Alcohol-free drinks for Dry January: smoothies, juices & mocktails

If you’ve seen my post about Dry January you’ll know that I’ve set myself the goal of drinking no alcohol for a month.

In that post I talked about how I’d recently found that deeply ingrained drinking habits, developed from a young age and which I thought I’d rid myself of 10 years ago following a health scare, had slowly started to creep back into my life. Heavy stuff.

Well in this post, besides posting updates on my progress, I want to share some of the good things of Dry January that I’m discovering because it needn’t all be sacrifice and doing without.

As well as dusting off my juicer (which I don’t think I’ve used for nearly a year) and trying new vegetable and fruit combinations, I’m making delicious smoothies and also refreshing alcohol-free ‘mocktails’.

I hope you’ll try some of these recipes too, whether or not you’re taking part in Dry January.

What alcohol-free drinks do you make at home?

Check back here during Dry January, as I’ll be updating this post with more delicious alcohol-free drinks recipes.

Update Monday 05/02/2018

Well, I successfully completed Dry January and have just had my first weekend of the year NOT alcohol-free.

To be honest, I was surprised how relatively easy I found Dry January, despite having such ingrained habits as I described in my original post. I’m certain writing this blog had a lot to do with my success.

However, although Dry January wasn’t as difficult as I’d expected it to be, what became clear as the month progressed was that the much harder part was to come. What I hadn’t anticipated was that as February approached, rather than gleefully looking forward to my first drink and thinking about what it might be, I was actually a little fearful. That’s because when you’re completely abstinent and resolved to be so for a month, there’s no choices to be made; you wake up in the morning and, short of some great disaster throwing you completely out of kilter, you know that a drink is out of the question.

Now, I have to make choices every day and make the right choices. For me, that means most weeks I won’t drink alcohol Mondays to Thursdays and will also reduce the amount I’ll drink on Sundays – I don’t want to forgo the afternoon pint in a pub after walking the dog, but aim to end it there until Friday comes around again. But it’s that phrase ‘most weeks’ that will need to be watched very carefully to ensure I make the right choices.

For anyone else who tried Dry January, I hope you were successful too and if you think you might want continued support to moderate your drinking, then take a look at the Facebook group Dry January and Beyond.

Update Monday 29/01/2018

I’m on the final stretch of Dry January now, having just completed the last weekend of the month. Weekends are the danger zone for me, with more eating out and the urge to let my hair down a bit.

But I made it through. I even cooked using brandy and sherry – the alcohol is evaporated off during the process so I’m still on the alcohol-free wagon. I resisted pouring myself a teeny glassful, although I admit I did inhale a little from the brandy bottle.

The biggest test was on Saturday when we had a great lunch at a country pub (review coming soon) when I did ache for some beer or wine to accompany it. It didn’t help that I was sitting next to the shelf with their impressive range of whiskies, but willpower won the day.

In my search for something alcohol-free that feels like a weekend treat, I was so happy to discover a drink based on organic Sicilian blood oranges. I often find shop-bought soft drinks too sweet but this one was just right. Containing naturally sparkling mineral water, it wasn’t too gassy either. I think I’ll continue to buy this after Dry January and check out the other flavours too. I added a slice of orange, some mint, lots of ice and loved it.

Update Sunday 21/01/2018

Well, I’ve successfully chalked up another week of Dry January and I’m pretty confident that I’ll see it through.

This week I even managed to convince my other half not to have a ‘medicinal’ Whisky Mac (whisky and ginger wine) when he was feeling pretty rotten with a bad cold on Friday night at the end of a heavy working week. Once upon a time I would have joined in and had a drink in sympathy so I was glad for us both that I talked him out of it. He’s feeling a lot better now too and is glad he didn’t give in.

I had a slight pang on Saturday night when I made a fabulous pasta dish with fresh crab, fennel, chilli and garlic, topped off with fried scallops, as it’s the sort of meal we’d normally have a bottle of white wine with. But, despite having a couple of bottles of Albariño in the house, the thought didn’t go any further.

Tonight I enjoyed a Moscow Mule mocktail and have added it to the drinks recipes below.

Update Monday 15/01/2018

I’m pleased to say that I’ve successfully completed my second weekend of Dry January and am now on day 13.

I continue to have very few cravings and only had a slight wobble one night when my partner was working away and the thought of having a relaxing drink entered my mind, albeit for about a nanosecond. I just made myself a mug of chai tea instead and was perfectly happy with that.

A major achievement was us going out for an evening meal at a restaurant on Saturday night and only drinking alcohol-free cocktails and sparkling mineral water. I don’t think either of us has EVER eaten dinner in a restaurant without wine but we didn’t actually miss it. We did miss a little the nightcap of whisky or brandy we’d usually have at home after a good restaurant meal but neither of us even contemplated giving in.

So, overall, I’m feeling pretty confident that I’ll succeed in completing Dry January.

Click here for my review of our alcohol-free dinner at David’s Brasserie Trentham

Update Sunday 07/01/2018

I’ve just about reached the end of the first weekend of my Dry January and it’s gone really well. I’ve tried some great new drinks recipes and I’ve not had any alcohol cravings. We even went for Sunday lunch at one of our favourite pubs, which has a fantastic range of real ales, and I wasn’t tempted in the slightest.

It’s funny, but a few months ago I did a weekend without any alcohol and it seemed such a massive undertaking – I made it but it felt like quite a struggle.

Perhaps because I’ve got a whole month to go this time, I know that I was unlikely to fall at the first weekend so the thought of giving in didn’t enter my mind. I think it helps that I’ve approached Dry January full of optimism and I’m positive that writing this blog will help me to stay on course.

To celebrate my good start I’ve just created my alcohol-free version of a Cosmopolitan cocktail and added the recipe to those below.

I hope Dry January is going well for everyone else taking part.

All recipes serve 1

Moscow Mule Mocktail

The Moscow Mule mocktail barely requires a recipe at all, being just lime juice, ice and ginger beer.

The original cocktail contains vodka and was apparently invented in the 1940s by the man who bought the US rights to Smirnoff but who couldn’t get people to buy it. In the story, probably completely made up, he happened to know someone who was having trouble shifting ginger  beer and lo, the Moscow Mule was born – the fiery ginger beer adding a kick like a mule.

• Cut a lime in half, take off 2 slices and put them in a highball glass. Squeeze the remaining lime  into the glass.
• Half fill the glass with ice and top up with ginger beer. Stir and serve.

Cosmopolitan Mocktail

I’m a relatively recent convert to the Cosmopolitan cocktail but its now become one of my favourites. Some say it was invented in the 1980s, others that it has a tradition going back to the 1920s albeit under another name. Whatever the facts, I love the Cosmopolitan’s tart mix of vodka, Cointreau or other triple sec, cranberry and lime.

To replace the flavour of orange which Cointreau would provide in the alcoholic version, I added orange juice to my mocktail, but not too much as I wanted the sharper juices of lime and cranberry to be dominant. A long strip of orange peel not only looks elegant but its oils add more orange flavour without sweetness.

Although a Cosmopolitan wouldn’t normally have any mixer in it, I felt that the alcohol-free version needed a splash of tonic water to give a nice bitter tang and also some welcome fizz – after all, you don’t want your mocktail to basically just be a glass of juice.

• Put a handful of ice cubes in a cocktail shaker and add: 20ml of lime juice, 10ml of orange juice and 60ml cranberry juice drink. Shake.
• Rub a wedge of lime around the edge of a cocktail glass then dip the rim onto a plate on which you’ve sprinkled caster sugar.
• Pour the shaken juices into the glass then top up with tonic water.
• Garnish the glass with a long strip of orange peel and a lime wedge.

Mojito Mocktail

The mojito is a deservedly popular cocktail with its refreshing blend of lime and mint spiked with rum. Traditionally, the fizz comes from soda water, although I prefer to add sparkling mineral water. You could use ginger ale or lemonade if you prefer.

To flavour the non-alcoholic version of the mojito, I use an elderflower and apple cordial as I like this combination but feel free to add one or the other.

• Take a tumbler or high-ball glass and add 6-8 fresh mint leaves, 30ml of cordial and the juice of half a lime. Using the end of a wooden spoon or similar (I use the narrow end of a wooden pestle) ‘muddle’ the mint, cordial and lime – basically bash the mint about so that it releases its oils.
• Half fill the tumbler with ice, then top up with sparkling mineral water.
• Garnish the cocktail with a slice of lime and a sprig of mint.

Kale, Spinach, Apple, Celery & Lemon Juice

Despite its beautiful emerald green colour, I was a bit dubious about how this juice was going to taste. With a hefty dose of our homegrown cavolo nero (Tuscan black kale) plus some spinach and celery I thought it might something that, although you can feel it ‘doing you good’, is best downed in one.

I needn’t have worried though. With green apples & lemon in the mix, the result wasn’t bitter at all but both sweet and tart with the leafy veg providing pleasant, grassy undertones. An enjoyable juice I’ll definitely make again. You can replace the cavolo nero with any other kale, chard or dark green leaf.

When juicing leafy greens, I find it easiest to scrunch them into a ball before putting in the juicer’s feed tube.

• In a juicing machine, juice together: 2 apples, 2 celery sticks (including the leaves if it has any), half a lemon (skin and pith removed), 2 large kale leaves, 1 large handful spinach leaves.
• Pour into a glass, stir and drink.

Fennel, Apple, Orange, Lemon, Ginger & Mint Juice

After digging out my juicer at the start of Dry January, this was one of the first juices I made and I was so pleased I did as it’s really light and refreshing.

I previously used to juice a lot, but one vegetable I’d never thought to juice before was fennel. That’s odd, because I absolutely love it – not just the bulb with its texture similar to celery, but I put fennel seeds in loads of things – they’re particularly good on roast vegetables such as sweet potato and beetroot and in a fried ‘tarka’ for curries and Indian style salads.

• In a juicing machine, juice together: 1 small or half a large fennel bulb (include the fronds if it has any), 1 large or 2 small apples, 1 medium orange and a quarter of a lemon (both with peel and pith removed), a slice of ginger root, a small bunch of mint.
• Pour into a glass and top with shredded mint leaves.

Romaine Lettuce, Celery, Cucumber, Pear & Orange Juice

When juicing, be careful not to overdo the fruit or skimp on vegetables. While fruits are important, they can contain a lot of sugar so I prefer that over the course of the week I have lots more vegetables than fruit. This juice is good in that the vegetable elements that could be bitter, celery and lettuce, are balanced by sweet pear and orange but the vegetable content still prevails.

I’d never juiced lettuce before, but apparently the darker varieties, like Romaine, are a good source of vitamins & micro-nutrients. Alongside cucumber, celery, pear & orange it made a surprisingly mild-tasting juice.

• In a juicing machine, juice together: 1 pear, 1 medium orange (peel and pith removed), quarter of a large cucumber, 2 sticks celery, 100g Romaine lettuce.
• Pour into a glass with another celery stick as a stirrer if liked.

Blueberry & Coconut Oat Smoothie

I love smoothies and most often I’ll have them for breakfast with the addition of oats. But smoothies are a treat at any time so they’re great if you’re perhaps feeling a little low and your resolve during Dry January is getting truly tested. This creamy mixture will give you a real lift. Leave out the oats if you want a lighter smoothie.

I always keep a supply of different frozen fruits in my freezer because they’re excellent for making smoothies as there’s no need to defrost first. There’s no wastage either as you just take out what you need.

Coconut is one of my absolute favourite flavours so I’ve included it in several guises in this smoothie: coconut milk, coconut-peanut butter and a little coconut oil. Feel free to use any milk or nut butter or you can leave the nut butter out entirely. Of course the coconut oil is optional too but I love the flavour and the extra silkiness it brings.

I use a hand-held stick blender and a jug to make smoothies or you could use a regular food processor or blender

• To a large jug or a blender add: 40g porridge oats, 50g yogurt, 150ml coconut milk, 1 dessertspoon of coconut-peanut butter, 80g frozen blueberries, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of coconut oil.
• Whizz up until blended then add a handful of ice cubes and whizz up again until smooth. Add more ice cubes if you want a thicker smoothie then blend again.
• Pour into a large glass to serve and with a spoon too if the smoothie is very thick.

Blackberry, Cherry, Grape, Blackcurrant, Oat & Flax Seed Smoothie

Despite the length of this smoothie’s title, it’s actually very simple to put together as a certain supermarket sells bags of frozen ‘Black Forest Fruit’ which contains blackberries, cherries, grapes and blackcurrants – no, I wasn’t aware that grapes grew in forests either – but it’s a tasty mix that produces an appealingly-coloured smoothie. If you can’t get hold of this particular mix, just substitute any other dark fruits.

When I have smoothies for breakfast I’ll often include oats, but you can leave them out if you like.

I’ve included ground flax seed in this smoothie, in the blended mix and a little more sprinkled on top. It adds a pleasant nuttiness and also contains Omega-3 essential fatty acids which are thought to be beneficial for heart health as well as containing fibre and various vitamins and minerals.

• To a large jug or a blender add: 40g porridge oats, 50g yogurt, 150ml milk, 80g of mixed frozen blackberries, cherries, grapes and blackcurrants plus 1 tsp of ground flax seed.
• Whizz up until blended then add a handful of ice cubes and whizz up again until smooth. Add more ice cubes if you want a thicker smoothie then blend again.
• Pour into a large glass, sprinkle with another 1 tsp of ground flax seed.