Blueberry Pomegranate Colada Agua Fresca

As someone who writes about drinks for a living, it might come as somewhat of a surprise that the non-alcoholic list is the first thing I look at when I sit down at a restaurant. That's not because I don't consume alcohol, but it's because often times, I see some seriously exciting creativity on this section of the menu, and if I'm going to have a stronger drink — say, a Negroni or a Martini — later in the meal, I'd prefer to start things off slow.

In the case of All Day Baby in Los Angeles, the NA list proved especially fun thank to unexpected hits like a Negroni Float, an entire section of boozy milkshakes, and an enticing selection of agua frescas like a blueberry pomegranate colada agua fresca. With the enticing fizz level of a Piña Colada and a tart kick of pomegranate tempered by the sweetness of fresh blueberries, this is exactly the kind of refreshing, booze-free drink I'm looking for at brunch (which happened to be what brought me into ADB in the first place). Add coconut cream, and you might as well be headed on vacation.

The fluffy texture of this drink is achieved by employing what bartenders call a "whip shake", for which you'll need to add one or two ice cubes to a cocktail shaker, and shake hard until the ice is fully dissolved. It's a more involved process than a regular shake (or a dry shake, which calls for no ice at all), but the cloud-like texture of the resulting agua fresca is unlike anything you've had before.

To achieve full visual satisfaction, I'd suggest serving this drink in a pint or milkshake glass. Make sure you top off the agua fresca mixture with club soda instead of tonic water (no, they're not the same!) and add some crushed ice to keep every sip extra cool. –– Oset Babür-Winter