The most wonderful time of the year can be a hard time to be sober.
Champagne is synonymous with celebration. A hot toddy is traditional after the ski and the hot tub. Hell, even eggnog (personally: blech) could be considered a holiday tradition.
We’ve started to see articles in a few different places recommending new and exciting non-alcoholic drinks, and we thought we’d share the ones we thought suited the holidays with you here.
Here are a few ideas for exciting alcohol-free drink possibilities:
Fizzy options:
This soda written up in Bon Appetit sounds incredible; it’s bitter like a tonic water, sweet like cream soda, but it also smells like cinnamon and tastes like grapefruit? Sign me up.
The writer of this article on The Kitchn described Tost as a sparkling NA beverage that tastes like it’s for adults. We know what she means; alcoholic beverages usually taste a little bit off, a little bit complex, a little unlike something a kid would enjoy. This sounds like it could be interesting.
Easy options:
BYU, the college campus with a history as the #1 sober school in the country, has a bar that offers flavored milk with options like pumpkin caramel spice or raspberry creme. We’ve tried steamed flavored milk before at Cowgirl Creamery in San Francisco and it was delicious. All you need are milk (or a vegan alternative like oat, soy, or almond milk), spices, and flavored syrup.
This mocktail from the little Epicurean is three ingredients, and it looks beautiful. Plus, you could easily re-use your berry syrup in other drinks.
A hot option: Seriously, we cannot get enough of mulled cider. It can be made in a saucepan or in a slow cooker, and you really only need an orange, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to make it taste impossibly good.
We hope this list helps inspire you to come up with your own awesome non-alcoholic drink ideas. If you’re making changes over the holidays, we’d love to help you cut back or quit. Drinker’s Helper is an app that provides motivational exercises, drink tracking and insights into why you drink, and a support group of your peers to help you make needed changes. Try it free for a week before joining!
