Hi everyone, today I am trying mocktail recipes. Mocktails can be a fun alternative to drinking heavy alcoholic beverages, and are becoming increasingly popular. They are called “mocktails” because they are supposed to be the same as other cocktails, just minus the alcohol. You could day they are especially well suited if you are the designated driver, are done drinking, or just don’t want that heavy feeling. I love ordering mocktails at restaurants, and sometimes, they are my favorite part of the meal.
So, I decided to develop my own versions of the mocktails that you can make yourself at home, from readily available ingredients. In my case, since I did this during the college semester, I did it in college dining hall. I found the recipes online and modified them to use the ingredients that everyone has, or at least that the more limited availability in a dining hall provides. So, did I like them as much as restaurant versions? Let’s see.
Arnold Palmer
An Arnold Palmer is named after the famous golfer who is supposed to have invented the drink. It is a mocktail that has iced tea mixed with lemonade. I have tried this drink twice, once homemade, and once in a restaurant and, frankly, did not like it all that much. I decided to try it one more time with a different tea. I did it by brewing some hot passion tea and then putting it over ice. I still did not like it. It tasted like Gatorade mixed fruit punch. On the upside it was super refreshing. Maybe it would have tasted better with an unflavored tea. Here is one of the recipes youican find:
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/221303/the-arnold-palmer/
Cosmopolitan Mocktail
A cosmopolitan is normally an alcoholic drink made with vodka, cranberry juice, and lime juice. I made the mocktail with cranberry juice, lime seltzer, and a little bit of orange juice. My dad came over tonight to have dinner with me, so I made a big drink and poured it into two glasses. I thought it was ok but not great. I did not get any seltzer in mine. My dad ended up getting all of it. I liked my dad’s drink more than because of the seltzer. My dad liked it but thought it was a bit too sweet. Next time I make a drink for two I will make it in separate glasses. Here is the recipe:
https://mocktail.net/cosmopolitan-mocktail/
Mimosa Mocktail
A normal mimosa is made with champagne and orange juice. For my version I did it with orange juice, sprite, and lemonade. My dad was here for this one as well. This time I made it in two glasses. I was not a huge fan of this one either . I could not taste the lemonade or the sprite. I am also not a huge fan of orange juice. My dad liked it a lot. Here is the recipe:
https://mocktail.net/non-alcoholic-mimosa-mocktail/
Hibiscus Sparkler
This one was just passion tea with soda water. A was a bit skeptical about how this would taste because of how simple it is. I normally like drinks that have a bit more in them. At first, I thought it was too fizzy. I liked it a lot more once it settled down a little. I do not like drinks that are overly fizzy. Here is the recipe:
https://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/articles/diy/hibiscus-iced-tea-spritzers/
Apple Pie Mocktail
I liked this one a lot. This was my favorite drink. It has the flavor of apple pie. It had apple juice, grape juice, ginger ail, cinnamon, and apple chunks floating. It reminded me of fall. I really like the ginger ail in it. I also think this drink would be good hot. I may have to try that in the fall. I also think my dad would like this a lot. I will definitely make this again. Here is the recipe::
https://www.frugalmomeh.com/non-alcoholic-apple-pie-punch.html
Fruit Sparkler
I love this drink so much. It had cranberry juice, lime seltzer ,and cut up grapes. I found it so refreshing and light. I will for sure make this again. I want to try to make it for my friends. My only critique is that the grapes were kind of unnecessary. This was my favorite drink I made during this experiment.
https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/266291/fruit-sparklers/
Sangria Mocktail
A normal sangria is red wine with cut up fruit in it. For the mocktail I did orange juice, lime seltzer, and cut up fruit. I put pineapples, grapes, and apples in it. I really liked this one. All the fruit made the drink really tropical. It tasted like orange with hints of fruit. I did not taste the seltzer. Maybe I didn’t add enough in. I would make it again. I think peaches would be good in this recipe. Next time I may add them in. This recipe was from my cookbook Ultimate Dinging Hall Hacks: Create Extraordinary Dishes from the Ordinary Ingredients in Your College Meal Plan. Here is the link to the book:
https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Dining-Hall-Hacks-Extraordinary-ebook/dp/B00GU2RG2W
In conclusion I had a lot of fun with this mocktail experiment. I have so many recipes to make now. I can not wait to make these recipes again.
