Step up your beverage game with craft bartender Zeke Taque' s tips - Axios Tampa BayLog InLog InAxios Tampa Bay is an Axios company.

Step up your beverage game with craft bartender Zeke Taque' s tips

Photo: Selene San Felice/Axios Zeke Taque started making mocktails before it was . Flashback: While bartending in 2014, Taque said people started asking him for non-alcoholic cocktails. So he delivered, making a damn good mock-mojito even alcohol drinkers wanted to try."At first to me it was weird," Taque told Axios. "I figured they should just get soda or water. But I felt there was a need to have something as colorful and creative as a cocktail." Now, as , he's learned what it takes to make the perfect drink, day or night. Taque gave us a couple of tips for making better coffee and cocktails: 1. A darker roast does not make stronger coffee.If you're a coffee snob (like Selene) proudly grinding up dark, oily-looking beans, you're not getting any more caffeine. You're better off with a light or medium roast, actually, but not by much. You don't need to make yourself suffer for a good buzz. 2. Get to the root of it.Taque refuses to use ginger beer when he makes mules. Not only is fresh ginger less expensive, but the muddled root also has a punchier, more refreshing taste. That's the difference fresh ingredients make, he says, between a great mocktail and a juice box. Plus: Taque whipped up this lavender mule mocktail for us, and it was too tasty not to share. What you need:1.5 ounces fresh lime juice1 ounce lavender syrup (he recommends the Monin brand)4 ounces water1 teaspoon fresh ginger, muddled1 sprig of mint Combine ingredients in a shaker of ice. Shake vigorously, then add a dash of your preferred soda. Sprite, club soda or citrus La Croix all work great. Strain or pour it into a glass. This recipe makes one 20-oz drink or two 12-oz drinks. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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