As the holidays have come and gone, many of us may have indulged a bit. All the shopping, running around, family time and parties will do that to you. If you do participate in “Dry January,” it doesn’t mean you need to miss out on sipping on some delicious drinks though. Here are 5 delicious mocktail recipes to inspire you through the month.
LAVENDER LEMONADE
- 1 tbsp dried lavender flowers
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 ½ cups freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 cups cold water
- Garnish: thinly sliced lemon & lavender sprigs
Lavender Simple Syrup Recipe: Remove lavender flowers from their stems and place them in a bowl. Pour the sugar over the flowers and gently rub the flowers into the sugar with your fingers. Pour 2 cups of boiling water in and stir until the sugar dissolves. Cover for 30 minutes. Strain the lavender-infused simple syrup and pour it into a pitcher.
Lemonade Recipe: In the pitcher (with the lavender simple syrup), stir in the lemon juice. Add 2 cups of cold water. If too sweet, add more lemon juice, if too tart, add more sugar. When ready to serve, garnish with some thinly sliced lemons and lavender sprigs.
ICED MINT GREEN TEA
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves
- 3 green tea bags
- 2 tbsp honey
- 4 cups boiling water
- Garnish: lemongrass stalk
Add mint leaves, green tea bags, honey and boiling water to a pitcher. Let steep for 5 minutes & then remove tea bags. Place in the fridge until chilled. Fill a large glass with ice and garnish with a stalk of lemongrass.
MOJITO MOCKTAIL
- ¾ cup fresh lime juice
- ¾ cup simple syrup
- ½ cup packed fresh mint leaves
- 2 lime zest strips
- Ice cubes
- Sparkling water
- Garnish: thinly sliced lime & mint sprigs
Simple Syrup Recipe: Bring 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Be sure to frequently stir to dissolve the sugar. Let cool for 30 minutes and then place in the fridge for at least 1 hour. It can be stored for up to 6 months if covered in the fridge.
In a pitcher, add lime juice, simple syrup, mint leaves and lime zest (lightly muddle these last 2 ingredients). Add ice cubes and sparkling water and mix well. Be sure to garnish your glass with lime and mint sprigs.
CRANBERRY COSMO MOCKTAIL
- 1 ⅓ cup cranberry juice
- ¼ up sparkling water
- ¾ tsp orange extract
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- Garnish: thinly sliced lime & frozen cranberries
Rim a martini glass with sugar. In a cocktail shaker, mix cranberry juice, sparkling water, lime juice and orange extract. Add ice and shake. Pour and garnish with thinly sliced lime and frozen cranberries.
CRANBERRY-ORANGE PUNCH
In a punch bowl:
- 2 bottles of cranberry juice
- 1 bottle of club soda
- 6 cups of orange juice
- Garnish: thinly sliced oranges & fresh cranberries
In a large punch bowl, mix cranberry juice, club soda and orange juice. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours. When ready to serve, add orange slices and fresh cranberries to the bowl.
To your Balanced health,
The Balanced Company