Festive Mocktail Recipes for an Alcohol-free Christmas

With Christmas almost upon us, many of us are beginning to stock up on food and drinks to indulge in over the Christmas break. Chocolate tins are filling up our cupboards and our fridges are getting full with cheese selections, nibbles and drinks, not to mention the ingredients for our hearty Christmas dinners. Whilst everyone else is getting ready to eat, drink and be merry, some of us will be missing out the drink part (or at least the alcohol). These �mocktail� recipes will allow us to have a merry Christmas whilst staying sober.

Why drink mocktails?

A mocktail is a non-alcoholic cocktail. Everyone has their own reason for choosing mocktails over alcoholic cocktails, but they have benefits for everybody. Perhaps one of the best is that Christmas is a time when many people decide to drink a little too much in the name of Christmas spirit which not only results in a terrible hangover the next day but can also be very dangerous.

Even if you want to drink alcohol yourself, it�s always a good idea to provide non-alcoholic drink alternatives for your guests because they may not wish to or be able to drink alcohol. Plus, if you have children visiting, they�ll love having something festive and sophisticated to drink.

With festive mocktails, you can still enjoy a Christmassy drink without paying for it afterwards. If you are inclined to drink alcohol over the holidays, mocktails are great for drinking between alcoholic drinks to stop you from getting too drunk. Plus, you�re bound to be drinking a lot on New Year�s Eve, so why not be kind to your body over Christmas and treat yourself to celebrate the New Year instead?

This doesn�t sound very festive�

Mocktails actually make great Christmas drink alternatives because you can use lots of different ingredients so you won�t have to miss out of festive flavours such as cinnamon and mint, nor will you have to sacrifice those pretty party colours that lots of cocktails come in. There are hundreds of different mocktails available to buy and even more recipes out there. If you want to be adventurous, you can even make up your own.

Recipe examples

If you need some inspiration, take a look at the following recipes and see what you can whip up to get your non-drinking guests in the Christmas spirit. Non-alcoholic drink alternatives can be a lot more exciting than simple juices with a bit of creativity.

1. Cranberry Sparkler Mocktail

You will need�

- White cranberry juice (2 ounces)

- Blackberry puree (1 � ounces)

- Sparkling water (2-3 ounces)

- 1 sprig of mint

First put the blackberry puree and cranberry juice together in a champagne flute. Fill the rest of the glass with sparkling water. This should mix the ingredients but if you want them to blend together more you can mix them yourself. Then place a sprig of mint on the top to garnish.

2. Mulled Apple Juice Mocktail

You will need�

- Apple juice (1 litre)

- Sugar or honey (add according to taste)

- 3 cloves

- Orange peel strips

- 1 cinnamon stick

Simmer the apple juice together with the cloves, orange peel strips and cinnamon stick for around 5 to 10 minutes, or until all the flavours have combined. Add sugar or honey to sweeten the mixture. Serve the drinks warm and garnish with a piece of cinnamon stick and orange peel if desired.

3. Orange and Cranberry Spritz Mocktail

You will need�

- Smooth orange juice (500ml)

- Smooth cranberry juice (500ml)

- Sparkling elderflower dink (400ml)

Mix up the cranberry juice with the orange juice in a jug. Add your sparkling elderflower drink, but pour it in slowly to prevent the drink from fizzing over. Serve the drink in tall glasses and add ice if desired (although you may not need it if you�re drinking it at Christmas).