The Story Behind The Better Living

Bar Contra, the much-anticipated and most recent NYC offering from Dave Arnold, opened in 2024. Bar manager Theo Ouya uses Arnold’s extensive technical expertise and experience for each of the bar’s cocktails, including this shaken non-alcoholic concoction. As with all recipes in the Arnold realm, this is not for the faint of heart, from a preparation standpoint, and requires the typical cast of esoteric ingredients and equipment. Even if you don’t end up trying to tackle it at home, this recipe highlights the sheer effort and attention to detail Ouya, Arnold, and team have applied to every cocktail on the bar’s menu — whether they contain alcohol or not.

This recipe is part of our Best Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Programs in the U.S.

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
  • 27.3 grams Cream Syrup*
  • ¾ ounce Poly-D**
  • ¾ ounce Metho-Good***
  • ½ ounce Glacid****
  • ½ ounce Orris Root Tincture*****
  • 10 drops Wormwood Tincture******
  • 2 drops succinic acid solution*******

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker, add ice, and shake vigorously for 15 seconds.
  2. Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe.

Rate This Recipe:

(3 votes)

Yield: 1
Calories: 200
Updated: 2025-01-13

*Cream Syrup Ingredients

  • 250 grams 36% heavy cream
  • 250 grams white cane sugar
  • 7 ½ grams citric acid solution (85 grams water and 15 grams citric acid powder)

*Cream Syrup Directions

  1. Combine heavy cream and sugar in a large bowl and stir with a silicone spatula until completely dissolved.
  2. Stir in citric acid solution.
  3. Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Better Living

**Poly-D

Ingredients

  • 200 grams water
  • 200 grams polydextrose powder

Directions

  1. In a blender, add water then polydextrose powder and blend on high for one minute, until power is completely dissolved.
  2. Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

***Metho-Goop

Ingredients

  • 200 grams water
  • 100 grams ice
  • 6 grams Methocel F-50
  • 3 grams white gum arabic
  • 0.6 grams xanthan gum

Directions

  1. In a blender, combine water, gum Arabic, and xanthan gum, and blend on medium until completely dissolved.
  2. Add ice and blend until smooth.
  3. Using rubber-gloved hands, incorporate Methocel, breaking up the clumps into small chunks.
  4. Transfer solution to an airtight container and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
  5. Stir mixture to break up any remaining chunks.
  6. Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

****Glacid

Ingredients

  • 298 grams water
  • 252 grams food grade vegetable glycerin
  • 17 grams lactic acid solution (88% powder solution in water)
  • 15 grams tartaric acid powder

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk until dissolved.
  2. Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

*****Orris Root Tincture

Ingredients

  • 200 grams boiling water
  • 3 grams orris root

Directions

  1. In a sealable, heat-resistant container, combine ingredients.
  2. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill completely.
  3. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
  4. Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

******Wormwood Tincture

Ingredients

  • 200 grams boiling water
  • 3 grams wormwood

Directions

  1. In a sealable, heat-resistant container, combine ingredients.
  2. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill completely.
  3. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
  4. Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

*******Succinic Acid Solution

Ingredients

  • 98 grams hot water
  • 8 grams Succinic acid powder

Directions

  1. In a bowl, combine ingredients and stir until dissolved.
  2. Use immediately or store in a cool dry place for up to one week.