How to Win a Mocktail Competition - Me So Butter Recipe

Hi, Friends of Cocktails! I didn't create today's cocktail, but I've been looking forward to sharing it for a while. It's fruity, it's savory, it has plenty of body and balance... and there isn't a single drop of alcohol in it.

Today we’re making Me So Butter, the winning drink from the Vegg White Cocktail Competition, which I presented in this episode a couple of months ago. And the best part is that the bartender behind it came all the way to Maribor to make it with me in the Cocktail Time studio. His name is Jonas Jasinevičius, and he works at Compliments in Vilnius, Lithuania. As pointed out for the competition, his win came with an all-expenses-paid trip to Slovenia. So between the recipe, his stories from the trip, and a few thoughts on what it actually takes to win a competition, we've got a lot to cover.

Jonas wanted to make a drink that was fruity, sweet, and umami all at once, and prove that a non-alcoholic cocktail can still have real depth and intensity. To get there, he built it around an emulsified tea, balanced it with passionfruit syrup and fresh lime, and topped it with a meringue dotted with passionfruit-miso gel. That's six components, and yes, every single one of them earns its place. If you'd prefer a version with alcohol, Jonas has an option for that too, which we'll get to in the very first step.

So let’s get started by building the base of the drink, which uses an ingredient not everyone knows is usable. Cascara is the dried skin of the coffee cherry, and it usually ends up thrown away once the beans are processed. Brewed as a tea, it has a fruity flavor that reminds Jonas of raisins... and while he admits he's not a big raisin fan, he loves what it brings to this drink. So with that in mind, let’s build this drink. It’s Mocktail Time!

Cascara Tea

● 450mL · 15oz Water (85-90°C / 185-194°F)

● 15g Dried Cascara

Heat the water to 85-90°C, pour it over the cascara, and let it steep for 5 to 8 minutes. Then strain the tea and let it cool down completely before moving on. This should give you about 400mL of tea, which is exactly what we need for the emulsified base later.

And here's that alcoholic option I mentioned. If you'd like a spirited version of Me So Butter, use less water when brewing the tea, then add rum after straining. That way the spirit replaces part of the water instead of watering down the base, so the final drink keeps its body. Jonas explains why rum was his pick in the video, and it's a great example of how to think about choosing a spirit when you turn a mocktail into a cocktail.

Next up is the miso brown butter, the component that gives the cocktail its name, and its savory backbone. Brown butter brings a rich, nutty depth, while miso adds that umami character Jonas was after from the very beginning.

Miso Brown Butter

● 200g Brown Butter

● 80g White Miso Paste

If you're starting from regular butter, just melt it in a saucepan over medium heat until the milk solids turn golden brown and it smells nutty. This first step gives you brown butter, and you can then add the miso paste, and keep it on the lowest heat for 4 to 5 minutes so the flavors can come together. Then strain it through a coffee filter for a clean mixture and let it cool down before using it.

You'll only need 20g for the cocktail base, so this makes more than enough. Jonas made an even bigger batch, since he was also using it at an event we did together here in Maribor... but more on that soon.

With the tea and the butter ready, it's time for the step that turns them into something more than the sum of their parts. Fat and water don't naturally mix, and that's where Vegg White comes in. It acts as an emulsifier, holding the miso brown butter and cascara tea together in one smooth, rich base.

Emulsified Miso-Brown Butter Cascara Tea

● 400mL · 13.33oz Cascara Tea

● 20g Miso Brown Butter

● 30mL · 1oz Vegg White

Add everything to a blender and blend for 1 minute. Strain it through a coffee filter, then bottle it, add a label, and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to mix. What you get is a base where you can taste the cascara, the brown butter, and the miso all at once, with a texture that gives the final drink plenty of body.

What I really like here is how focused it all is. Jonas uses quite a few components, but each one has a clear job. That's one of the most useful lessons for anyone thinking about competitions: you don't have to show the judges the hardest or most advanced thing you can do. You just need a clear idea, executed really well. And what you see in the final glass is usually the result of many versions that came before it, which Jonas talks about in the full episode.

Now, all that savory richness needs something bright to play against, and for Jonas, passionfruit was the obvious choice. It brings the sweet and fruity side of the drink, pairs beautifully with miso and brown butter, and as he pointed out, it's a pretty trendy flavor right now too.

Passionfruit Syrup

● 150g Unsweetened Passionfruit Puree

● 50g Water

● 150g White Sugar

Combine everything in a saucepan and heat it just until the sugar melts. Don't let it boil, since that would cook off the fresh, tropical character we want to keep. Once the sugar has dissolved, bottle it, label it, and store it in the fridge.

Since the passionfruit puree was already out, Jonas used it for the first part of the garnish too. These little gel dots combine passionfruit and miso, so before you even take a sip, the garnish hints at what's inside the glass.

Passionfruit-Miso Gel

● 200g Unsweetened Passionfruit Puree

● 50g White Sugar

● 2.5g Agar Agar

● 10g Miso Paste

Heat the puree and sugar in a saucepan until the mixture starts to boil, then whisk in the agar agar and keep it boiling for at least 1 minute. That's what activates the agar, so don't cut this step short. Pour it into a tray and refrigerate until it's firm.

Once it's set, blend the gel with the miso paste, then strain it for a smooth texture. Transfer it to a squeeze bottle, or a piping bag if that's what you have on hand, and it's ready to dot onto the meringue.

The gel needs something to sit on, and that's this crisp, light matcha meringue. It also makes Vegg White pull double duty in this recipe, first as an emulsifier in the base and now as the foundation of a vegan garnish.

Matcha Meringue

● 160g Vegg White

● 0.2g Citric Acid

● 4g Matcha Powder

● 120g White Sugar

Start by blending the sugar into a fine powder, which makes it much easier to incorporate, then mix in the matcha until it has a wet sand consistency. In a separate bowl, whip the Vegg White with the citric acid until it starts to foam. A stand mixer works, but a simple hand mixer will do the job just fine.

Now add the sugar and matcha mixture a teaspoon at a time, whipping as you go, until the meringue holds at least a soft peak. Transfer it to a piping bag and pipe long wave shapes onto parchment paper, then dehydrate for 4 hours at 65°C (149°F). Once they're done, you'll have delicate matcha waves ready to crown the cocktail. Jonas piped a few extra for our event, and trust me, it's worth making more than you think you'll need.

If all these components feel like a lot to take in, that's exactly why I created The Cocktail Universe. It's a structured learning platform that takes you from the basics all the way to advanced techniques, recipes, and skills you can actually use behind the bar, at your own pace and with the Ask Kevin tool there whenever you have a question. There's more coming to the platform soon, so now is the best time to join and lock in the best price.

With every component prepped, the cocktail itself comes together in a couple of minutes. That's the beauty of doing the work ahead of time.

Me So Butter

● 60mL · 2oz Miso-Brown Butter Cascara Tea

● 30mL · 1oz Passionfruit Syrup

● 10mL · 0.33oz Fresh Lime Juice

Garnish: Matcha Meringue topped with Passionfruit-Miso Gel Dots

Add the emulsified base, passionfruit syrup, and fresh lime juice to a shaker tin, fill it with ice, and shake hard. Double strain into a rocks glass over one large block of ice. Jonas served it in the same beautiful rocks glass he used for his competition entry, a gift he brought all the way to the studio, so it felt right to use it here too. Finish by resting a matcha meringue on top and adding a few passionfruit-miso gel dots.

After tasting it, it's easy to see why this one stood out to the judges. It's also another great example of what emulsifying can do for a non-alcoholic cocktail, giving it the kind of body and texture people usually expect only from spirits.

A huge thank you to Jonas for coming all the way from Vilnius to share Me So Butter with us. We're not done with him just yet, either. Between our event in Maribor and a few more things we have planned, you'll be seeing more of him very soon. Cheers, Friends of Cocktails!