A little more than a year ago when we were tossed into COVID quarantine, my alcohol consumption pretty much ground to a halt. To be fair, I really only drank when I went out (either to dinner or a party or to a friend's house). I stopped drinking at home a while ago, and when it finally dawned on me that the after-effects of drinking weren't doing me any favors, I stopped drinking altogether. Every once in a while I will have a very short glass of wine or some prosecco to celebrate a special occasion, and sometimes if a new flavor is introduced, I'll try a spiked seltzer. Otherwise, I stick to non-alcoholic versions of my favorite cocktails.
I don't miss the taste of alcohol or the way it made me feel the next day, but I do miss some of the rituals around alcohol. Pouring a glass of wine signaled that my workday was over, and what a great feeling that always is. I can still enjoy those rituals, but now it's with a mocktail.
Here are 5 of my favorite mocktails that show that all the fun isn't just for cocktails.
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1. Rose Lemon Spritzer via Half Baked Harvest
One of the things I always loved about drinking rosé was the color of the wine. There was just something so refreshing and satisfying about that light, blush pink drink. Well, this one has the same subtle shade of pink and tastes even better than a glass of rosé.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons rose water * optional
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 to 1 cup sparkling water or more to taste
1-2 tablespoon honey or to taste (use agave if vegan)
a few drops of blood orange or pomegranate juice for color (optional)
fresh roses for garnish (optional)
Preparation
Combine all the rose water, fresh lemon juice, honey, and blood orange or pomegranate juice (if using) in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until combined and then strain into a glass. Pour in the sparkling water. Garnish with fresh roses, if using. DRINK!
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2. Virgin Cucumber Gimlet via Town and Country
A traditional gimlet is made with gin and lime juice This virgin one uses club soda in place of the gin, and that substitution makes it all the more refreshing.
Ingredients
1.5 oz club soda
4-5 slices of muddled cucumber
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz simple syrup*
Preparation
Combine all ingredients and shake with ice. Serve in a rocks glass over crushed ice. Garnish with a rolled cucumber slice.
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3. Virgin Margarita via The Pinning Mama
Before you ask, "What's a margarita without tequila?", hear me out. This one has an eerily similar taste without the tequila, which completely blew me away because tequila has such a unique flavor that I always thought would be impossible to replicate in a non-alcoholic drink. But this recipe gets very close.
Ingredients
1/2 cup limeaide
1/4 cup lemon flavored Dasani Sparking Water
1/4 cup lime flavored Dasani Sparkling Water
1/4 cup orange juice ice
Optional bur recommended: salt & lime to garnish
Preparation
Pour limeaide, lemon Dasani sparkling water, lime Dasani Sparkling water and orange juice into a pitcher and mix.
Rim glass with salt if desired by turning glass upside down and dipping it into water then salt.
Fill glass 2/3 full with ice, then pour the margarita over the top.
Garnish with lime wedges or slices.
Note: This makes one 10 oz drink, scale the recipe up (1:1) to make your desired amount of drinks.
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4. Non-Alcoholic Sangria via Simple Vegan Blog
I've never met a sangria that I didn't like. And that means they were so tasty that I often forgot there was actually alcohol in them...until the next morning. This sangria recipe delivers the same amazing taste but without the wine headache the next day. And many traditional sangrias are often made with a simple syrup or have added sugar to balance the alcohol. But since this recipe doesn't contain alcohol, there is also no added sugar.
Ingredients
4 cups white grape juice
1/4 cup blueberries + 3/4 cup blueberries
1 cup orange juice
Juice of 1 lime + 2 limes
2 oranges
2 bananas
2 peaches (or about 10 slices of frozen peaches)
Preparation
Blend the white grape juice with 1/4 cup blueberries. Pour this liquid mixture in a jar or bowl. Add the orange and the lime juice. Stir until it is well mixed. Place ice in a jar, add the liquid mixture, the chopped fruits (2 oranges, 2 bananas, 2 limes and 2 peaches) and 3/4 cup of blueberries. Let the sangria stand in the fridge for about 2 hours.
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5. Blueberry Mojito via Town and Country
A traditional mojito contains rum and lots of mint. So, if you don't like mint, skip the mojitos. I happen to love mint, and in a mojito, mint is muddled so it infuses the liquid in a delicious way. This one is blueberry-based, but you can make them with watermelon, strawberries, or just about any kind of berry.
Ingredients
6-8 mint leaves
Handful of fresh blueberries
2 oz. of lime juice
2 oz. of simple syrup
Splash of club soda
Preparation
Lightly muddle blueberries. Add all ingredients and ice in a shaker. Shake and serve.
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