Long Drinks & Mixers with Malik Acid

Eight drinks, eight sodas and zero recipe inception (as in, a recipe that requires three other recipes just to make it happen).

That was the brief from the outset when we partnered with our friends at Malik Acid, a drinks studio founded by siblings Cameron and Missy. Growing up above their father’s pubs in and around London, the pair found their way into hospitality early, eventually building careers spanning restaurants, wine, cocktails and drinks strategy. In other words, natural bedfellows (barfellows?) to create a series of signature drinks using our sodas as the springboard.

Malik Acid designed these cocktails for us (/you) to fit into everyday drinking rather than turn it into a full-day project. Something & Nothing sodas bring fruit, botanicals, acidity, a touch of sweetness from grape juice and, of course, subtle fizz to the glass, leaving you with less to measure, shake and generally fuss over.

Start with the recipes below. Swap a spirit. Change the garnish. Try a different tea. Make a pitcher. They’re a jumping-off point, not a rigid set of rules.

Because, as our friends at Malik Acid say, “Better doesn’t have to be boring.”

Tequila Elderflower Ranch Water

Cucumber Soda + tequila + elderflower + a little pickle-y heat.

Think Ranch Water after a summer holiday in England. Malik Acid combines the classic Southwestern tequila cooler with that very British pairing of cucumber and elderflower, then throws in pickled jalapeños and brine for a slightly dirty, spicy edge. Floral, fresh, savoury and extremely easy to drink.

Ingredients
1 oz 100% agave blanco tequila – Malik Acid uses Tapatio or Ocho
½ oz elderflower cordial
Something & Nothing Cucumber Soda
Garnish: Pickled jalapeños and a spoon of pickle brine

Method
Add the tequila and elderflower cordial to a tall glass filled with ice.
Top with Something & Nothing Cucumber Soda.
Add pickle brine and jalapeños to taste.

Panaché
Sicilian Lemon Iced Tea Soda + cold beer. That’s basically it.

Beer and lemonade has many names and many fans. Britain has the shandy, France has the panaché and plenty of other beer-drinking cultures have their own version. Here, Something & Nothing Sicilian Lemon Iced Tea Soda takes the place of lemonade, bringing citrus, tea and a little more complexity to an exceptionally simple drink.
Make it very cold. Drink somewhere sunny. Beer nuts encouraged.

Ingredients
Something & Nothing Sicilian Lemon Iced Tea Soda
Your favourite light beer
Garnish: Organic, unwaxed lemon

Method
Chill a beer glass in the freezer for 1–2 hours, or preferably overnight.
Half fill the glass with Something & Nothing Sicilian Lemon Iced Tea Soda.
Top up with beer.
Serve with a wedge of lemon. A small but important detail: pour the soda first to help keep the beer nice and frothy.

Mezcal & Campari Paloma
Smoky mezcal, bitter grapefruit, juicy pineapple and a pinch of salt.

The Paloma is already very hard to improve upon. Malik Acid wisely doesn’t mess with it too much.
Smoky mezcal meets Something & Nothing Pineapple & Pink Grapefruit Soda, while a float of red bitter deepens the grapefruit and a pinch of salt brings out the fruit. Fresh pineapple leaves give the whole thing just enough tiki energy. It also happens to make a very good pitcher for the table.

Ingredients
1 oz mezcal – Malik Acid uses Lost Explorer Espadin
Something & Nothing Pineapple & Pink Grapefruit Soda
Pinch of pink Himalayan salt
⅓ oz red bitter, such as Campari – Malik Acid uses Forthave Red
Garnish: Fresh pineapple leaves

Method
Build the mezcal and soda in a glass over ice.
Top with Something & Nothing Pineapple & Pink Grapefruit Soda.
Float the Campari by pouring it over a bar spoon.
Garnish with fresh pineapple leaves.

Vermouth and Soda
A proper aperitivo with very little effort required.

Vermouth and soda is one of those drinks that makes a strong case for doing less. Sweet red vermouth brings spice and botanicals; Something & Nothing Orange & Mandarin Soda adds bitter citrus and fizz.
Naturally lower in alcohol than many classic cocktails, it’s made for the start of a meal, a long lunch or that suspiciously specific part of the afternoon when olives suddenly seem essential.

Ingredients
1 oz sweet red vermouth – Malik Acid uses Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
Something & Nothing Orange & Mandarin Soda
Garnish: Seasonal orange and a green olive

Method
Pour the vermouth into a fancy rocks or stemmed glass over ice.
Top with Something & Nothing Orange & Mandarin Soda and stir.
Garnish with a slice of seasonal orange and a green olive.

Night Market
Mango. Thai basil. Lime. Chilli. Holiday mode in your glass.

Malik Acid really loves mangos. Their words, not ours, but we are in wholehearted agreement here. 
Inspired by the interplay of sweet, bitter, savoury and spicy flavours found across regional Thai cooking, the Night Market combines vodka, Ancho Reyes and fresh lime with Something & Nothing Mango & Thai Basil Soda.
It’s tropical without being overly sweet, aromatic without getting too serious, and finished with fresh red chilli for the kind of kick that makes you immediately want another sip.

Ingredients
1 oz vodka
½ oz Ancho Reyes
½ oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
Something & Nothing Mango & Thai Basil Soda
Garnish: Red chilli

Method
Add the vodka, Ancho Reyes and lime juice to a cocktail shaker and give it a firm, hard shake for the count of five.
Strain over cubed ice into a short tumbler or rocks glass.
Top with Something & Nothing Mango & Thai Basil Soda and garnish with slices of red chilli.

Coffee Tonic
Floral soda and coffee. It really, really works.

Coffee tonic has travelled from Scandinavia into coffee shops around the world, and this version takes the idea in a particularly aromatic direction.
The floral botanicals of Something & Nothing Hibiscus & Rose Soda meet coffee liqueur for a long drink that moves easily into after-dinner territory. Or swap in a freshly drawn espresso for a non-alcoholic version that makes considerably more sense before lunch.
Morning to night, sorted.

Ingredients
1 oz coffee liqueur – Malik Acid uses Forthave Brown
Something & Nothing Hibiscus & Rose Soda
Option: Substitute the liqueur for a freshly drawn espresso
Garnish: Organic, unwaxed lemon

Method
Pour the soda over ice in a glass and top with coffee or coffee liqueur.
Garnish with a slice of lemon.

Sweetened Black Tea Highball
Japanese whisky highball meets Arnold Palmer, with yuzu doing some major heavy lifting.

Highballs are simple for a reason: long, cold, refreshing and endlessly adaptable.
This one pulls together two references – the Japanese whisky highball and the American Arnold Palmer – pairing Japanese whisky with sweetened black tea and Something & Nothing Yuzu Soda. The yuzu brings a mix of bright citrus flavours, while tea gives the drink depth without weighing it down.
Malik Acid developed theirs with black Ceylon tea, but consider that a starting point rather than a rule.

Ingredients
3 oz black tea, sweetened to taste
1 oz your favourite Japanese whisky – Malik Acid uses Hibiki Harmony
Something & Nothing Yuzu Soda
Garnish: Shiso leaf
Sweetened Black Tea
Blend or mix thoroughly 16 fl oz (2 cups) of freshly brewed strong black tea with 1 cup of white caster sugar and leave to cool.
Chill in the fridge overnight.

Method
Add the tea and whisky to a cocktail shaker and give it a firm, hard shake for the count of five.
Strain over ice into a tumbler or highball. Use a large cube if you have access to one.
Top up with Something & Nothing Yuzu Soda.
Garnish with a shiso leaf.

Kentucky Mule
Bourbon, ginger and lime. No surprises. Zero complaints.

Sometimes a flavour combination has already done all the necessary research.
Malik Acid’s take on the Kentucky Mule pairs bourbon with Something & Nothing Ginger & Lime Soda, giving you the fiery ginger and citrus you want without the heavier sweetness of a traditional ginger beer or ginger ale. A couple of dashes of Angostura and plenty of fresh mint finish the job. Excellent input to enjoyment ratio. I.e. ridiculously simple, very delicious.

Ingredients
1 oz bourbon – Malik Acid uses Maker’s Mark
Something & Nothing Ginger & Lime Soda
Angostura bitters
Garnish: Fresh mint

Method
Build the bourbon and Something & Nothing Ginger & Lime Soda over ice in a highball or tall tumbler.
Stir to mix.
Add two dashes of Angostura bitters to “float” on top.
Lightly pat the fresh mint between your palms, rub it around the rim of the glass and place it into the drink as garnish.