Mocktails – a tasty alternative to drink driving

Year on year we see campaigns highlighting the dangers of Drink Driving in order to reduce collisions and fatalities on our UK roads.

Being caught drink driving can have long-term implications on your insurance premium as a young driver. As a young driver, having the freedom of being able to get from A to B is so important so when it comes to being a student or starting your first job. So why take the chance of a ban when you can still enjoy an evening out with your friends as the designated driver trying out tasty alternatives to drink driving with mocktails.

It’s not so long ago that being the designated driver meant resigning yourself to a night of drinking water or lemonade. Not only have the soft drinks companies got a bit more inventive with their offerings, mocktails (that’s alcohol free cocktails for the uninitiated) have become an increasingly popular alternative, and are offered by many pubs, clubs and restaurants. Many are delicious recipes of their own, while others are virtually indistinguishable from their alcoholic counterparts.

Here are a few recipes for you to try at home (or to give to the bartender of your choosing). If you don’t quite have the right ingredients, why not invent a mocktail of your own.

Non Alcoholic Mojito

• 40ml Soda water
• 6 Mint leaves
• 30ml Apple juice
• 20ml Lime juice
• 15ml Elderflower cordial
• Crushed ice

1. Use a mortar (or a rolling pin if you don’t have one) to crush your mint leaves and bring out the juices and flavour. Add this to the bottom of a glass
2. Add your apple juice, lime juice and elderflower cordial
3. Add some crushed ice and give it a good stir
4. Top your mocktail up with soda water

Fresh Shirley Temple

• 40ml Ginger ale
• 1 Pomegranate
• 5tsp Sugar
• 1 Lemon wedge
• Ice cubes

1. After removing the seeds, press down on a pomegranate with the back of a spoon to extract the juice (you are aiming for around 40ml). Pour this juice into a glass
2. Add sugar to pomegranate juice and stir until combined.
3. Add ice to glass
4. Top up your mocktail with ginger ale
5. Add a squeeze of lemon, and place the remainder of the lemon wedge in the glass as a garnish

Chocolate cocktail

• 50g Milk chocolate
• 70ml milk
• 25ml vanilla syrup
• Ice

1. Simmer milk in a saucepan on a gentle heat
2. Break the chocolate into squares, and slowly add to the milk until left with a chocolatey milk mixture
3. Cool for an hour at room temperature (can be stored for longer in the fridge if necessary)
4. Pour chocolate milk mixture into a cocktail shaker and add the vanilla syrup
5. Add ice to mixture, and shake for 1 minute
6. Strain mocktail into a glass

Cranberry cutie

• 90ml Cranberry juice
• 90ml Apple juice
• 30ml Honey
• 1 Cherry
• Ice

1. Add cranberry juice, apple juice and honey together in a glass and stir thoroughly
2. Add ice to the mixture of juice and honey
3. Decorate with cherry

Be part of the bid to combat drink-driving one mocktail at a time this festive season.