A lot of people are taking part in the great Dry January this year. This is a chance for all sorts of people to prove to themselves that they can go a whole month without drinking alcoholic beverages. Some people will suffer through the month counting days until February. Others will try to make the best of a good thing and have parties and entertain friends with fun, non-alcoholic beverages. There are wonderful non-alcoholic cocktails to try. Maybe it will be a way to drink less for the whole year without suffering.

What is a Mocktail?

Mocktails are versions of everyone’s favorite cocktails, only without the alcohol. January is the month people all over the world take part in “Dry January,” a worldwide public health campaign. It is believed that people taking part in this event will experience health benefits such as weight loss, better hydration, and increased energy levels. Mocktails often contain ingredients such as onion, ginger, or garlic, which have their own health benefits.

Onions are thought to reduce the likelihood of getting Alzheimer’s disease, garlic is known to help reduce high blood pressure, and ginger is helpful in improving digestion and increasing immunity. But, to be a benefit, they need to be consumed, and using them in various mocktail recipes is one way to do so.

One favorite recipe is for a Ginger Pomegranate Mocktail. This drink tastes good and does not contain alcohol. It may become a favorite drink for parties where people want flavor but cannot serve alcohol.

To make this drink, a person will need only four ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon Spice World minced ginger
• 5 ounces of pomegranate juice
• 1 ounce of tonic water
• 1 ounce of hot water
• additional pomegranate arils for garnishing

Use a shaker or a blender to mix the ginger and hot water to intensify the ginger flavor. Cool this mixture for about three minutes, then add the pomegranate juice and the tonic water and mix. Now, pour the mixture through a strainer into two glasses of ice and garnish with the pomegranate arils. Now you have a cold, tasty drink everyone will enjoy.

There are Other Mocktails to Try

It will be fun to try other party drinks or mocktails and have guests vote on their favorite one.

Ginger Lemon Mocktail has lemon, ginger, and honey for a nice contrast in flavors.

• 3 Tablespoons of minced ginger
• 2 Cups hot water
• 1/2 C. white sugar
• 2 juiced lemons
• 2 ounces of soda water
• A drizzle of honey, mint leaves, and lemon slices for garnish

For this mocktail, use a bender to combine the ginger and hot water and let sit for three minutes. Then, slowly stir in the sugar and add the lemon juice. Now, pour the mixture through a strainer to fill glasses 1/2 full. Use the soda water to fill the glasses, and garnish with honey, lemon slices, and mint leaves.

The Ginger Mojito Mocktail is also low calorie.

• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1/4 C. diet ginger ale or regular ginger ale if calories are not an issue
• 3/4 C. sparkling water
• 2 tablespoons of lime juice
• 4 mint leaves

For this drink, muddle together the minced ginger and lime juice until blended and then push the mixture through a strainer into a glass. Add the ginger ale and the sparkling water to the glass, and top off with the mint leaves.

With a little more effort, you can also make nonalcoholic versions of Garlicy Citrus Bloody Marys and nonalcoholic onion Gibsons. Both of these drinks might require a little advance preparation of the vegetables required to speed things up at the party. They will be worth the effort in flavor and enjoyment.

With a little research, a person can find many nonalcoholic versions of popular cocktails. One advantage of making mocktails is that they cost less without the expensive alcohol. Another advantage is that no one has a hangover the next morning or has to worry about driving home after the party.  These drinks can be customized by the person mixing them. A few fun drinks to try include:

• Virgin Margaritas are simple to make with lemon, orange, and lime juice, simple syrup, a little salt, and lime slices for garnish.
• Shirley Temples are simple drinks that pack a punch with grenadine, ginger ale, and maraschino cherries.
• Nonalcoholic sangria is full of fruits and juices mixed with sparkling water.
• Nice thick, cold, strawberry daiquiri without alcohol
• A nonalcoholic Mimosa has just three ingredients, including a Perrier L’Orange flavor slim can, orange juice, and pineapple juice.
• A virgin Cosmopolitan consists of cranberry, orange, and lime juices with a little sparkling water, but it satisfies.
• Nonalcoholic Pina Coladas are cold and thick and yummy. All you need is frozen pineapple, pineapple juice, lime juice, rum extract, molasses, and cream of coconut mixed in a blender, frozen a bit, and mixed again.

This is just a sampling of the great mocktail recipes out there. Try a few before a gathering to get just the right ones. There are over 30 recipes for the adventurous host or hostess to choose from. Think about choosing three or four easy recipes and letting your guests make their own mocktails with nice big recipe cards displayed. Borrow a few benders for the night and have all the ingredients on hand. Everyone will have fun and it will be less work for the host or hostess.

Taking the Easy Way Out

A person can always take the easy way out and buy one of the newer nonalcoholic wines, beers, or zero-proof distilled spirits. There are also premixed mocktails of several kinds. With so many choices of nonalcoholic beverages, recent surveys have shown that up to 57% of people around the world are planning of taking part in this Dry January and even the newer Sober October.

Don’t forget all the choices of nonalcoholic beverages like water, coffee, tea, sparkling water, juices, smoothies, sodas, and more. Everyone can stay well hydrated without using alcoholic beverages and not sacrifice any taste. Companies such as Spice World have great spices and ingredients to help make exciting mocktails for every occasion.