Making a good mocktail is easy! With so many modern zero proof spirits on the market today, you can get all the flavor and fun of your favorite drinks without the alcohol content. Are you a vodka lover, gin drinker, or a tequila fan through and through? Believe it or not, the non-alcoholic spirit industry is booming with variety. Whether you are pregnant, sober (trying to get sober), or simply just do not enjoy the taste/burn of alcohol, there is still room for you at the bar!
How to Make Good Mocktails
If you’ve visited my blog before, then you know I have a pretty deep affinity for making cocktails (and drinking them too). I just announced we are expecting our first child next year, so I’ve obviously had to cut ties with my cucumber martinis and switched my focus toward how to make good mocktails.
I have to admit, I was pretty surprised at how easy it was to stop drinking. The first few weeks were hard to adjust to the new non-alcohol lifestyle, but I quickly turned to flavored sparkling water and decided to spice them up with fresh fruit. I then decided to take my creativity up a notch and ordered some non-alcoholic spirits online.
I didn’t know these existed. Did you?
Being the ex-bartender that I am, I was SO curious to try them! So, I ordered a bunch of different flavors and brands to try.
Non-Alcoholic Spirits for Mocktails
I ordered my first non-alcoholic bottled spirit for my friends’ baby shower. We made this amazing botanical bar full of fresh fruit, floral ice cubes, and floral flavored vodka. I didn’t want to leave the guest of honor out of all the fun so I ordered Seedlip Garden 108 which is a refreshing, herbal, non-alcoholic drink. This spirit has strong herbal notes, the most prominent to me was a basil flavor.
Funny Note: I was actually pregnant at her baby shower, but didn’t know yet. So early! Probably 8 days pregnant. That will be a cute story to tell our kids.
Unfortunately, this spirit didn’t arrive in time for the party. But luckily, I found out I was pregnant a few weeks later and got to enjoy it for myself!
The Seedlip Garden 108 is an excellent choice for Summer sipping. Mix it with sparkling water, lemon, and fresh basil for an easy and delicious mocktail.
After trying the Seedlip brand and liking it so much I decided to try another one of their flavors. I opted for their Grove 42 spirit for its strong citrus notes. I thought this would be perfect to make a fake Moscow mule! And I was right! All you need is Grove 42, Ginger Beer (which is non-alcoholic by the way), lime, and mint to garnish!
Best Mocktail Recipes for Pregnancy
One cocktail I’ve been randomly craving during pregnancy is the margarita. I was so excited when my non-alcoholic tequila arrived in the mail! I immediately got to mixing up some spicey concoctions. This Tequila alternative from Ritual is probably my favorite non-alcoholic spirit that I’ve tried so far. It is full of flavor and really makes it feel like you’re really drinking a craft cocktail. It’s got a kick! You’ll taste the spice of black peppercorn, a hint of sweetness from agave, tartness from the lime, and a bit of salt all in one sip!
Mix it with fresh lime juice and sparkling water. More recipe ideas coming. Be sure to follow me on Instagram!
Non-Alcoholic Skinny Yellow Hammers
Being pregnant during footfall season isn’t ideal, but if I had to pick ANY year to miss out on some of the game day traditions, I think this year is better than any (we’re looking at your COVID). Long before finding out if I was pregnant I got a partnership with Redmont vodka to promote their super smooth and locally made vodka. I use it in my Skinny Yellow Hammer drink for Alabama game days! Find the original full recipe here.
This year, I had to improvise and recreate my recipe without alcohol. And if you know a yellow hammer, then you know that it has more alcoholic ingredients than non-alcoholic ingredients.
A virgin yellow hammer recipe is completely doable and here’s how I did it.
- The main liquor in a yellow hammer is vodka. Instead of Redmont vodka, I used 1.5 cups of coconut water which also substituted the coconut flavor in the Malibu rum we would need to omit.
- You can then sub the amaretto with a few different things.
- You can make a simple syrup using coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is dark in color and mild in sweetness so it adds the color and flavor to substitute the amaretto
- You can also get a fake amaretto spirit. I used this one. It’s REALLY good!
And there you have it… a virgin yellow hammer!
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