Bored of switching between fruit juice and water? Try these fun and tasty non-alcoholic cocktails!

3 minute read time.

Having cancer treatment does not mean that you should draw a line on festivities. There’s always going to be a birthday or an anniversary to celebrate. When you’re not too tired you may want to have friends around for dinner or for a party.

If you’ve had enough of alternating between fruit juice and water and want something a little more festive, there are some fun and delicious alcohol-free cocktails you can mix.

Full of flavours, fresh fruits and bubbles (lemonade or soda water!), they can be truly delicious and offer a healthy and fun alternative to regular soft drinks.

Our very conscientious team of editors agreed that we could not possibly write a blog about mocktails without sampling them first. Research is essential. So last week, armed with a blender, some ice and a bag full of fresh fruits, we set out for our alcohol-free cocktail evening. Abi was kind enough to let us invade her kitchen and hosted a great, vitamin-filled party.

We tried 4 types of mocktails, all very different but all extremely successful amongst our team.

Here are the recipes. The proportions are for 4 glasses.

 

Lemon and Ginger Fizz

  • 5 teaspoons of (fine) caster sugar
  • Juice of 4 lemons
  • 16 slices of fresh ginger
  • Soda water
  • Ice
  • Fresh mint to sprinkle

 

A photos of Sarah, Abi and Debbie drinking Lemon and ginger fizz

Mix the sugar, the lemon juice and the ginger in a blender. Pour the mix in a jug and add soda water and ice cubes. Sprinkle with fresh mint and serve.

We thought this was a light, zesty and very refreshing cocktail. Ideal to open your appetite. I’ve made it again since and served it to friends last weekend. They just loved it.

 

Rum-free Mojito

  • Juice of 2 or 3 limes depending on how juicy they are
  • A small bunch of fresh mint
  • 8 tablespoons of brown (Demerara) sugar
  • Soda water
  • Ice
  • Slices of cucumber


Mix the lime juice, the sugar and the mint in the blender. Pour the mix in glasses and top up with soda water and ice. Add some slices of cucumber to decorate.

 A photo of rum-free mojitos

Easy and incredibly tasty!  It was probably our favourite that night.

 

Virgin Colada

  • 16cl (160ml) of coconut milk
  • 36cl (360ml) of pineapple juice
  • Ice cubes


Mix all ingredients in the blender including the ice cubes until you obtain a smooth mixture.

This is a very exotic drink and definitely tastes of holiday. We had it at the end of our evening and it was almost like a dessert!

 

Strawberry and beetroot (yes,  indeed!)

  • 100g of cooked beetroot
  • 20cl (200ml) apple juice
  • A pack of strawberries
  • Lemonade


Mix the beetroot and the strawberries in the blender. Add the apple juice and blend again. Pour into a glass and top up with cold lemonade.

A photo of Sarah and Abi drinking a strawberry and beetroot cocktail

By far the most surprising beverage of the night and Sarah’s favourite, this deep pink drink is definitely on the sweet side.

The fun thing about all those alcohol free cocktails is that you can experiment and be creative. Use the fruits that you love and add your own touch.

And of course, if you are taking part in the Go Sober October campaign, don't hesitate to try those delicious recipes!

So to your blenders... ready, steady, mix!

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 Keep in touch Follow Macmillan’s cancer information team on Twitter @mac_cancerinfo

 The recipes are adapted from virgincucumber.com 

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