Mmmm Mocktails: 12 Festive Alcohol-Free Drinks for the Holidays (or Any Time!)

Blueberry Mojito by The Merry Thought

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 10 fresh mint leaves
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• juice of 2 limes
• club soda
• crushed ice 

Instructions: In a blender, puree the blueberries, set aside. In a cocktail shaker (or mason jar), muddle mint leaves and sugar. Add the lime juice and pureed blueberries. Shake well. Pour mixture into two tall glasses. Fill glasses with crushed ice. Top with club soda and gently stir. Garnish with lime wedge, blueberries and mint sprig if desired. (You could also sub out the club soda with lemon-lime soda, you’d probably want to omit the 2 teaspoons of sugar if doing that though.  Also, you can strain the blueberries before adding them to the drink if the skins will bother you.)

Rose Lemon Spritzer by Half Baked Harvest

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons rose water (optional)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1-2 tablespoon honey or to taste
• a few drops of blood orange or pomegranate juice for color (optional)
• 3/4 cup sparkling water or more to taste
• fresh roses for garnish (optional)

Instructions: Combine all the rose water, fresh lemon juice, honey and blood orange or pomegranate juice (if using) in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until combined and then strain into a glass. Pour in the sparkling water. Garnish with fresh roses. DRINK!

Blood Orange Mocktail by Marisa Moore

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces blood orange juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 ounces lime sparkling water
• blood orange slices for garnish

Instructions:

1. Squeeze the blood orange juice into a mason jar with a lid or cocktail shaker. Add the honey and vanilla extract to the unchilled juice. Shake. Add ice to cool it down.

2. Pour evenly into two ice-filled glasses. Top with lime sparkling water and a slice of blood orange on top. Cheers! Enjoy right away.

Spiced Nog by Experience Life

Ingredients:

• 8 fresh dates, pitted
• 4 cups nondairy milk, such as hempseed, almond, or cashew
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla-bean paste or vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, plus more to top each drink
• Pinch sea salt

Instructions:

1. Soak the dates in the milk in the refrigerator overnight.

2. The next day, place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

3. Adjust spices to taste.

4. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

5. Sprinkle with a grating of fresh nutmeg before serving.

Frost Bite Mocktail by The Little Kitchen

Ingredients:

• ice
• 1 ounce lime juice
• 1 ounce pineapple juice
• 2 ounces white grape juice
• fresh mint leaves
• fresh blueberries
• 3 ounces Sierra Mist Natural

Instructions:

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, lime juice and pineapple juice. Mix.

2. Add white grape juice, mint and blueberries. Using the back of a spoon, crush a couple of the blueberries.

3. Shake all ingredients well and strain into a large glass filled with ice.

4. Top with Sierra Mist Natural and garnish a few fresh blueberries (optional).

The French 75 by SteakBar in Chicago via Town and Country Magazine

Ingredients:

• 3/4 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• sparkling water
• San Pellegrino Limonata soda

Instructions: Mix lemon juice and simple syrup into a champagne flute, top with equal measures of sparkling water and soda. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Italian Lemonade by The Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

• 2 cups lemon juice, about 12 to 15 lemons
• 2 cups Basil Simple Syrup, recipe follows
• 2 cups cold or sparkling water
• Ice
• Lemon twists, for garnish

Basil Simple Syrup*:

• 1 bunch fresh basil, washed and stemmed
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water

Instructions: Mix lemon juice, Basil Simple Syrup, and water together in a pitcher. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Pour over ice filled glasses and garnish with a lemon twist.

*Basil Simple Syrup: In a saucepan combine basil, sugar, and water and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, 5 minutes. Cool, strain the simple syrup, and store in the refrigerator.

Basil + Thyme + Ginger by Siren Shrub Co.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon of Freshly Grated Ginger
• 1 teaspoon Honey
• 1 sprig of Thyme, leaves stripped from stem
• 2 ounces Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
• 2 ounces Grapefruit Juice
• 1 ounce Basil Siren Shrub

Instructions: Muddle ingredients in shaker. Add ice, and shake aggressively. Strain into glass with fresh ice + enjoy! 

Cranberry Pomegranate Holiday Mocktail by Unbound Wellness

Ingredients:

• Orange
• Sparkling Water
• Cranberry Juice
• Pomegranate Juice
• Fresh Cranberries

Instructions: Cut Fruits: Prepare the orange by slicing about 1/2 of the orange into small wedges. Set aside the other 1/2 of the orange for juicing.

Combine & Serve: Using two tall glasses, fill 1/3rd of the way with ice. Divide the sparkling water, pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, fresh cranberries, and orange slices between the two glasses. Finish with juice from the other portion of the orange and stir well to combine. Serve fresh.

Rosemary Clementine Sparkler by Fox and Briar

Ingredients:

For The Rosemary Juniper Syrup:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 1 tablespoon dried juniper berries

For One Clementine Rosemary Sparkler:

• 3 ounces fresh squeezed clementine juice from 3-4 clementines
• 1/2 ounces Rosemary Juniper Syrup add a little less or more depending on your desired sweetness
• orange flavored sparkling water unsweetened
• a few dashes orange bitters
• extra rosemary sprigs and slices of clementine for garnish

Instructions:

To Make The Rosemary Juniper Syrup: Add the sugar, water, rosemary sprigs and juniper berries to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to low and allow to steep for 20 minutes. Strain and store in a bottle in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

To Make One Clementine Rosemary Sparkler:
1. In a glass or cocktail shaker, add the clementine juice and juniper syrup. Stir or shake until combined.

2. Pour into a serving glass (can serve on the rocks or not). Top with sparkling water and add a few dashes orange bitters. Gently stir to mix. Garnish with slices of clementine and rosemary sprigs.

Peppermint White Russian by Art From My Table

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces strong brewed coffee (we recommend decaf!)
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 ounces heavy cream or a little more to fill the glass
• 1 peppermint stick optional garnish

Instructions:

1. Pour the coffee over the ice. 

2. Add the extracts.

3. Float the heavy cream. To "float" cream, hold a spoon with the bottom facing up, over the glass. Gently pour the heavy cream over it so the cream sits on top of the coffee.

4. Stir and garnish. Give your drink a very gentle stir, and garnish with a peppermint stick.