The best (and prettiest) mocktails to make for the holidays right now!
For many people, December is a month filled with a variety of parties and celebrations with families, friends and colleagues. It is also a month where alcohol flows freely and even people who don’t drink much often have a few extra drinks as part of the ‘spirit of the season’.
Unfortunately, there is a link between alcohol and breast cancer, with women who regularly drink more than three drinks per week at a 15% increased risk of breast cancer (as well as increasing your risk for other cancers). There are many women who drink regularly who never have breast cancer, and there are women who don’t drink who are diagnosed with the disease. But if you are concerned about your breast cancer risk and are looking for ways of reducing that risk, limiting the amount of alcohol you drink is one step you can take. To find out more, check out this article from our friends at BreastCancer.org
We’ve come up with a simple solution for still allowing you to enjoy some tasty beverages this holiday season: Mocktails! Moderate the amount you drink this holiday season by trying some delectable mocktails in place of an alcoholic beverage. Here are five mocktail recipes to help keep your spirits bright and sipping stylishly.
1. GINGER FIZZ
The Green Table at Chelsea Market, New York City
Ingredients:
In glass ¾ full of ice add:
1 oz Ginger Syrup
.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
4 – 5 oz Sparkling Water or Seltzer
Directions:
Stir well.
Garnish: Crystallized Ginger or Lime ½ Wheel
Ginger Syrup Recipe (makes 1.5 quarts)
Preparation:
Place one large piece ginger (preferably organic) inside plastic wrap or wax paper.
Pound with a meat tenderizer to release the juices.
Add to a sauce pan with 1 quart filtered water & 1 quart (4cups) organic sugar (or agave nectar) and bring just to a boil.
Stir to dissolve sugar.
Turn off and let cool. Strain, when desired ginger flavor is reached (at least 30 minutes to overnight.)
2. LEMONGRASS JASMINE ICED TEA
From Hakkasan, New York City
Ingredients:
Muddle 4-5 pieces of Cut lemon grass
.5 oz home-made Vanilla simple syrup
.5 oz Lemon
4 oz Jasmine Tea
2 oz Rubicon Lychee Juice
Directions:
Shake with ice.
Double Strain into high ball glass.
Add cubed ice.
Top with crushed ice.
Garnish with lemon grass.
3. ROSEMARY BLUEBERRY SMASH
By Danielle Walker of Against All Grain
Prep time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients:
7-8 Blueberries
1 Rosemary sprig, stripped
1 oz Honey syrup
1 oz Fresh lemon juice, strained
4 oz Sparkling mineral water
Ice
Method:
Gently muddle blueberries, rosemary leaves, and honey syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add lemon juice and shake, covered, with ice vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain through a mesh strainer into a tall glass of fresh ice. Top with sparkling water and stir to incorporate.
4. BLUBERRY MOJITO
From the Emerald Lounge in The Revere Hotel, Boston, MA
Ingredients:
6-8 mint leaves
Handful of Fresh blueberries – slightly muddle together.
2 oz of Lime juice
2 oz of Simple syrup
Splash of Club soda
Directions:
Add ice.
Shake.
Enjoy!
5. CUCUMBER COOLER
From Rouge Tomate, New York City
Ingredients:
Pinch of Mint
Pinch of Tarragon
5 oz Mixed green juice
1 oz Lemon juice
½ oz Agave syrup
Recipe for Mixed Green Juice:
4 oz Mint juice
4 oz Parsley Juice
4 oz Basil Juice
10 oz Spinach Juice
10 oz Butter Lettuce Juice
Directions:
In mixing glass muddle mint and tarragon.
Add ice and all ingredients and shake vigorously.
Strain over ice into a soda glass.
Garnish with a lemon and vegetable spring.
6. NICE PEAR
From The Third Man, NYC
Ingredients
2 oz Pear juice
1 oz Lemon juice
.75 oz Rosemary-infused simple syrup
Instructions
Combine ingredients in cocktail shaker and shake with ice.
Strain into rocks glass (or serve up) and top with soda water.
Garnish with a slice of pear.
