Mocktails to try this Christmas and ‘make new habits’ before January

Making your own alcohol-free cocktails from scratch is often as simple as combining juices, soft drinks, and syrups with ice, and serving them shaken, stirred or strained. While the taste is enjoyable for some, non-alcoholic alternatives can lack the unique flavour of drinks made with vodka, wine and tequila – including classics like espresso martinis and margaritas.  Express.co.uk spoke to Pooja Sharma-Jones, CMO of Mocktails, who shared the benefits of trying more alcohol alternatives ahead of what will be a “dry January” for thousands of Britons.

Drinking alcohol isn’t for everyone but for those who are trying to change their habits, it can be hard to stay on track when the fizzy drinks are the only other offering.

While there are more zero-percent drink options appearing on supermarket shelves each year, there are still slim pickings when it comes to pre-mixed cocktails. However, as the official cocktails of Dry January 2023, Mocktails are worth a go if you’re looking for some soft drinks to enjoy over the winter break.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, the company’s CMO, Pooja Sharma-Jones said: “The reason Mocktails came about was that we were not preachy about not drinking alcohol. We’re real believers in moderation, and all of our products are meant to be enjoyed like you would a cocktail. 

“So you’re meant to use the right glassware, and serve them shaken using the bottled products – and they actually taste close to the real thing.”

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Pooja noted that one of the main benefits of Mocktails’ products is that they “equalise the drinking experience” while being non-carbonated, gluten-free, and with lower calories than other non-alcoholic drink options out there.

While the bottled drinks can be served as they come, they are also ideal for combining with other pantry items or soft drinks to create other cocktails, with “real versatility” in each of the five flavours.

The range includes a mixture of seasonal favourites named aptly after the inspired drink, such as “Sansgria”, “Espress0% Martini”, “Mockarita”, “Mockscow Mule”, and “Mockapolitan”.

Despite being entirely alcohol-free, the canned and bottled drinks can be enjoyed just the same as the alcoholic original, by adding everything from a salt rim to a lemon rind to complete the drink.

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Once the fruit has softened and the white pith of the orange slice has faded, take it off the heat and leave it to cool. At this point, you can add a few drops of red food colouring, or natural alternatives to the mixture to replicate the vibrant colour of the Negroni. After the syrup mixture has cooled, strain it and remove the visible spices and fruit pieces.

Fill a tumbler glass with ice and pour in 25ml of the syrup mixture, 25ml of white grape juice and 25ml of cold water, to ensure the mocktail is still just as perfectly balanced as the cocktail. Stir gently and finish with a slice of orange.

Lemon drop martini ingredients

For a sharp yet refreshing lemon drop martini mocktail, add the liquid ingredients to a shaker and dip the rim of a coupe glass into water, followed bythe zesty-sugar mixture. Pour the contents of the shaker into the glass and serve.