In moments of high stress, who among us doesn’t yearn for a stiff drink? Natasha David, co-owner of the Manhattan cocktail destination Nitecap (with Death & Co founders Alex Day and David Kaplan), knows the feeling. This week, the two-year-old bar is in the midst of a whirlwind move and reopens down the street on July 18. “It’s been super-fun to do six months pregnant,” David says with good-natured irony. “I wish I could drink a real drink!”
Leave it to the veteran bartender, who has logged time at celebrated eateries Maison Premiere, Maialino, and Mayahuel, to come to her own rescue with three summery recipes created for Vogue.com. Mocktail making comes naturally to David; she’s long made it a point to offer more than bare-bones seltzer or lemonade to mothers-to-be, so they “feel like they’re part of the party,” she explains. It helps that Nitecap has a well-stocked arsenal of alcohol-free ingredients. “We’re always using fresh, seasonal things to make syrups or infusions,” she says.
Of course, other aspects of her job have been challenging of late. “Basically, to prove that I was a badass, I really wanted to bartend until the day I popped the baby out,” David says with a laugh. However, between upset stomachs and a pinched sciatic nerve that made standing difficult, she’s temporarily retired her post behind the bar. Then there is recipe testing. “We just did an entire menu launch, and I actually came up with quite a few drinks without physically tasting them myself,” she explains, adding that the process helped her to trust her instincts with flavor. “The rumor about how you develop super-smelling when you’re pregnant is absolutely true,” she insists. “I feel like I could smell things in spirits that I’ve never smelled before.” She put that sharpened nose to work—together with tasting notes from her husband, Jeremy Oertel, another noted bartender—when finalizing the wine list.
The shift into pregnancy has left its mark on David’s natural-beauty routine, which includes Dr. Hauschka skin care, Schmidt’s deodorant (“It actually works”), and generous applications of coconut oil: “So far, no stretch marks—knock on wood!” It also informs these three recipes. Spring Fling, with a base of caffeine-free hibiscus tea, skews acidic in its flavor profile. “What really helps my morning sickness is something that’s super-citrusy,” she says, “so the idea was to create a fruity and refreshing drink, but with a lot of tartness to it.” The second, a twist on a Pimm’s Cup that she calls Garden Variety, features vitamin-rich carrot juice and fresh ginger, which “for a pregnant woman is like a miracle! It automatically makes you feel better,” she says. The last, Stop Time, is an homage to the margarita, “the one drink that I am missing most,” David confesses. Her take, with earthy cilantro and a hint of jalapeño for spice, is a worthy stand-in.
Garden Variety
2 slices cucumbers
3 oz. fresh carrot juice
1.5 oz. fresh lemon juice
0.5 oz. ginger syrup
Directions
Muddle the cucumber slices at the bottom of a shaker. Add the rest of the ingredients to the shaker; add ice and shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain into a wineglass with crushed ice. Garnish with a cucumber slice and a fresh mint bouquet.
*Ginger syrup: 1 part fresh ginger juice to 2 parts organic cane sugar. Combine in a blender until sugar has dissolved (about 5 minutes).
Spring Fling
1 strawberry
3 oz. hibiscus tea (chilled)
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 oz. simple syrup
Splash seltzer
Directions
At the bottom of a shaker, lightly muddle the strawberry. Add all ingredients expect the seltzer to the shaker; add ice and shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain into a double rocks glass with ice and top with a splash of seltzer. Garnish with a lemon and strawberry wheel.
*Simple syrup: Equal parts organic cane sugar and water. Combine in a blender until sugar has dissolved (about 5 minutes).
Stop Time
2 slices raw jalapeños
2 sprigs fresh cilantro
3 oz. fresh pineapple juice
2 oz. fresh lime juice
2 oz. simple syrup
Directions
At the bottom of a shaker, muddle the jalapeño and cilantro. Add the rest of the ingredients to the shaker; add ice and shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Garnish with a pineapple half-wheel and 3 pineapple fronds.
Nitecap reopens July 18 at 151 Rivington Street; nitecapnyc.com
The post A Toast to Mocktails! 3 Pregnancy-Approved Coolers From a New York Bartender and Chic Mom-to-Be appeared first on Vogue.