Enjoying Craft Drinks Minus the Booze! With Recipes!

Enjoying Craft Drinks Minus the Booze! With Recipes!

Foodies are everywhere in the millenial and gen z generations. We all love craft everything from our soups to our coffee! A new fad is also craft cocktails. When transitioning back into your new life of sobriety, you do not have to isolate and never go out with your friends. Just know how to say no, and even better- here are some CRAFT MOCKTAILS that you can order that are a tasty treat with unique twists without all the negative reactions of alcohol.

Getting sober here in South Florida is great, there is a large community of others recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction and the beach really does have healing powers. However, in many vacation spots there is a good amount of drinking and partying, this is happening at most establishments. We encourage most of our clients to stay away from “the scene” in the early months of sobriety, but everyone gets tired of being cooped up in the house eventually.

Below we have provided a list of “Mocktails” because there are many juice blends that make up for the perfect craft experience that do not need alcohol to be a wonderful treat! These are also great ideas for sober birthday, holiday, and dinner parties. Just think of home group with these tasty options?

You don’t have to give up the craft experience just because you’re not drinking alcohol.

Devon Tarby is a bar owner and James-Beard-award-winning cocktail book author, whose recipes have been featured in Food & Wine, Refinery29, and more. She has customized the following recipes specifically for those in recovery.

1: The Cucumber Cup

1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice

1 oz simple syrup

1 oz cold water

½ lime, cut into six segments

5 pieces sliced cucumber wheels

In a mixing tin, muddle lime segments and cucumber wheels with simple syrup. Next, add lime juice, cold water, and ice. Shake hard with ice and pour entire contents of shaker tin into a large rocks glass (you can top with a couple of pieces of fresh ice, if desired). Garnish with cucumber wheels, a generous sprinkle of coarse sea salt, and a pinch of black pepper.

PRO TIP: Feel free to go wild with different types of salt garnish in the garnish. Tajin (or other chili salt) works great for a little spice, smoked Maldon salt for an earthy aroma, herb salt for brightness, etc.

2: The Grapefruit Honey Collins

3 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

0.5 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

0.5 oz honey syrup (dilute 3 parts honey with 1 part hot water to make it easier to pour)

seltzer water

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice, and shake very briefly to mix the ingredients and cool down, then strain into a tall glass. Fill the glass about halfway with seltzer water, add ice, garnish with a grapefruit or lemon slice, and enjoy!

PRO TIP: This drink works well with other drinking juices too! Try switching out grapefruit for pineapple, orange, or cold-pressed apple juice, or try swapping lemon for lime juice for added variety. Trading plain seltzer water for flavored (like La Croix!) is another way to add complexity and keep things interesting.

3: The Garden Gimlet

2 oz Seedlip Garden (nonalcoholic spirit)

1 oz Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

0.75 oz Simple Syrup

Combine ingredients in a shaker tin and shake hard with ice. Carefully strain into a stemmed cocktail glass (use a fine tea strainer to double strain, if you have one!), and garnish with a lime wedge.

PRO TIP: Throw fresh herbs like mint, basil, cilantro, etc. in the shaker tin if you’re feeling fancy! You can also try building the same ingredients into a tall glass over ice and top with seltzer or tonic water for an effervescent twist.

4: The Mocktail Mule

2 oz Seedlip Grove or Garden (nonalcoholic spirit)

0.75 oz ginger syrup (vigorously mix 2 parts cold pressed ginger juice with 1 part white granulated sugar until sugar is dissolved)

0.5 oz freshly squeezed lime juice

Seltzer water

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice, and shake very briefly to mix the ingredients and cool down, then strain into a tall glass. Fill glass about halfway with seltzer water, add ice, garnish with a lime wedge and ginger candy, and enjoy!

PRO TIP: If you can’t make or get fresh ginger juice, replace the ginger syrup with seltzer water and a quality store-bought ginger beer, keeping the Seedlip and lime juice measurements the same.

Cooking is fun too! Look up pairing ideas with the above drinks.

Dinner parties are a great way to connect with others, in recovery we lean on the support of other sober people. By maintaining relationships we are staying true to our journey. What better way than over some food and delicious drinks without having to use drugs or alcohol to have a good time?