Calors 5 Favourite Festive Mocktails

Christmas is a time for family, festivities, and catching up over delicious food and drinks. Mocktails are a great way of involving everyone, designated drivers, non-drinkers, children, and those who just want a night off. You get all the theatre of cocktail making, minus the alcohol. The perfect solution to a small gathering over Christmas.

At Calor, we have picked five of our favourite mocktails to try out this season! Happy Mixing!

Mulled Apple Juice

Ingredients

• 1L apple juice
• strips of orange peel
• 1 cinnamon stick, plus extra to garnish, if you like
• 3 cloves
• sugar or honey, to taste

Method

1. Simmer the apple juice with the strips of orange peel, cinnamon stick and cloves for about 5-10 mins until all the flavours have infused. Sweeten to taste.
2. Serve each drink with a little orange peel and a piece of cinnamon stick, if you like.

Nutmeg & Orange Christmas Coffee

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp ground coffee
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 2 pitted dates
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 2 cloves
• strip of pared orange zest

Method

1. Put the ground coffee, cinnamon stick and dates in a large cafetiere. Add the ground nutmeg, cloves and orange zest, then pour over 400ml freshly boiled water.
2. Stir gently with a wooden spoon to combine, then leave to steep for 4 mins. Slowly push down the plunger and serve in espresso cups.

Holiday Mule

Ingredients:

• 20ml cinnamon syrup
• 20ml lime juice
• 15ml cranberry juice
• Ginger Beer

Method:

1. Combine the cinnamon syrup, lime juice, and cranberry juice in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Pour into a collins glass over ice.
2. Top with ginger beer
3. Garnish with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprig sprinkled with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Cranberry Pomegranate Bellinis with Lime

Ingredients

For the simple syrup:

• 120ml cup unsweetened 100% cranberry juice
• 120ml cup unsweetened 100% pomegranate juice
• 65g sugar

For each Bellini:

• 30ml simple syrup
• 100ml seltzer
• Squeeze of fresh lime juice
• Whole cranberries and slices of lime for garnish, optional

Method:

To make simple syrup:

1. In a small pot, stir together fruit juices and sugar.
2. Set pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
3. Turn to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring until sugar completely dissolves.
4. Pour syrup in a jar and cool completely. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the Bellini:

1. Pour 30ml of cranberry-pomegranate simple syrup into a champagne flute.
2. Top with 100ml of seltzer.
3. Squeeze a wedge of lime into the Bellini.
4. For a garnish, use a toothpick to skewer a whole cranberry and half slice of lime, if desired.

Christmas Punch (great for batch making)

Ingredients:

• 1L Cranberry juice or pomegranate cranberry juice blend: Look for 100% juice blend.
• 500ml Pineapple juice
• 2 tsp Almond extract
• 2L Ginger ale
• Fresh cranberries and limes to garnish
• Ice

Method:

1. Pour cranberry juice, pineapple juice, and almond extract into a large drink dispenser and mix
2. Pour in ginger ale and give it one quick stir
3. Add in cranberries, ice
4. If you like it super bubbly then serve within a few hours as it can start to go flat