We call it the silly season for a reason.
Everyone gets a little bit silly at this time of the year. There
are lots of parties and lots of get togethers with all sorts of people.
Work functions, friends, families, end of year breakups everywhere and
all of this brings with it lots of eating and drinking.
As a non-drinker I think it has been at least a
good four years since I had a drink. I don't not drink because it is
better for me, well kind of it is that but it is because some years ago I had a
significant growth on my liver and I had that removed. For a little while
after that it was great I could enjoy a drink or two and not feel sick but then
it all came back basically my liver just doesn't like me drinking anymore.
Perhaps I did far too much of it in my younger years (I know I certainly
had more than my fair share!)
Anyway, these days I don't drink at all.
Which I think has been really great for my friends and family who knew
that they always had a designated driver. These days sadly, I am not even
that useful. I am not allowed to drive for now and I don't drink.
With all this merriment upon us it can be quite a
little bit boring for me when we go out. The standard non-alcoholic
drinks that are on offer are usually fruit juice, soft drinks, soda water with
flavouring or soda water with fruit juice or sometimes a non-alcoholic fruit
punch a la '70s style with canned fruit chunks sometimes frozen in a ring!
So that set me on a mission. I found the
usuals as I mentioned above. Then
I discovered a few others on The Merry Thought site.
And a few more Spring Cocktails here
In the past I have taken a bottle of Appletiser
with me places so that with a little strawberry in it drinking out of a
champagne flute I don't feel so out of place. I don't mind a drop of
Appletiser so I wondered if they had some ideas for mocktails and to my great
happiness they did!
Here are a few of my favourites and I am going to
send this along to my Dad so he has the ingredients to make me a few over the
Christmas/New Year break.
Apple Garden
Fizz
Ingredients
Appletiser, to top (approx. 500ml)
Cucumber, chopped into 2cm chunks
8 strawberries, hulled and chopped in halves
12 mint leaves, torn
Apple, chopped into 2cm chunks
1 orange wedge per drink, for garnish
Lime juice, to taste
Ice
Method
Add all ingredients to an ice filled jug and stir
well.
Pour into an ice filled wine glass
Garnish with an orange wedge and a
mint sprig.
Fruit Cooler
Ingredients
Soda Water
Appletiser\White Grapetiser
Strawberries
Apple
Crushed Ice
Sugar
Lemon
Method
Add all the ingredients into a jug except the ice
and serve in a highball glass over crushed ice
Virgin Mojito
Ingredients
10 Mint leaves, chopped
1 Shot of Lime juice
1 Shot of sugar syrup
Appletiser
Top up with soda water if it is too sweet
Method
Mix all the
ingredients together and pour into chilled tumblers.
Rim the glass
with mojito sugar if you have it.
Berry Sweetheart
Ingredients
Red Cranberry Juice
White or Red Grapetiser
Honey
Method
Add all the ingredients and serve in a martini
glass rimmed with sugar, ice and a slice of lime.
Apple Paloma
Ingredients
Appletiser, to top
60ml grapefruit juice
10ml lime juice
10ml sugar syrup
Grapefruit & Apple wedge, to
garnish
Method
Add all the ingredients except
Appletiser to an ice filled shaker.
Shake and strain into an ice filled
highball glass and top with Appletiser.
Garnish with a grapefruit and apple
wedge
To find these and many more ideas you
can go to Appletiser. You can also find lots more alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. All photos and recipes for the Appletiser/Grapetiser mocktails have been used courtesy of Appletiser.
I was also flicking through recipes
of mine and thought that this might also work. No photo sorry I haven’t made it yet!
Fruit Shaker
Any type of fruit you like that goes together
would work here.
Ingredients
250g Strawberries
250g Pineapple
500g Sorbet (any that works for you would be
fine)
500g Vanilla ice cream
Soda water
Method
Put it all ingredients into a blender and blend
until all combined.
Pour into a glass about 2/3 full and top slowly
with soda water.
As you can see there are lots of
really fancy non-alcoholic options that you can have and not feel as though you
are missing out on all the fun.
Whether it be by choice or not you no longer have to feel like a social pariah
if you don’t drink alcohol.
Have a great Christmas & New Year
Til next time
Well they actually sound quite good and actually a great idea when being the designated driver. Happy Christmas read you soon xx
ReplyDeleteHappy Christmas to you too!
DeleteCathy xoxo
Mmmm. The virgin mojito looks especially refreshing. Think how bright-eyed and bushy tailed you'll be on Boxing Day!
ReplyDelete