Peach Bellini Mocktail
Ingredients
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup peach juice
1 wedge lemon juice
Agave nectar, honey or simple syrup (to taste)
Sparkling water
Apple or peach slice for garnish (optional)
Directions
Add apple, peach and lemon juices to a champagne flute. Heat agave syrup (or simple syrup/honey) and stir in. Top off your amazing mocktail with sparkling water. To finish, wedge the apple slice on the rim.
Strawberry Basil Spritzer
As far back as Roman times, strawberries have been used to alleviate inflammation, reduce fever, cure gout, improve bad breath, and more! When combined with basil (which has both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties) and lime, this tasty treat becomes a powerhouse of health benefits.
Ingredients
2 cups strawberries (hulled and quartered, plus a couple of sliced strawberries for garnish)
¼ cup basil leaves + several sprigs for garnish (can substitute mint)
½ cup cane sugar
2 limes, juiced + I lime in thinly sliced rounds
Club soda/seltzer water
Ice
Directions
Place the strawberries and basil in a glass serving bowl or pitcher. Sprinkle sugar over it and lightly smash the ingredients together, softening the strawberries and slightly crushing the basil leaves. Lightly is the operative word here—you don’t want to turn this into a pulp!
Pour lime juice, gently stir, and allow to sit for a least a few minutes. If serving in individual glasses, place a few ice cubes in each glass and spoon the mixture over the ice with bubbly water. Garnish with sliced strawberries, lime round, and a sprig of basil. If serving in a pitcher or bowl, gently combine the strawberry mixture with ice and desired amount of bubbly water, and float the garnish on top.
Grapefruit & Rosemary Mimosa
As you've probably noticed, I've become a big fan of infused simple syrups! They're a great way to add depth to an otherwise simple drink. This Mimosa inspired mocktail uses rosemary syrup (one of my favourite herbs, rosmary is great for stimulating focus and memory), but the possibilities for other combinations are endless!
Ingredients
Mocktail
2 tablespoons Rosemary Simple Syrup
1/2 cup of grapefruit juice
Club soda/seltzer water
Grapefruit and rosemary to garnish
Simple Syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Directions
Simple Syrup
Bring sugar and water to a boil (this happens quickly!) with rosemary stirred into it. Stirring often, boil for 1 minute or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, place into fridge and let sit for 30 minutes. If possible, run the liquid through a sieve or cheesecloth. Chill before use.
You can also make simple syrup in the microwave by placing the mixture in a glass tupperware container and heating it at 30 second intervals until sugar is fully dissolved.
Mocktail (per 1 serving)
Put about 2 tablespoons Rosemary Simple syrup (recipe above) into a champagne glass. Fill the glass about 1/2 full with chilled grapefruit juice. Top with chilled club soda/seltzer. Garnish with rosemary and fresh grapefruit.
Cucumber Lime Agua Fresca
This drink happens to be one of my favourite (and so simple!) recipes drawn from my adopted country of Mexico. The humble cucumber, which is the featured ingredient in this drink, is high in vitamin K, B vitamins, copper, potassium, vitamin C, and manganese. Cucumber has been said to relieve stress, improve skin, have anti-inflammatory properties, and contains the antioxidant flavonoid quercetin, which is believed to prevent histamine release—perfect for allergy season! Combined with lime, another antioxidant powerhouse that can aid digestion, this drink is a wonderful antidote to any overindulgence.
Ingredients
4 cups chopped peeled cucumber
2 cups water
2 to 4 limes, juiced (depending on preferred tartness)
2 to 4 tablespoons agave (depending on preferred sweetness)
Directions
Blend all of the ingredients, strain, and serve over ice. You can float thinly sliced cucumber with the peel still on and lime rounds, as an elegant and easy garnish.
Serves 4 (this recipe can be easily doubled or tripled!)
Lavender Lemonade Mocktail
This bright and refreshing mocktail is made with tons of great ingredients with great health benefits. Lavender can help fight stress, reduce headaches, improve sleep, and so much more, while lemons contain more potassium than apples or grapes, and blueberries are full of antioxidants!
Ingredients
1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1 1/2 tbsp Lavender Simple Syrup (Recipe below)
1/4 tsp Grenadine
3 dashes Bitters
Blueberries
Club soda or tonic water
Directions
Lavender Simple Syrup
Combine 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 tbsp dried lavender to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil then turn off the heat. Let mixture cool in the pan and then strain out the lavender. The syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to ten days
Mocktail (per 1 serving)
Combine the ingredients above in shaker with ice and shake until cold. Strain into glass and top off with club soda. Garnish with fresh lavender, blueberries, and lemon slices. (Try muddling the blueberries in your glass to enhance the beautiful colour of this mocktail!)
Watermelon "Mockarita"
I'm lucky enough live somewhere where we always have amazingly warm weather--and I'm SO grateful. If you're missing those summertime ☀️ sunshine ☀️ vibes, this margarita inspired mocktail might just uplift your mood.
Ingredients
1 medium seedless watermelon, cut into chunks
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
4 tsp agave
1/3 cup sparking water
Lime slices or mint leaves to garish
Directions
In a blender, puree enough watermelon chunks so that you have 4 cups of watermelon puree. Add lime juice and agave and mix again. Pour into 4 cups. Top each with sparkling water. Garnish each glass with a lime slice or mint leaf.
Spicy Bloody Mary
For those craving a more savory option, or who may have over-indulged the night before, this healthy Bloody Mary is sure to satisfy. If your "hair of the dog" Sunday brunch go-to is the Bloody Mary, why don't you try the alcohol-free (and waaay healthier) version?
Ingredients
4 ounces fresh tomato juice (if buying from the store, try for low sugar and sodium, or make your own)
2 ounces fresh carrot juice (you can also try celery juice)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons turmeric, to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped basil, parsley, or cilantro (optional)
½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon Horseradish (or more if you like more heat, also optional)
3 to 4 drops olive oil
Lime or lemon wedge, sea salt (or celery salt), and black pepper for rimming the glass
Garnish of choice
This is your chance to get creative and go beyond the requisite celery and lemon wedge! Pickled anything is amazing—try green beans, asparagus, carrots, okra, and baby onions. You can also add protein—turkey bacon or shrimp are interesting options.
Directions
Run the lime or lemon wedge around the rim of the class, and then turn upside down into a small plate with the salt and pepper. Carefully combine the remaining ingredients in the glass, add a couple of ice cubes, a sprinkle of pepper, and your garnish!
Sparkling Grapefruit Rosemary Mocktail
Rosemary is such a beautiful aromatic, I just can't get enough! (I also use it in floral bouquets around the house!) What is your favourite herb?
Ingredients
Rosemary Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
3 sprigs of rosemary
Mocktail (per 4 servings):
2 cups pink or ruby red grapefruit juice
1/4 cup of the rosemary simple syrup
4 cups sparkling water
Directions
To make the rosemary syrup:
In a small sauce pan on the stove, add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of granulated sugar over medium heat. Dissolve the sugar (this should take about 5 minutes). Do not let the mixture boil or crystals will form. Once the sugar has dissolved, pour the simple syrup into a heat safe container. Add 3 sprigs of rosemary and let steep for at least one hour. The syrup will keep in the refrigerator for ten days.
Mocktail (per 1 serving):
Fill glass halfway with ice. Add 1/2 cup grapefruit juice into your glass. Add 1 Tablespoon (1/2 oz) of your homemade rosemary simple syrup. Stir. Fill the remainder of the glass with sparkling water (about 1 cup). Garnish with rosemary sprig and sliced grapfruit.
Fruity "Noijto"
Mojitos are so versatile and SO easy to make... I like watermelon (when I'm in the tropics) or raspberries (when I'm somewhere they are in season) in mine, but it could just as easily be blueberries, strawberries, pomegranate, or classic mint and lime. What variation do you prefer?
Ingredients
Small handful of mint leaves 4 cubes of watermelon or 8 berries (give or take)
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp of cane sugar (or more or less to taste - I like mine tart)
Ice
Soda water to taste
To garnish
Mint leaves
Lime slices
Fruit of choice
Directions
Combine the mint, fruit or berries, lime juice and sugar in a glass and muddle everything together. The muddling step is important. Despite how fragrant mint is, those leaves won’t give up their flavor until you press them! But you don’t want to crush them. Top with some ice and soda water, garnish and serve.
Pomegranate Lassi
What does Friday mean for you? Is it going out to the club, staying in with a good book, or visiting with girlfriends?
No matter what activity you're partaking in this weekend, a fabulous Pomegranate Lassi might be the perfect compliment to your celebration. Lassi is one of the super foods that infuses your body with tons of energy without having too many calories, which I know we can all appreciate.
Ingredients
½ cup of Pomegranate seeds
1 cup of thick yogurt, Greek yogurt or coconut yogurt
A pinch of cardamom powder
2 tablespoon honey or sugar
½ teaspoon kewra essence or rose-water
A few pistachios to garnish
A few pomegranate seeds to garnish
Directions
First grind or blend the pomegranate seeds. Then sieve the juice to get rid of any crushed seeds. Chop few pistachios and put the rest for garnishing. Now in a big mixing bowl add yogurt, pomegranate juice, pistachios, cardamom and honey. Mix everything thoroughly with a whisk (for this step you can also use hand blender). Now you will see that froth has formed on the top of the lassi... that’s exactly what you want! Pour into individual glasses. Garnish with crushed Pistachios and few pomegranate seeds. Serve it chilled. You can also add one ice-cube to the serving glass to keep the lassi chilled.