5 Summer Mocktail Recipes for Healthier Ways to Party On

In this article:

• Many people enjoy consuming alcohol in the summer, whether at gatherings or at home.
• Choosing alcohol-free mocktails can help you reduce your alcohol consumption while enjoying fun beverages.
• Here are 7 mocktail recipes to help limit alcohol and sugar while you keep partying.
• Lark can help you stay motivated and fit 24/7 when you use the app.

Alcohol may be present at your summer parties, but it’s not a healthy option. Alcoholic beverages can have more calories than you expect, and drinking alcohol can also alter blood sugar and lead to intoxication. Drinking mocktails can be an alcohol-free way to enjoy a drink or two without the negative effects of alcohol. Here are 5 mocktail recipes to try.

1. Virgin Mary

A Bloody Mary is a lower-sugar choice for a cocktail, and a Virgin Mary lets you have the spicy flavors without alcohol. You can garnish this beverage with all kinds of choices, such as

hard-boiled eggs, celery stalks, olives, lemon wedges, or sprigs of herbs.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of tomato juice
• ¼ cup of lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon of hot sauce, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon of celery salt
• ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon of horseradish

Directions

1. Mix the ingredients together and chill.
   
2. Pour the mixture into glasses with ice. Garnish as desired for serving.

2. Berry Kombucha Mojito

Using kombucha gives the mocktail a fermented ingredient without including a lot of alcohol. This recipe has strawberries for the foundation, with your choice of raspberries or blackerries to enhance the flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of strawberries, sliced or quartered
• ⅓ cup of fresh or frozen raspberries, blackberries, or mixed berries
• Handful of mint leaves
• 2 cups of kombucha
• 1 cup of sparkling water
• ¼ cup of lime juice

Directions

1. Puree the strawberries, mint leaves, and lime juice together, and distribute them among four glasses with ice.
2. Add the other berries and sparkling water evenly to each glass.

3. Cucumber Honeydew Cooler

What can you do with an excess of cucumbers and melon? Make this delicious cooler! You can use honeydew melon, cantaloupe, watermelon, or pineapple.

Ingredients

• 4 cups of ripe honeydew melon, cubed and frozen
• 1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 cups of sparkling water
• Ice cubes made from unsweetened coconut milk
• Fresh mint or basil leaves
• Juice from 1 lime
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and in cubes
• Cucumber slices for garnish

Directions

1. Blend the melon, coconut milk, mint or basil leaves, lime juice, and peeled cucumber in a blender or food processor until smooth.
2. Pour the mixture into glasses that have coconut milk ice cubes in them. Distribute the sparkling water between the glasses.
3. Garnish with cucumber slices before serving.
   

4. Chili Lime Mango Mocktail

This is a sweet and spicy drink that has no added sugar. You can add pineapple puree or swap pineapple for the mango. You can also use lime-flavored sparkling water instead of plain if you want a stronger lime taste.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• ¾ teaspoon of sea salt
• 2 sliced limes, plus lime wedge for rimming
• Flesh from 2 ripe mangos, pureed
• Handful of mint leaves
• 2 cups of sparkling water

Directions

1. Mix the salt and chili powder on a plate. Rim the glasses with the lime wedge to wet them, and dip them into the salt mixture. Set the glasses aside and let them dry.
2. Distribute the mango, mint leaves, and sparkling water in each glass. Add ice to each glass and serve.

5. Sparkling Citrus Mocktail

This fizzy drink has no added sugar, and you can alter it according to your tastes and what you have on hand. You can use tangerine juice instead of orange or grapefruit juice, for example. Add a tablespoon of sugar or a couple of packets of low-calorie sweetener if you want your mocktail to be sweeter.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of soda water
• ½ cup of grapefruit juice
• ½ cup of orange juice
• Bunch of mint leaves
• Lime for garnish

Directions

1. Mix the soda water and citrus juices together.
2. Pour them over ice in glasses.
3. Add mint leaves, and serve with lime wedges.

6. Salted Lemon Watermelon Slush

This is a great way to use up your watermelon and have a cold, refreshing beverage without added sugar. You can make it with more or less ice according to your tastes. If you want it colder, add more ice.

Ingredients

• 8 cups of cut watermelon, or about half of a large watermelon
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
  
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Lemon wedges for serving

Directions

1. Use a blender or food processor to puree the watermelon.
2. Mix the watermelon with salt and lemon juice.
3. Place the mixture in the freezer for 1 hour.
4. Add the watermelon mixture to glasses with ice in them, and serve with lemon wedges.

7. Non-Alcoholic Watermelon Mimosa

A mimosa is a simple yet elegant drink. Take your mimosa to the next level with this watermelon-flavored version of a non-alcoholic mimosa. When you use ripe watermelon, the drink becomes sweeter without adding sugar. You can also use cantaloupe or honeydew melon, though you may want to increase the sparkling water just a bit if you do.

Ingredients

• 3 cups of cubed watermelon
• 1 cup of orange juice
• 1 cup of cold plain sparkling water or unsweetened lime-flavored sparkling water
• Mint leaves, optional
• Orange slices for a garnish

Directions

1. Puree the watermelon in a food processor or blender.
2. Add the orange juice, and pulse to mix.
3. Pour the mixture into glasses. Add the sparkling water and mint leaves, if using.
4. Serve with orange slices on the rim of the glasses.

How Lark Can Help

It may be okay to drink alcohol as part of your summer fun, but it’s best to only drink in moderation, if at all, and to take safety precautions. That can help you stay on track towards your weight loss and health goals. Lark can help motivate you and provide support as you track food and activity to build healthy habits. Lark can help you make good choices every day to improve health and manage weight, and you receive 24/7 personalized coaching!

Click here to see if you may be eligible to join Lark today!

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