As non-alcoholic drinks surge in popularity, cool off with a selection of summer mocktail recipes.
Summer is undoubtedly cocktail season but, with more revellers becoming health and hangover conscious, the UK drinks market has seen a boom in the popularity of low alcohol or booze-free beverages. From Seedlip’s distilled, non-alcoholic spirits being served up in some of the world’s most renowned bars to supermarket ASDA’s recent launch of prosecco-style drink ‘Nosecco’ – big brands are going all out to show that it’s just as much fun to party alcohol-free.
Whether you like yours long, short or on the rocks, JLife has a collection of mocktail recipes that will get you setting out the deckchairs, firing up the barbeque and sipping on a few glasses of something fizzy and fruity in no time. Chin-chin!
Flower Power
The pairing of lemon and elderflower was recently brought to prominence with a Royal wedding cake for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Now you can enjoy a splash of those regal flavours at home, thanks to online shop Popaball’s lemonade and apple juice-based recipe for Elderflower and Cucumber Fizz…
INGREDIENTS
A splash of elderflower cordial (to taste)
100ml apple juice
Lemonade (to top up)
Popaball Emerald Cucumber Shimmer
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
A lemon wedge
Fresh cucumber
A sprig of mint
METHOD
1. Fill your glass halfway with ice cubes.
2. Combine the apple juice with a splash of elderflower cordial and top with lemonade.
3. Sprinkle a third of a teaspoon of the shimmer powder to create a glow and a subtle cucumber flavour.
4. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a lemon wedge.
5. Add a cucumber slice and some fresh mint to garnish.
6. Stir, serve, and enjoy!
Spice Up Your Life
If you prefer your tipples with a kick, Belvoir Fruit Farms has created Spicy Red Head – a beverage that has bite!
INGREDIENTS
100ml Belvoir ginger beer
25ml fresh grapefruit juice
15ml maple syrup
A slice of grapefruit
A sprig of mint
Caramel shard (optional)
METHOD
1. Pour the ingredients into a tall tumbler over some ice cubes.
2. Mix with a spoon and top with Belvoir ginger beer.
3. To garnish, use a caramel shard, grapefruit slice and sprig of mint.
Life’s a Peach
If you’re breaking out the cocktail shaker for some family fun, fruit retailer BerryWorld’s Strawberry Hawaii Slush is a kid-friendly mocktail, ideal as an alternative after dinner dessert too. This recipe serves four, takes 15 minutes to prep and needs just a couple of hours to cool!
INGREDIENTS
250g strawberries
2 bananas
2 mangos
2 peaches
¼ watermelon
250ml of fresh orange juice
2 tbsp of honey
2 tbsp lemon juice
METHOD
1. Hull the strawberries and slice them in half; peel the bananas and chop into chunks; peel the mango and cut the flesh into cubes; slice the peaches into quarters; de-seed the watermelon and chop into chunks.
2. Place all the fruit on to a plastic tray or baking tray that is covered with greaseproof paper and put in the freezer for two hours, until the fruit is solid.
3. Place the frozen fruit in a liquidiser or blender. Add the orange and lemon juice and honey and whizz until smooth.
4. Pour the slush into tall glasses and serve.
In the bartenders’ box…
Every budding mixologist worth their tequila salt needs a few goodies to elevate their drinks trolley. JLife recommends accessories that will stir up some excitement.
Pop-ular Demand
Add a splash of glitz and glamour to your chosen tipple with Popaball’s fun additions. Use shimmer bubbles in a variety of different fruity flavours including peach, strawberry and passion fruit, to give a burst of juice and flavour to your glass. Or, create art in a glass with a range of sparkling shimmers designed to complement different drinks.
From £7.49 for shimmer. Popaball.co.uk
Shape Up
Serve your alcohol-free summer drinks in style, with glassware and tableware designers Root7’s Geo Glasses. The geometric tumblers are ideal for creative concoctions thanks to the eye-catching angular shape and thick hand-blown glass. Available with gold or black metal frames, the glasses come in pairs and can be purchased from stockists including Redcandy.co.uk, John Lewis and Amazon.
From £21.60 for two. Root7.com.