Whether you are choosing to skip spirits due to age, health, or personal reasons, there is no sense in missing out on flavourful drinks. There's a wealth of non-alcoholic cocktails, whether traditional or modern, to satisfy any occasion or festive mood.
The Ice-O-Lation
Ingredients
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp lemon or lime juice
1 cup sprite club soda or ginger ale
Sugar (optional)
Mint leaves
Ice cubes
Salt to taste
Method
Mix the orange juice with lime or lemon juice in a jug. Fill two glasses with ice cubes. Pour the juice mixture in the glass till half full. Add sprite or soda or ginger ale and a pinch of salt.
Lightly crush mint leaves and add to glass. Pop in an eco-friendly straw and garnish with a slice of orange.
Recipe from Capsicum Culinary Studio.
Rock shandy
Ingredients
½ can soda water
½ can lemonade
4 - 6 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
Garnish: fresh lemon or lime wedge
Method
Build ingredients over ice, dash with Angostura aromatic bitters, stir, garnish with a lime wedge and serve.
Lemon, lime, and bitters
Ingredients
6 - 8 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters
30ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
22ml lime cordial
22ml sugar syrup
Sprite
Garnish: fresh lemon or lime wedge
Method
Add Angostura aromatic bitters, then ice.
Add lemon juice, lime cordial, and sugar syrup.
Top up with Sprite.
Garnish by squeezing the lemon or lime wedge into the drink.
Serve.
Non-alcoholic Aperol spritz
Ingredients
700 ml of Aperol
4g of malic acid
100 ml of water
Rhubarb soda
Ice cubes
Method
Add the Aperol to a pan and reduce over low heat until it has a syrupy consistency – this will remove the alcohol from the liquid.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool before returning to a clean bottle.
Dissolve the malic acid in the water and stir thoroughly.
Add to a dripper bottle.
To assemble the mocktail, add 15ml of the reduced Aperol to a glass with ice.
Add three drops of the malic acid solution and top with the rhubarb soda.
Stir and serve.
Recipe by Lee Westcott.