juice to a shaker with ice, shake until cold.
Roll into a stemless wine glass or piña colada glass.
Slowly add muscovado syrup to glass so it settles on the bottom of the glass, garnish, and serve. Enjoy your piña colada mocktail!
For the piña colada mix:
Add 2 oz cream de coconut, 3 oz coconut milk, one whole fresh-cut pineapple, and 2 tbsp sugar to blender and blend into fine liquid.
Set aside and store in refrigerator.
For the muscovado syrup:
Add 1 cup of muscovado sugar to 1 cup of water and bring to a boil while stirring occasionally until sugar has dissolved.
At boil, remove from heat and add 4 cinnamon sticks, 10 black peppercorns, 10 cloves, and pineapple skin to the mixture and let it steep for 2 hours till cool.
Strain into a storage container and store for later use.
Recipe by Tyler Lewis Styling by Star Laliberte Photography by Dave Bryce
It doesn’t have to be Kentucky Derby season to mix up a Mint Julep cocktail. The classic bourbon-based beverage is the perfect combination of sweet and minty, with just the right amount of kick. There’s nothing quite like a refreshing mint julep to cool you down and quench your thirst when the temperatures are rising (and show no signs of coming down anytime soon).
What is a Julep Cup?
A julep cup is the traditional drinking cup for the Classic Mint Julep cocktail, also known as the signature drink of the Kentucky Derby. It’s usually of silver, pewter, or stainless steel, and tapers into a wide shape at the lip. The metal material helps to keep the drink icy cold, a crucial element for an authentic Mint Julep experience. Especially since the frost that forms on the outside of the cup is part of its appeal.
It’s no secret that mocktails are seriously trending. For those who would rather forgo the alcohol yet still want the fun of a mixed-up beverage, Tyler Lewis shares with TABLE readers a variety of delectable mocktails, including the following Dragonfruit Marti-NO. After all, why enjoy a martini when you can have a mocktail version that keeps the hangover away. This martini mocktail utilizes dragonfruit — which is high in fiber, a good source of magnesium, and pack full of nutrients — resulting in a drink that not only tastes good but is also good for you.
¼ oz passion fruit simple syrup (see recipe below)
1 egg white
Sliced dragon fruit, for garnish
Instructions
Add Seedlip Grove 42, lime juice, dragon fruit simple syrup, passion fruit simple syrup, and egg white into a cocktail shaker and shake without ice.
Add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake again for 30 seconds until cool.
Double-strain into a coupe glass, garnish with the sliced dragon fruit, and serve.
For the dragon fruit simple syrup:
Add half a white dragon fruit cut into small pieces, including skin, ½ cup of white sugar, and ½ cup of water to a small pot and slowly bring to a simmer until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove from heat and leave to sit 4-6 hours.
Fine strain into a clean container for storage and discard of solids.
For the passion fruit simple syrup:
Add ½ cup of sugar and ½ cup of water to a small pot and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.
Slice four passionfruit in half and scoop the seeds into the sugar water mixture.
Stir and let the passion fruit steep for about 2 hours.
Strain into a clean storage container for later use and discard of solids.
Recipe by Tyler Lewis Styling by Star Laliberte Photography by Dave Bryce
This go-to summer cocktail is also a classic. First given its name in 1946 by Harper’s Magazine, the Greyhound cocktail, rumored to be a popular drink choice in Greyhound terminals, is made refreshing thanks to its main ingredient: grapefruit juice. The fresher the juice, the better.
Greyhound Cocktail Recipe
INGREDIENTS
2 oz Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka
4 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
Grapefruit or lime wedge, for garnish
Sea salt*
INSTRUCTIONS
Fill a rock glass with ice and add vodka and grapefruit juice. Stir until mixed.
Garnish with grapefruit wedge. *Use sea salt to salt the rim if desired.
What separates a dirty martini from a regular one? Olive brine. The more you add, the dirtier it gets. Our recipe uses 1/5 oz of olive brine, but feel free to get as filthy as you want. There are some really filthy martinis out there.
Why is the Dirty Martini Everywhere Lately?
There’s a real interest in savory cocktails at the moment. Truly, there’s something timeless about a dirty martini, but there are many savory briny, spicy cocktails. The savory cocktails create a salty, earthy taste that can pair wit a meal rather than overpowering it, unlike their sweeter counterparts. They’re also often lower-calorie. For a sweeter take on the martini, try our Chocolate Espresso Martini.
Mocktails don’t necessarily mean the inclusion of a non-alcoholic alternative like fake tequila or rum. Tyler Lewis demonstrates this with his Wildberry Sparkler, a vibrant drink that celebrates the pure, bright flavors of fresh fruit and a squeeze of zesty lemon. Bursting with natural sweetness and a hint of tartness, this refreshing mocktail is light, effervescent, and perfect for sipping anytime you want an alcohol-free option. It’s a simple reminder that some of the most exciting drinks come straight from nature’s pantry, offering both refreshment and a playful pop of color in every glass.
Fresh berries are a treat, especially if you pick them yourself. But few of us nurture backyard patches. Instead, we haunt farmers’ markets, scoring plump berries to lap up with cream or turn into cobblers and pies. Fruit lovers who yearn for myriad, top-quality choices might also consider a trip to Sand Hill Berries in the foothills of the Laurel Mountains.
At Sand Hill, you’ll find red and yellow raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, red and black currants, kiwi berries, persimmons, pears, sour cherries, native plums, figs, and heritage apples, along with homemade baked goods made from the bounty of berries. You also can explore the working farm and its sister winery, Greendance.
Sand Hill’s story began in 1981 when sisters Susan Lynn and Amy Schilling and their husbands, Rick and Rob, all working professionals (doctor, physicist, teacher, car dealer), decided to revitalize an abandoned 188-acre farm on the edge of Mount Pleasant. The historic farm borders General Braddock’s 1775 route to Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War. Braddock slept there for two nights.
The first order of business was planting sugar maples that now create a golden canopy every fall. Next was staining the weathered 1779 barn and turning the dilapidated farmhouse into a home for Rick, Susan, and their three children. They added goats to tame the lawn, and eventually, chickens, horses, sheep, and free-range guinea fowl. Next step? Forty years as entrepreneurs.
They planted their first crop, raspberries, in 1986. Although Rick had worked on his grandfather’s farm, they had a lot to learn. Early on, the couple relied on help from their four children, two nephews, and parents to cultivate, harvest, and package the goods. The children loved being close to the land, even though they had to work. Susan says, “They didn’t have a leisurely summer, but it was a much more interesting, varied summer than most kids have.”
The History of Sand Hill Berries
Today Sand Hill has employees, mostly teens and retirees, but it remains a hands-on family business sustained by heart, persistence, and patience to deal with pests, deer, weather, irrigation, and other travails. But the biggest ongoing challenge, Susan says, “is the fact that a small farm with emphasis on value-added products and retail interaction will never be a 40-hour-a-week job. It’s difficult to find time for oneself.”
So why do it? “What we grow has a positive influence on the quality of life of our customers,” she says, taking satisfaction in enhancing customers’ appreciation of farming, mentoring teenagers in their first jobs, and boosting their community’s economy and pride.
Raspberries remain Sand Hill’s signature crop, but their offerings have vastly expanded. In 1999, they added a farm store, selling fresh and frozen homemade pies, cheesecakes, cookies, jams, and jellies. Realizing visitors wanted more than a quick stop, they opened an outdoor dessert café with music and began exploring other ways for guests to enjoy the farm, including adding a winery with vintages made from their own fruit.
A Berry Destination Just Outside the City
Greendance, the winery at Sand Hill, debuted in 2007. With the help of a professional winemaker, the wine is made and bottled on-site using homegrown hybrid vinifera grapes. In addition to estate wines, Greendance produces sparkling fruit wines, ports, roses, clarets, cordials, and lower alcohol wines, as well as vinaigrettes and syrups. Wines are available for purchase.
Sand Hill now hosts thousands every year. Visitors enjoy complimentary wine tastings, lunch at Cabin Café or Café Persimmon, strolling through the gardens and relaxing in the Nectar Garden surrounded by butterfly bush and native grasses. An amphitheater and several other inviting outdoor spaces are popular venues for weddings and special events.
Rick, who still practices medicine with a light schedule, is glad they have struck a balance between pleasing customers and maintaining the working farm. Though their now-grown children are not actively involved, the farm is important to them. “Our project list is long and still growing and can best be accomplished through a multigenerational approach, which is our goal,” Rick says.
Meet the Sand Hill crew in season at Pittsburgh farmers’ markets: East Liberty (Broad Street); Mt. Lebanon (Lutheran Church); Verona (Railroad Avenue); and Forest Hills (Ardmore Presbyterian Church). For a “berry” immersive experience, head to the Laurel Highlands, where the story began.
Raspberry Glaze Pie Recipe
Shared by Susan Lynn of Sand Hill Berries
When I was newly married 50 years ago, relatives and neighbors gave me their recipes — with the generous addition of call me if you have questions added to the bottom of many. This recipe was simply labeled “Elby’s Pie” and was contributed by a great-aunt. Elby’s was the restaurant known regionally as Eat’n Park, as famous for their strawberry pie as they were for their Big Boy.
A pie full of delicious raspberries in a fruity glaze.
Ingredients
Scale
4 tablespoons raspberry Jell-O (or any gelatin brand formulated with adipic acid—fumaric acid yields a soft-set)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
¼ teaspoons salt
20–24 oz raspberries, uncut and unbruised
1 8-inch baked pie shell (you choose the crust recipe)
Instructions
Combine Jell-O, cornstarch, sugar, water, and salt in a saucepan. Stir until there are no lumps, then add heat.
Bring to a boil and mixture will turn clear. Continue to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool about 10 minutes.
Place berries in a shallow pan. Drizzle the glaze over the fruit. Fold gently with a soft thin-edged rubber spatula until fruit is covered with glaze, then lay it in the baked pie shell.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and serve within 12 hours. Try not to break the skin of the fruit. Do not use fruit that is exuding juice. If you break open the fruit, remove it because it will make part of the pie runny.
Double the recipe for a larger pie. Do not enlarge the recipe further since it will be difficult to cook the cornstarch throughout and the pie will not set. At Sand Hill Berries we double the glaze recipe and use 24-30 ounces of raspberries for a well-mounded 10-inch raspberry pie.
Photography by Dave Bryce
Story by Susan Fleming Morgans
Styling by Keith Recker
Summer is somehow flying by! Don’t blink; you might just miss it.
Photo courtesy of The Commonheart’s Facebook
The Commonheart Stage AE, July 28
Pittsburgh blues-rockers The Commonheart return to the City of Bridges for a home show at Stage AE, with Ohio’s The Vindys opening the evening alongside local funk band Beauty Slap.
Gallery Crawl Summer 2023
Gallery Crawl Cultural District, July 28
Put on your best walking shoes; it’s time for the summer edition of the Trust Arts Gallery Crawl. Dedicated to the late Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Douglas and her impact on the local arts community, featured events include Seen & Heard, an exhibition of works by Pittsburgh-area contemporary Black women artists, and Karaoke After Dark, backed by a live band.
Photo courtesy of Sarris Candies Facebook
Ice Cream for Breakfast Fundraiser Sarris Candies, July 29
Your inner child will thank you when you start your day with a sweet, cold, creamy treat during Sarris Candies’s Ice Cream for Breakfast Fundraiser. You won’t be the only one who benefits — all proceeds will go towards supporting the National MS Society’s local Keystone Chapter.
Photo courtesy of Pittsburgh Blues and Roots Festival
Pittsburgh Blues and Roots Festival Pittsburgh Shrine Center, July 29-30
Good music with an even better cause: This two-day festival benefits Autism Pittsburgh and Band Together Pittsburgh, a local nonprofit using music to enrich the lives of those on the autism spectrum.
Photo courtesy of Friends of South Side Park
Goat Fest South Side Park, July 30
Organized by the Friends of South Side Park volunteers, Goat Fest features live music, a petting zoo, food trucks, activities for those of all ages, and, of course, goats! While seemingly about animals, the aim of the event is to raise funds and awareness about the South Side Park ecological restoration project.
See what other events we’re excited about for the month of July.
Story by Jordan Snowden / Send your events tips to jordan@tablemagazine.com
It’s no secret that mocktails are seriously trending. For those who would rather forgo the alcohol yet still want the fun of a mixed-up beverage, Tyler Lewis shares with TABLE readers a variety of delectable mocktails, including the following Spicy Orange NA-margarita — a margarita mocktail that ditches the tequila but keeps an equal amount of flavor and liveliness thanks to spicy agave syrup. This recipe proves that alcohol-free doesn’t mean boring. In fact, it’s a sip that is perfect for Dry January or really any time you want something playful and full of character.
A surefire way to beat the summer heat? A frozen beverage — made even better when alcohol is involved. Enter our Frozen Cosmo cocktail recipe, a classic Cosmopolitan turned slushy.
Frozen Cosmo Cocktail Recipe
INGREDIENTS
5 ounces Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka
1/2 cup cranberry juice cocktail
1/4 cup triple sec or Cointreau
1 1/2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large freezer-safe container or mason jar, combine all of the ingredients and stir to mix evenly. Freeze them for 1 hour and then stir again. This will never freeze solid, but you will get a great slushy mix.
If you enjoyed learning how to craft a frozen cosmo, check out our other classic cocktail recipes.
Recipe by Anna Calabrese / Photography by Dave Bryce
Don’t miss a single delicious thing: Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.
