Mocktail Recipes for Your Next Celebration

This New Year’s Eve, serve up some non-alcoholic drinks that are as healthy and delicious as they are fun. Cool down from hours on the dance floor, boost your immunity, and revel in the fact that you’re going to feel great tomorrow, with one of these—or all!

First and foremost, don’t forget the garnish! The experience of having a cocktail is as much about the presentation as anything else. Be sure you have fancy drinkware, fun paper straws, and plenty of garnish!

Have these garnish ideas on hand:
Lemons (the peels are great for a fun rim twist)
Limes
Oranges
Celery
Olives
Rosemary
Mint
Thyme
Lavender
Watermelon
Pickled Onions
Maraschino Cherries
Rose
Elderflowers
Candy canes
Cinnamon sticks
Cranberries

Stock up on these foundations:

• Apple cider
• cranberry, orange, grapefruit, and/or pomegranate juices
• Seltzer and/or ginger ale (Seltzer will add fizz, ginger ale will add fizz and sweetness)

And don’t forget the ice and colorful sprinkles, salts, and sugars for the rims!
You could stop right here—with just these simple ingredients, you can create several mocktails.

1. Warm apple cider can be made in a large pot on the stove. Just add cinnamon sticks, a few cloves, and even some honey if needed. Garnish w/one cinnamon stick.
2. Add a splash of orange juice to 5 ozs of cranberry juice and top with seltzer. Serve with or without ice. Garnish with an orange slice or float 3-4 cranberries in the glass.
3. Pomegranate juice adds the perfect color to your holiday drink! Add a dash of orange juice or cranberry juice and, if you want fizz, a splash of ginger ale.
4. Try Grapefruit juice with a splash of cranberry juice and seltzer. Dip a lemon wedge in sugar for garnish.

The following drinks are a bit more labor intensive, but guaranteed to put all your guests into a festive mood!

MOJITO MARGARITA MOCKTAIL

Ingredients
1 teaspoon mineral-rich salt
¼ teaspoon sumac
1 cup water
1 cup home-brewed limeade or lemonade
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
10 fresh mint leaves
6 drops liquid stevia optional

Directions

1. Pour the salt and sumac on a plate; mix them together.
2. Wet the rim of your favorite glass and sweep the rim in salt and sumac.
3. Pour in the water, limeade, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, mint leaves, and optional stevia.
4. Muddle the mint with a spoon and enjoy!

VEGAN EGGNOG

Ingredients

½ cup coconut milk
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
Nutmeg and cinnamon to garnish

Directions

1. Add ingredients to a blender and blend until frothy.
2. Serve cold, topped with grated nutmeg and cinnamon.

Ginger Elixir

Ingredients
1 cup ginger juice
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup water
1/4 cup honey

Directions

Blend all ingredients in a blender or add all ingredients to a shaker cup of ice and shake. Garnish with candied ginger. Serve immediately

Banana Thandai

This mocktail is cooling and acts as an energy booster. Bananas are high in iron, which helps the body’s hemoglobin function. If you can’t find thandai syrup, try making your own. 

Ingredients
1 banana
200 ml milk
10 gm cashews
2 tsp thandai syrup

Directions

Blend the banana and milk in mixer and add 2 tsp of thandai syrup. Shake well and garnish with nuts. Serve in martini glass.

Cool Magic

Another Ayurvedic favorite, pears are excellent sources of water-soluble fiber, so drinking pear juice regularly helps regulate bowel movements as well as helps prevent allergies and other skin problems. Green grapes help in reducing hypertension and act as antioxidants.

Ingredients
1 pear
10 green grapes
2 tsp peppermint syrup
2-3 mint leaves

Directions

1. Extract fresh juice from the pear and green grapes.
2. Add 2 tsp of peppermint syrup.
3. Add chopped mint leaves and pear.
4. Shake well and serve in a martini glass.

Peppermint Cocoa Shake

This blend of lightly sweet almond milk, dates, and creamy banana gives the satisfying feeling of a milkshake without the heaviness. The rich foods that dominate holiday menus can lead to a build-up of mucus in the stomach. Recipe author Natalie Immel writes, “Cardamom and mint are both aromatic spices that help keep heavy foods moving in your tummy. They bring a refreshing, breezy lightness into this most festive shake. Aromatic tastes also destroy thick mucus and can ward off an untimely holiday stomach flu.”

Ingredients

3/4 C Almond milk
1/2 C Banana
1/4 tsp Cardamom
1 tbsp Chocolate (cacao)
2 whole dates (dried)
1/4 tsp Mint

Directions

1. Chop dates and banana, and combine with almond milk, cardamom, peppermint leaves, and cacao in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth. As an option, add 2 tbsp of brewed Tecchino, or coffee for kapha constitutions.
3. Serve at room temperature. For added flair, garnish with a crushed candy cane.

Virgin Hot Toddy

Modeled after the classic hot toddy, this sans-bourbon version uses lemon and orange. This tried and true recipe does more than warm you up from your hands to your toes—the healing properties of cinnamon, clove, and anise boost your immune system and improve digestion. Ginger improves circulation relieving muscle pain and burning toxins. 

Ingredients

1/2 tsp Cinnamon
2 Stars of Anise
1/4 tsp Cloves
1/2 inch Fresh ginger
2 tsp Honey
1 Lemon
1/3 Whole orange

Directions

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil.
2. Add sliced ginger, one cinnamon stick, 5–8 whole cloves, and 2 whole anise stars.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, remove from heat.
4. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon, and 1/3 of an orange into your brew.
5. Pour into mugs, garnish with remaining lemon wedge and add honey to taste.
6. Enjoy!

Frost Bite Mocktail

Ingredients

Ice
1 oz lime juice
1 oz pineapple juice
2 oz white grape juice
Fresh mint leaves
Fresh blueberries 
3 oz Sierra Mist Natural, ginger ale, or seltzer

Directions

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, lime juice and pineapple juice. Mix.
2. Add white grape juice, mint, and blueberries.
3. Using the back of a spoon, crush a couple of the blueberries.
4. Shake all ingredients well and strain into a large glass filled with ice.
5. Garnish with 3–5 blueberries and sprig of mint

Elderberry Spritzer

Ingredients

6 oz. Seltzer
1 tsp Black elderberry syrup
1 tsp Maple syrup
1 tsp Fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 Tbsp muddled blackberries or blueberries (optional)
1 mint sprig, for garnish

Directions

Add all ingredients (except for berries and mint sprig) to a glass and stir until combined. Add berries and top with mint and serve.

Festive Amla Mocktail

Ingredients

6 oz sparkling apple cider
4 oz amla berry juice (white grape juice or other juice can be used if not able to source)
½ dropper alcohol-free ashwagandha tincture (dosage should be adjusted per brand, use as directed)
A couple pieces of candied ginger or 1 oz of ginger juice or syrup
Sprigs of fresh mint or rosemary (optional)

Directions

1. Add ashwagandha and amla juice to a cocktail glass.
2. Top with sparkling apple cider and pieces of candied ginger.
3. Garnish with herbs.
4. Serve immediately.
5. Enjoy.