Hydrate Your Holiday with Festive Mocktails

‘Tis the season for celebrations, family gatherings, and lots and lots of drinks! If you’re looking for a way to enjoy the parties but also stay away from alcohol, we have the perfect recipes for you. We’ve curated three of our favorite festive mocktails to keep you and your guests happy this season.

With more of our friends and family foregoing alcoholic beverages for a myriad of reasons, we have our sights set on incorporating more mocktails into our holiday parties and celebrations. But, we all know how drinking mocktails at a party can sometimes feel a little more lackluster than the real thing. The secret to making mocktails feel just as fancy as a traditional cocktail is all in the glassware. Instead of putting your drinks in standard drinking glasses, spice things up with fun colors and styles so that your guests feel jut as special drinking your yummy creations. Another way to make sure that your drinks wow your crowd is to add special garnishes. Don’t worry, we’ve included our favorite way to garnish each of the recipes below. We can’t wait to hear what you think! 

First up is our iced ginger spice. This stunning cocktail made mocktail is the perfect addition to any holiday party or get-together, but we love this recipe because the multi-purpose syrup can be used throughout the season in other delicious things as well. 

With flavors of warm cinnamon, spicy ginger, sweet honey, and crisp cider, this drink really is your gateway into the flavors of the season. Bonus!! It’s so easy! All of the work is in the spiced syrup, which keeps for weeks, making this beverage an easy go-to. 

 

Ginger Spice

For the spiced syrup —

1 cup water

½ cup sugar

¼ cup honey

2 cinnamon sticks

1 star anise pod

2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped finely

Combine all ingredients into a small saucepan set to medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring often, and then reduce heat to low. Cook until all sugars have dissolved, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature.

Strain your syrup, discard the spices, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

For the Mocktail —

1 cup ice

½ cup apple cider

½ cup ginger beer

½ capful of Lyte Balance 

2 tbs. Spiced syrup (start with this amount, but feel free to add more to taste!)

Apple slices for garnish

Star anise for garnish

Layer all of the ingredients into your favorite festive glass and garnish with your apple slices and star anise. We love to put our garnishes onto the side of the glass, but you can float yours as well! 

And for anyone that enjoys a little spike in their drink, this recipe can easily be adapted for those that want a little booze — a shot of spiced rum makes the perfect addition if you choose. 

Next up we have the perfect dessert martini to cap off (or start off) your day right! This booze-free recipe incorporates simple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen already this season. This smooth, creamy, peppermint-filled mocktail is sure to make everyone feel like the season is just getting started. Here’s how to make it: 

Peppermint Dreams 

½ cup half and half

4 oz cream soda

1 capful Lyte Balance

1-2 drops peppermint oil or extract

Candy canes

Simple syrup

First, prepare your martini glasses by lightly coating the rim with simple syrup (tip: drop a couple tablespoons of your syrup on a plate for easy dipping). Follow up with dipping the rim into a plate of crushed candy canes. 

To make the drink, fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add all of your ingredients. Shake and strain into your prepared glass and enjoy! 

 

Last up is a flavor-filled classic that we always find ourselves coming back to, year after year. With fresh rosemary syrup, tart cranberry juice, and fresh apple cider, this mocktail is sure to please anyone that finds it in their cup. If you’re looking to make this drink extra special, edible glitter is a super fun addition to really bring the magic. Let’s jump into the recipe! 

Cranberry Bliss 

For the rosemary simple syrup 

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

¼ cup fresh rosemary stems

2 tbl. Fresh lemon juice

In small saucepan, combine all ingredients over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Once all sugar has dissolved, remove from heat, and allow to come to room temperature. Strain out the rosemary and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

For the Mocktail

1 cup ice

¼ cup cranberry juice

¼ cup apple cider

1 capful Lyte Balance

2 tbl. Rosemary simple syrup

Unflavored seltzer water

Additional rosemary for garnish

Fresh cranberries for garnish

To create your mocktail, first layer your ice along with the other ingredients adding enough seltzer water to fill your glass. Top with fresh rosemary and float a couple of cranberries for the perfect finish. And, if you’re adding glitter, now is the time to stir it in! Enjoy!