s people become more health conscious and aware of their eating habits, non-alcoholic drinks have surged in popularity, emphasising generating healthy beverages. Mocktails have become a trendy choice, particularly for individuals who prefer to avoid alcohol. And why not? They're just as flavorful, refreshing, and amusing as traditional cocktails, minus the calories, hangovers, and health stakes.
Preparing a tasty and nutritious mocktail is simple. With a few easy tips and tricks, you can create innovative and mouth-watering mocktails at home. The key is to use whole, fresh ingredients such as fruit, herbs, seltzer, and your favourite non-alcoholic spirit. To craft a variety of healthy mocktail bases, keep these essential ingredients on hand.
Cold-Pressed Juice
Mocktails can be made more flavorful with juices that serve as an excellent foundation. These juices are derived from fruits, vegetables, and herbs and contain abundant nutrients such as vitamins, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and minerals. They are also more easily digestible than whole foods since they do not have fibre. Consider trying blended carrot apple juice or kale and mint juice for a unique taste.
Kombucha
Kombucha in bottles, Image Source: Pexels
Kombucha is a probiotic-rich beverage obtained from fermenting tea. The brewing process involves adding sugar and SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) to tea, which the SCOBY uses to ferment the tea into a fizzy beverage. Kombucha's natural, fizzy, tangy, sweet taste makes it an ideal base for refreshing mocktails.
Seltzer
Seltzer is an effervescent beverage that provides an excellent foundation for mocktails. To suit your preferences, it contains a subtle taste and can be customised with various flavours, such as lime, lemon, berries, or ginger. Moreover, it is ideal for people to monitor their sugar intake or maintain proper hydration levels.
Iced Tea
Iced tea is an excellent choice for soothing and rejuvenating beverages. In addition to its complex flavour profile, which can range from sweet to earthy, grassy, nutty, or floral, tea also contains health-enhancing antioxidants, catechins, and polyphenols that can help prevent chronic diseases. To maximise the infusion of flavour and nutrients, steep tea in a kettle for at least 12 hours. Consider trying peppermint tea with ginger or tulsi tea.
Pure honey, image Source: Pexels
Sweetener
Usually, people prefer mocktails with a sweeter taste. Often sugar syrup meets this demand. But since we are talking about healthy mocktails, it is ideal for chucking refined sugar. Instead, use organic pure honey or stevia. But remember, moderation is the key.
Non-Alcoholic Spirits
Choose non-alcoholic spirits as cocktail ingredients, as they are tasty and adaptable to all lifestyles. Opt for brands that use plant-based botanicals to produce remarkable flavours that imitate traditional spirits like Tequila, Gin, Whiskey, and Rum. This way, you can enjoy various cocktails without consuming alcohol.
Garnishes
Fresh cherries, Image Source: Pexels
After settling on a base, you may incorporate your favourite elements. Several optional toppings are listed here. This category includes various berries (blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries), strawberries, ginger, cherries, pomegranates, watermelons, and the citrus fruits limes, lemons, grapefruits, oranges, and kiwis. In addition to chia seeds and bitters, carry fresh herbs and flowers like mint, lavender, rose, rosemary, sage, and basil.