Christmas mocktails
Festive drinks for drivers, children, and anyone taking a break, made with the same care as the cocktails.
Most can be made in a jug or a pan, so they are easy to serve alongside everything else.
10 recipes
What makes a good alcohol-free Christmas drink
A good alcohol-free Christmas drink needs the things alcohol usually provides: some bite, some body and a feeling that someone made an effort. Fresh citrus and spice give the bite. Cranberry, pomegranate, apple and cream give the body. Serve the drinks in proper glasses with a garnish, and they will not look like a compromise.
Heat and fizz do most of the work at Christmas. A hot drink in a mug feels like a seasonal treat, and a cold fizzy one in a flute works for a toast.
Hot and warming alcohol-free drinks
Alcohol-free mulled apple is the easiest swap for mulled wine. It serves six: cloudy apple juice warmed with orange, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and ginger, then finished with lemon juice and a little maple syrup. Do not let it boil.
Hot spiced cranberry serves four and uses pure cranberry juice for a sharper, redder drink. Keep it in a slow cooker on low for a party, but take the cloves out after an hour so it does not turn bitter.
Alcohol-free eggnog is a cooked custard of milk, cream, egg yolks, vanilla and nutmeg, chilled for at least two hours. It serves six, and it thickens as it cools.
Fizzy drinks and toasts
The Cranberry and rosemary fizz is 60 ml pure cranberry juice, 15 ml rosemary syrup and 15 ml lemon juice topped with soda water. Make the syrup the day before and steep the rosemary for no more than 20 minutes, or it turns bitter and medicinal.
For a toast, the Pomegranate sparkler combines 60 ml pomegranate juice, 20 ml orange juice and 80 ml alcohol-free sparkling wine. The Virgin Bellini and Virgin Mimosa use the same idea. Chill everything well, because warm sparkling wine goes flat quickly.
Serving alcohol-free drinks alongside cocktails
Serve alcohol-free drinks in the same glassware as the cocktails, with the same garnish, and put them out at the start rather than offering them only when asked. Make a jug of one or two options so guests can pour their own. Keep jugs and pans clearly separate from the alcoholic batches, so nobody drinks the wrong one by mistake.
If you are driving, make sure there is something better than squash on offer. People who are not drinking, for any reason, notice when the drink they are given is an afterthought.
Questions people ask
What can I drink at Christmas instead of alcohol?
Choose a hot drink, a fizzy drink and something creamy. Mulled apple, cranberry and rosemary fizz and alcohol-free eggnog cover all three. Serve them in the same glasses and mugs as the cocktails, so everyone is drinking something that looks festive.
What is a good alcohol-free alternative to mulled wine?
Alcohol-free mulled apple is the closest swap. It serves six and uses cloudy apple juice, orange, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, ginger and lemon. Warm it slowly and never boil it. Hot spiced cranberry is a tarter alternative that serves four.
How do you make alcohol-free eggnog?
Heat milk, cream, vanilla and cinnamon until steaming, whisk it into egg yolks and sugar, then cook gently until it coats a spoon. Strain it, add nutmeg and chill for at least two hours. Do not boil it, or it will curdle.
What is a good Christmas mocktail for a toast?
A pomegranate sparkler is a good choice for a toast. It is deep red, served in a flute and made with pomegranate juice, orange juice and alcohol-free sparkling wine. A Virgin Bellini or Virgin Mimosa are paler options.
Can I make Christmas mocktails ahead of time?
Yes, to a point. Infuse the mulled apple or cranberry earlier in the day and reheat it gently, make rosemary syrup the day before, and chill the alcohol-free eggnog. Add soda water or sparkling wine only at the last moment so the drinks stay fizzy.
What is a good Christmas mocktail for children?
The Shirley Temple is a child-friendly classic: 150 ml ginger ale, 15 ml grenadine and 10 ml lime juice over ice, with a cocktail cherry. Pour the grenadine first and stir once, and it shades from red to orange.