Getting Familiar With Mocktails + Recipes
Published by
CONTRAVE Care Team
on
We get it! Celebrations with friends and family, soaking up some sun outdoors, or relaxing in the evenings can all be reasons to enjoy and crave your favorite alcoholic drink. But what if you can't consume alcohol due to health conditions? Or do you take medications that don't react well with alcohol? Or do you just want to live a healthier life and cut down or stop consuming alcohol? Fear not! We have a few low-calorie, delicious, and all-around healthy mocktail recipes for you.
Okay…But What's A Mocktail?
Mocktails are non-alcoholic beverages that replicate craft cocktails, just without any of the booze. They are still crafted using herbs, fruits, juices, syrups, and other ingredients like a cocktail and use the same mixology methods that are used when making alcoholic beverages. Mocktails are also not new to the scene; they've been around for years (remember the Shirley Temple?) but have recently gotten a bit of a facelift. Mocktails are now being crafted with the same care and expertise as your regular cocktails—think elaborate garnishes, entertaining preparation, and savvy presentation. Your mocktail will look and taste just as great as any cocktail.
Why Choose A Mocktail?
Alcoholic drinks, especially mixed drinks, tend to be high in sugar and calories, making them not so diet friendly. Additionally, alcohol dehydrates your body and often interferes with sleep patterns, which also points in the negative column for those on a weight loss journey. The best part of a mocktail is no hangover! Mocktails don't contain alcohol so you don't need to worry about being hungover and skipping your AM workout or eating a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel because your body "just needs it."
Now, Who's Ready For A Mocktail?
If you are still following along, you are probably excited about how mocktails can aid your weight loss efforts and probably want a few mocktail recipes to try. Well, we've mixed up three simple, lower-calorie, and healthy mocktails to get you started on your mocktail journey (and we even gave them fancy names to complete the feel). Cheers!
Sparkling Strawberry Spritz: Transport your taste buds to summer with this refreshing and slightly nostalgic mocktail recipe. All you need is a handful of strawberries, 1 lemon, 1 can or cup of sparkling water (bonus points for strawberry flavored), 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar, or 1 tablespoon of stevia. Cut up strawberries and place them in a blender. Squeeze lemon juice into the blender as well and add coconut sugar or stevia to mix. Blend until the mixture has a slightly slushy consistency. Pour strawberry mixture into a cocktail glass and top with sparkling water and ice. Garnish with a lemon slice and strawberry.
Orange Ginger Kombucha Refresher: Give your body a boost with this mocktail! High in vitamin C, loaded with probiotics, and full of anti-inflammatory properties, this beverage not only tastes good but makes you feel good too. All you need for this recipe is 4 oz of kombucha (orange, ginger, or traditional flavor), 2 oz of fresh squeezed orange juice (half an orange if you are squeezing it yourself), one ginger shot (you can find these in the produce or refrigerator section of most grocery stores), and 2 oz of tonic water. In a cocktail shaker, add orange juice and a ginger shot. Shake until well combined. In a glass, add some ice and pour in kombucha then orange juice and ginger shot mixture. Top with tonic water and garnish with an orange slice or orange peel.
Mocktail Moscow Mule: The cult favorite Moscow Mule minus the booze! Three simple ingredients: Olipop Ginger Lemon Tonic, ginger beer, and mint. Grab a copper cup (because it's still a Moscow mule after all) and muddle mint leaves or chop leaves into large pieces. Throw muddled or chopped mint into a cup and pour in one can of Olipop Ginger Lemon Tonic. Add in one teaspoon of ginger beer and a couple more mint leaves. Top off with ice and give the drink a stir. Enjoy!
CON-1667-001 06/23