Un-Wined at The Catbird Seat

Beverage Director Cole Younger Just shares the hows and whys of his favorite non-alcoholic pairings.

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With the demand for non-alcoholic beverages on the rise, so comes the necessity for wine-less and spirit-free pairings that can stand alongside an elegant tasting menu. At The Catbird Seat, Beverage Director Cole Younger Just has set out to create a variety of NA drinks that can satisfy that thirst for a complete pairing experience. To do this, he taps into a toolbox of fermentation and molecular gastronomy inspired by Dave Arnold, Lars Williams, Dr. Arielle Johnson, René Redzepi, and David Zilber. Just’s multi-layered creations have taken on a life of their own, now accounting for 20 percent of overall beverage sales. Just breaks down the hows and whys of some of his favorite non-alcoholic pairings.

cole younger just of the catbird seat

Sparkling Rosé paired with Barbecued Spiny Lobster and Fermented Kiwi

I start by juicing and clarifying local grapes and seasonal berries. Then using fresh and dried rose petals, I make a kombucha, which helps add the sparkle. It’s combined with the clarified juices and bottled for a week. It’s an awesome play on rosé.

Yuzu Pine Sake paired with Seared Maitake and Uni

Zev Rovine Selections, a natural wine importer in Brooklyn, had this yuzu sake, and I started thinking: How do we make a non-alcoholic version of this? The yuzu juice is imported from Japan, and when I had my first batch, it was really piney. I had pine cone bud syrup from some foraged pine cones and an organic Douglas fir Christmas tree, so I took some needles from it and spun it all together. It needed sweetness, so I used Okinawa black sugar and a touch of gum arabic for the round mouthfeel you look for with sake. 

Cherry, Saffron, Meyer Lemon paired with Dry-aged Ora King Salmon and Fermented Beet Juice

We juice and clarify a couple different Pacific Northwest cherries, then we take an absurd amount of saffron and make a strong kombucha from that. For brightness, we clarify Meyer lemon juice and macerate the skins with some sugar for texture. Everything ferments for a couple of days and is then blended together. It’s very bright, which helps cut through the fattiness of the salmon, and I love the combo of cherries and beets.

Sea Buckthorn, Mango Orange, Guava paired with Crystal Blue Prawns and Fermented Guava

I clarify sea buckthorn, which to me has a slight tropical flavor to it, and is crazy acidic and bright. We add clarified juice of mango oranges (which taste like mangos but don’t really have any acidity), and make an oleo saccharum with the peels. To hone in the tropical flavors, I make a kombucha out of Beaumont guavas from Mexico—really floral tasting, almost reminiscent of passion fruit. Then I blend it all together to get a really bright drink that pairs with dishes that have tropical fruits.

Root Beer Kombucha paired with a Foie Gras Bavarian Cream Donut with Candy Cap Mushroom Glaze

This is a play on my favorite soda as a kid. I start with a base of Pu-erh tea, a fermented tea from the Yunnan province of China, then I add some traditional root beer flavors—sassafras, sarsaparilla, wintergreen, vanilla, birch, maple syrup, and house-made apple cider vinegar to brighten it up a touch. I also add candy cap mushrooms and wild birch leaf, then I do a long, slow, cold ferment for a really frothy bubble. I serve it in a little stemmed tulip glass that I freeze with liquid nitrogen so that it looks like a frozen mug of root beer—very nostalgic! 

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