With spring here and summer right around the corner, we’re anticipating a lot of sunny day get-togethers and we can’t wait. Now for some of us, we like to grab a bottle of a little ice-cold something or mix up a fruity cocktail, but a trend we’ve seen recently is more and more people switching to mocktails, and frankly, we love to see it. But to be completely honest, we weren’t totally confident in our ability to make a cocktail, so we’ve created a guide that helped us become mocktail mixologists! Let’s get started.
(image via: istock)
Tips for Mocktail Making
Bust out the fancy glassware just as if you were making a cocktail. Mocktails deserve the same treatment as cocktails, and just because you’re serving a drink with no alcohol doesn’t mean it can’t look just as pretty.
Just because you’re making a mocktail doesn’t mean you can serve cubed ice. Whether a beverage has alcohol or not, cubed ice waters your drink down way quicker than an ice sphere. And pro tip: make ice spheres out of juice so even as they dissolve, they just add even more flavor to your drink.
Use fresh fruits and herbs to give your drink that hand-crafted taste. If you don’t have a muddler to mash everything up with, flip that wooden spoon upside-down.
Shake, don’t stir your mocktails that have non-carbonated ingredients. Shaking a mocktail means that all of the ingredients are working together to create a flavorful drink. Once it’s all shaken up, you’ll strain it over ice and serve.
Top off drinks with club soda, the carbonation makes a drink extra bubbly and refreshing. Mocktails are already pretty sweet, so topping off your drink with club soda will keep it from being overly sweet.
Don’t forget to garnish your drink! Garnishes instantly take a drink to the next level by adding a little color and flavor, and if it means anything to you, they’re totally Instagrammable when served in a glass with a garnish.
Mocktail Recipes You’ll LOVE
Virgin Watermelon Margarita | Margaritas are the ultimate summer drinks and we don’t know about you but nothing says summer quite like watermelon. This recipe incorporates fresh watermelon, lime juice, agave, and sparkling water. Get the full recipe here!
Lavender Lemonade | We’re suckers for an ice-cold glass of refreshing lavender lemonade and this recipe couldn’t be easier (or prettier) to whip up! Get the full recipe here.
Rosemary Blueberry Smash | Not only does this drink incorporate flavors of the season, but it also incorporates both fresh fruits and fresh herbs making this concoction ideal for spring and summer get-togethers. Get the full recipe here.
