Celebrate Dry January With These 12 Delicious Herbal Mocktail Recipes
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Fancy beverages make life more fun, but you don’t need alcohol to have a good time. Try making these herbal mocktails using only a few ingredients — some that even have health benefits! Whether you prefer a sweeter, floral flavor or a spicy herbal kick, you’ll look like a pro in the kitchen after crafting any of the beautiful and tasty recipes with something fun to drink when each day ends.
1. Virgin Piña Colada
You’re only ever five minutes away from an icy piña colada mocktail. Grab your blender to prep one or more servings at the touch of a button. All you need is frozen pineapple chunks, cream of coconut and pineapple juice. Add half a teaspoon of basil per glass to round out the sweetness with an earthy undertone.
Once it’s a bright yellow puree, serve in glasses featuring tiny umbrellas for a beachside getaway at home. The tropical fruit’s antioxidants may lower your cholesterol and prevent heart disease if you regularly treat yourself to virgin piña coladas.
2. Sparkling Mock Champagne
When celebrating something traditionally involving a champagne toast, get your flutes ready for mock champagne. Fill half of your glass with white grape juice and equal parts ginger ale. Stir a dash of cinnamon into your glass to ground the flavor profile with woody notes.
Your alcohol-free sparkling beverage will look like everyone else’s champagne. Reducing your alcohol intake already promotes healthy living, but if you want to reduce your sugar intake as well, you could use a diet ginger ale or sugar-free grape juice.
3. Blueberry-Basil Limeade
You’ll feel like the world’s most clever mixologist if you make a blueberry-basil limeade mocktail. First, create a batch of blueberry simple syrup by boiling blueberries, basil and mint in sugar water. After straining, you only need sparkling water and lime juice. Garnish with mint leaves or lemon slices for an Instagram-worthy beverage that will make everyone ask for their own glasses.
4. Watermelon Margarita Mocktail
Summer’s most refreshing melon is here to quench your margarita cravings. Blend seedless watermelon chunks with simple syrup, lime juice, lemon juice and sea salt. Add a few sage leaves to give your mouthwatering drink a subtle piney flavor. You’ll make enough to fill a pitcher, which is perfect for parties. It’s also an excellent alternative to water if you want to better maintain your hydration during the day.
5. Sparkling Citrus Pomegranate Juice
Add a pop of color to your meals with a glass of sparkling citrus pomegranate juice. This mocktail is a flavorful alternative to water or soda. It won’t even dirty too many dishes. Place a standard glass on your kitchen counter and fill it with juices from pomegranates, oranges and limes. Top it with sparkling water or club soda to create the fizzy effect that makes any day brighter.
If you plan to sip on it all morning or afternoon, prepare herbal ice cubes beforehand. You could fill an ice cube tray with water and place a mint sprig in each cavity. Once they freeze, you’ll slowly steep an herbal layer into your juice as the ice melts in your glass.
6. Peach Rosemary Mocktail
Take yourself to a farm full of fresh fruit hanging off trees by sipping on a peach rosemary mocktail. The fun recipe is easy to whip up but looks professionally made. Simmer sliced pieces with rosemary and sugar water to create a nectar simple syrup. Once you strain the mixture, pour some into your glass along with sparkling water and lime wedges. Garnish with extra rosemary for a summer-sweet drink that looks as beautiful as it tastes.
7. Virgin Jalapeño Mule
If spicy Moscow mules used to be your go-to drink, make a mocktail version when you want to treat yourself to something nice. All you need is ginger beer, lime juice and one or two slices of a jalapeño with its seeds. Want even more heat? Add a dash of cayenne pepper too. Muddle the slices in your mug or glass before pouring your ginger beer and lime juice on top.
Add more jalapeño to reach your desired level of spice. It’s one of the nightshade veggies rich in alkaloids that may treat numerous diseases with their powerful ability to disrupt virus replication. Making your drink spicier could protect your health more than drinks featuring fewer jalapeño slices.
8. Strawberry Mojito
Mocktails pair well with any meal, but a strawberry mojito could be the best addition to any light summer salad. Give your day an extra minty kick by making the mocktail for brunch or lunch. Muddle strawberries and mint leaves before adding your favorite sweetener, soda water and a handful of ice cubes. Squeeze one lime over your beverage before sipping on the zesty, minty mocktail whenever you want to change your typical beverage routine.
9. Mulled Apple Cider
Warm apple cider hits the spot during chilly evenings. Revisit a classic recipe by pouring yourself a mug of mulled cider any time of the year. Simmer a combination of apple cider, cinnamon, orange rinds, cranberries and other sweet ingredients for at least 45 minutes. Save your concoction in a large pitcher and warm a single serving on the stove whenever you want a hot mocktail.
10. Brunch-Ready Bloody Mary
A bloody Mary is one of the fanciest herbal mocktails you can make. The traditional recipe calls for numerous spices, including celery salt, thyme and cloves. If you toss every ingredient into a blender and puree, you’ll have an instant savory drink ready to enjoy. You may even balance your gut’s microbiome with the fiber hidden in every tomato’s rind.
11. Mint Julep Mocktail
You don’t need to understand the Kentucky Derby to pamper yourself with a mint julep. The historic beverage is beautiful and delicious, especially during hot weather seasons. Simmer a lemon-mint simple syrup for a few minutes on your stove and strain the mint sprigs out. Add ginger ale, ice and maraschino cherries before garnishing the glass with lemon wedges and sipping the world-renowned drink.
12. Ginger Rose Fizz
Serve your friends glasses of ginger rose mocktails the next time you host brunch. Mix homemade rose simple syrup with orange bitters, orange juice and ginger beer. You could even add ground cardamom to elevate your glass’s flavor. Serve over ice for a sparkling, orange-pink herbal beverage that will have everyone asking for another round.
Mia Barnes is a freelance writer and researcher with a passion for holistic healing and healthy living. She is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the online publication Body+Mind magazine.
Find holistic Food & Cooking in the Spirit of Change online Alternative Health Directory.
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