10 Mocktails So Good You Won’t Miss Liquor

Many people equate having a fun time with drinking alcohol but that’s not true. You’ll have all the fun you need if you have some excellent mocktails and company. What’s even better is that you won’t put your liver at risk from drinking too much liquor. Since there’s a well-established link between chronic liver disease and regular alcohol consumption, mocktails are a great way to keep your liver healthy!

RELATED: 3 Steps To Get Through Alcohol Dependency

10 Mocktail Recipes You’ll Love

1. A Blackberry Virgin Mojito

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Mint Syrup

½ cup fresh mint leaves

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

Mojito

1 cup blackberries

1 tsp granulated sugar

½  cup lime juice

Ice

2 (12-oz.) cans seltzer

Fresh mint, for garnish

Method:

1. Crush the mint leaves using a mortar and pestle. Add sugar and water and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Let boil for 3 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then strain out mint leaves, pressing with a wooden spoon to help release all liquid.
2. In a small bowl, add blackberries and sugar, and using a wooden spoon, crush blackberries.
3. Divide blackberries between 4 glasses and add 2 tablespoons of simple syrup and 2 tablespoons of lime juice to each glass. Fill glasses with ice and top off with seltzer, then garnish with mint.

2. Virgin Raspberry Mango Margarita

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

Mango layer

2 cups frozen mango

¾  cups coconut water

¼ cup lime juice

2 tsp honey

Raspberry layer

2 cups frozen raspberries

¾  cup coconut water

¼  cup lime juice

2 tsp. Honey

Method:

1. Combine frozen mango, coconut water, lime juice, and honey in a blender. Blend until smooth, then fill each glass halfway.
2. Combine frozen raspberries, coconut water, lime juice, and honey in a blender. Blend until smooth, then top off each glass with the mixture.
3. Garnish with lime wedges and serve.

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3. Watermelon Fresca

Servings: 6

Ingredients: 

6 cups seedless watermelon chunks plus small wedges for garnish

6 tbsp sugar

⅓ cup fresh lime juice

⅓  cup water

Fresh mint sprigs

Method:

1. Combine watermelon, sugar, lime juice, and water in a blender. Puree until smooth.
2. Serve, garnished with mint sprigs and watermelon wedges.

4. Whipped Lemonade

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

1 cup lemonade

½  cup sweetened condensed milk

Juice of 1 lemon

4 cups ice

Lemon slices, for garnish

Method:

1. In a blender, combine ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Add more ice to thicken as desired.
2. Pour into glasses and garnish with a lemon slice before serving.

5. Mango Lassi

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk plain yogurt

1 ¼ cups chopped ripe mango

⅔  cup ice 

2 tsp honey

⅛  tsp rosewater (optional)

Ground cardamom, for sprinkling

Method:

1. In a blender, combine all ingredients except cardamom and blend until smooth.
2. Garnish with a pinch of cardamom and serve cold.

6. Italian Soda

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

Ice

1 ½ oz. flavored syrup

8 oz. club soda

1 oz. to 1 ½ oz. heavy cream or half-and-half

Method:

1. Fill a large glass with ice. Add syrup, then slowly pour in club soda. Stir gently, top with cream, and serve.

7. Virgin Cranberry Basil Sangria

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

3 cups cranberry juice

½ cup orange juice

1 (12-oz.) can seltzer

1 orange, sliced

1 apple, cored and sliced

⅓  cup frozen cranberries

¼  cup packed basil leaves

Ice

Method:

1. In a large pitcher, combine cranberry juice, orange juice, and seltzer. Add fruit and basil and stir to combine.
2. Pour over ice to serve.

8. Thai Iced Tea

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

4 cups water

½  cup Thai tea mix 

½  cup granulated sugar

Ice

Sweetened condensed milk

Method:

1. Boil water. In a large pitcher, combine boiling water, Thai tea mix, and sugar. Let steep for 15 minutes.
2. Strain tea using a fine mesh strainer. Chill until cold.
3. When ready to serve, pour tea over ice and add 2 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk to each glass.

9. Watermelon Lemonade

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

1 cup watermelon juice

1 cup lemonade

Ice

Method:

1. Combine lemonade and watermelon juice in a pitcher.
2. Serve over ice.

RELATED: Summer’s Most Refreshing Watermelon Drinks

10. Lime Zinger

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

2 cucumber strips

3 lime wheels

Ice

Sugar-free lime energy drink

White grape juice

Speared strawberry halves

Method:

1. In a glass, add cucumber, lime wheels, and ice. Pour in 4 parts energy drink to 1 part white grape juice, or 8 oz of energy drink to 2 oz white grape juice. Garnish with speared strawberry halves and serve.

Having a good time shouldn’t mean putting your liver at risk so make sure to play it safe with some fun mocktails. If you’re having any signs of liver disease, though, you should see your doctor immediately. Some of the signs to look for include persistent fatigue, swelling in the extremities, dark urine, and unexplained stomach pain.