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Non-alcoholic cocktails to give you holiday cheer without the buzz
The holiday season comes with plenty of festivities every year — many of which involve alcohol.
“I think during the holidays, there are so many parties and dinners and gatherings for friends and family so obviously alcohol is everywhere,” says Hilary Sheinbaum, author of “The Dry Challenge: How to Lose the Booze for Dry January, Sober October, and Any Other Alcohol-Free Month.”
For whatever reason you or your friends choose not to consume alcohol (and, really, whose business is it anyway?), it’s nice to have drink options other than soda at holiday get togethers.
So, if you’re not drinking, looking to cut back or just don’t feel like having alcohol there are plenty of cocktails that can satisfy the festive-cup-quota without the buzz.
USA TODAY has gathered a few fun, holiday-themed NA cocktails that you can add to your holiday spread.
How sober are these ‘sober’ drinks? And why are they so popular?
Forget ‘Dry January’:Alcohol-free beer, wine, cocktails are available year round and are gaining popularity
Holiday gone sour
Sheinbaum has a few cocktails of her own up her sleeve this holiday season. One includes sparkling water sweetened with simple syrup, lime juice and rosemary that sounds oh-so-refreshing for holiday functions.
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces of water or sparkling water
- .5 ounces of simple syrup
- 2 ounces of lime juice
- Ice
- Rosemary sprigs (for garnish)
Instructions:
- Pour simple syrup into water, stir.
- Pour lime juice into the simple syrup water mixture, stir.
- Pour contents into a rock glass over ice.
- Garnish with rosemary sprigs.
- Enjoy!
Makes: 1 NA cocktail.
Sangria sweaters
This recipe is fruity and fun and makes a few drinks.
Ingredients:
- 16 ounces of sparkling white grape juice
- 16 ounces ginger beer
- Ice
- Choice of garnishes, including:
- 1/4 pineapple, peeled, cut into wedges
- 1/2 small orange, cut into wedges
- 1 passionfruit, quartered
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
- Pomegranate seeds
- Strawberries, sliced
- Red and White grapes
- Apple slices
Instructions:
- Pour equal amounts of juice and ginger beer in a pitcher.
- Stir.
- Serve over ice in festive glassware (or in a wine glass).
- Top with your choice of garnishes.
- Steer back and enjoy!
Makes: 4 NA cocktails.
Lyre’s Apertif
Mixer brand Fever Tree shared this NA cocktail recipe with USA TODAY from its Fever-Tree Easy Mixing Recipe Book.
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces of Lyre’s Apéritif Dry
- 6.8 ounces Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water
- 3 lemon wedges
- Thyme sprigs, for garnish
Instructions:
- Pour the Lyre’s Apéritif Dry into a highball glass filled with ice cubes.
- Squeeze over and then drop in the lemon wedges.
- Top off with the tonic water.
- Garnish with a thyme sprig.
Makes: 1 NA cocktail.
Hot Non-Ginger Toddy
Fever Tree shared a hot cocktail to warm party-attendees featuring hot apple cider, honey and ginger beer.
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces of hot apple cider
- .5 ounces of honey
- 1 ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Top with Fever-Tree ginger beer (or ginger beer of your choice)
- Garnish with dusted apple slices and cinnamon stick
Instructions:
- Combine Hot cider, lemon juice and honey syrup in the mug.
- Top with Fever-Tree Ginger Beer.
- Garnish with an apple fan & cinnamon stick.
Makes: 1 NA cocktail.
The Lyre & The Blood Orange
Fever-Tree shared another recipe for “The Lyre & The Blood Orange” crafted by Rhett Hornberger of La Cuevita in Los Angeles.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 ounces of Lyre’s AM Whiskey
- .75 ounces of lemon juice
- .75 ounces Liquid Alchemist Blood Orange Syrup
- Fever-Tree’s Blood Orange Ginger Beer
Instructions:
- Shake ingredients in a shaker.
- Pour over ice in a Collins glass.
- Top with Fever-Tree’s Blood Orange Ginger Beer.
- Garnish with a blood orange half wheel.
Makes: 1 NA cocktail.
Mulled Jukes 6
Jukes Cordialities, which sells apple cider-vinegar based non-alcoholic beverages that are meant to taste similar to wine, provided a cocktail made with Jukes 6, to USA TODAY.
Jukes 6 has a blackcurrant and blackberry base combined with layers of other red fruits including strawberries, plums and raspberries. When mixed with hot water and orange, the drink is meant to be sipped like a mulled wine.
Ingredients:
- .5 ounces of Jukes 6, approximately half the bottle
- 8 ounces of hot water
- 1 slice of fresh or dried orange, for garnish
Instructions:
- Pour half a bottle of Jukes 6 – The Dark Red – into your favorite mug.
- Top with hot water.
- Garnish with a slice of fresh or dried orange and enjoy!
Makes: 1 NA cocktail.
Check out these recipes to up your kitchen game:
Nick Fuentes appears to get into a food fight at a fast food restaurant
Kanye West’s white supremacist associate Nick Fuentes got into a food fight at an In-N-Out restaurant in Los Angeles, according to reports.
Footage on social media showed Mr Fuentes throwing a soft drink at a group of people at a Hollywood in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Several bemused diners were sprayed with liquid in the incident, but Mr. Fuentes appeared to miss whoever he was aiming at.
According to TMZa couple had earlier thrown ketchup-filled paper cups at Mr Fuentes.
He then walked out of the restaurant as a patron shouted: “F*** Nick Fuentes. you racist”, TMZ reported.
Writing on Telegram, Mr Fuentes later said: “Nobody was harmed.”
Mr Fuentes, a prominent Holocaust denier and self-described white supremacist, is reportedly working for Mr West’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Last month, he dined with the rapper and Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, prompting the former president to claim he didn’t know who Mr. Fuentes was.
Mr Fuentes also appeared on Alex Jones’ Infowars show last week where Mr West spoke extensively about his affection for Nazis.
Soy, Quinoa, and Pumpkin seeds. Why do you need these complete protein foods? What protein combos don’t work?
It’s important to eat enough protein throughout the day as part of a well-balanced lifestyle. But how much protein you need, and the best times to eat it, definitely varies from person to person. Factors that influence how much you might need include how often you exercise, whether or not you have certain health conditions, and even how well you sleep.
Our bodies use protein to build muscles but also skin, hair and organs. Basically every cell in our body uses amino acids; the building blocks of protein. Many hormones are made of proteins and our immune system also depends on it to build up antibodies. While you should feel free to eat protein at any time, there are some moments when it might be extra helpful, as well as a few times you may want to think twice before eating it.
HAVE PROTEIN IN THE AFTERNOON
It may be nice to reach for a cup of coffee when your energy levels dip in the afternoon, but protein is a better option because it boosts the hormones that make us feel full. To balance your blood sugar, you might want to eat a protein and a carbohydrate when you feel this way. Pairing a protein with a carbohydrate will give you a long-lasting and satisfying snack.
DO EAT PROTEIN AFTER A WORKOUT
Protein is exactly what you need after a hard workout. It will not only give you more energy, but will help your body recover. After a good workout, the muscles in the body are broken down and need to be repaired. Protein can help repair torn muscle fibers and even help to build fibers, which is necessary when you’re looking to get stronger.
HAVE PROTEIN IF YOU ARE SICK
If you’re recovering from a cold, you may want to add a little extra protein to your diet.
Protein will help with the growth and repair of cells, after suffering a cold or the flu, expediting the recovery process. This might include eating a little more than the recommended intake of about 46 to 56 grams, until you feel better. There should be a 0.8-1g/kg body weight of protein intake daily. However Indian diets are predominantly poor in proteins across all socio-economic groups. Taking adequate proteins are essential and so is the correct time to ingest them, so that they are used properly by our body.
WHAT ARE COMPLETE PROTEIN FOODS?
Soy: Soy is perhaps one of the plant-based foods, filling the diets of vegetarians and vegans. Despite the nutritional differences between tofu and tempeh, each is a highly respected contender in the plant-based protein game. Edamame is also considered a complete protein, delivering nine grams of protein per half cup.
Quinoa: Supplying eight grams of protein per one cup serving, quinoa is not only considered a complete protein, but is also full of fiber, iron, and magnesium. However, quinoa is mostly used as a rice substitute.
Pumpkin Seeds: Supplying nine grams of protein per ¼ cup, it is considered a complete protein. Aside from the protein of pumpkin seeds, they are rich in healthy fats and supply advantageous fiber for digestive and heart health.
Rice and Beans: Rice and beans may just be one of the most budget-friendly complete protein duos. Along with packing protein, the combo is also a significant source of fiber.
Eggs: For omnivores, eggs are another great complete protein food to have on hand as each egg contains all the essential amino acids in sufficient quantities.
WHAT ARE BAD PROTEIN COMBINATIONS?
Two high-protein foods: Eggs and bacon are popular breakfast food items but it is advisable to avoid this combination. These two foods are high in protein and sit heavy on your tummy. It will take a longer time to digest both. You should eat light protein first and then your meat.
Orange juice and milk: Milk takes longer to digest and when you have milk and lemon or any citrus fruit together, the milk coagulates. This can lead to gas and heat burns. Some people are also lactose intolerant, which means they are unable to digest the lactose present in the milk.
Milk and bananas: The combination of milk and banana is heavy and takes a long time to digest. While the food is being digested, you will experience fatigue. If you like drinking banana milk shakes, add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg powder to promote digestion.
WHAT THOSE WITH KIDNEY AILMENTS SHOULD WATCH OUT FOR?
Although high protein diets may be safe for people with normal kidney function, people with decreased kidney function should avoid them. High dietary protein may accelerate the decline of kidney function in them. The kidneys filter and remove waste products of protein metabolism from the body. In those with decreased kidney function, a high protein diet