These mocktail recipes are simple and delicious. Who said sober can’t taste awesome?

 

I love a drink, heaps of us do, but there’s no denying that they can be a bit too much fun. Nowadays it’s becoming more and more common to hear people say that they’re skipping out on the booze in favour of their health, wallet, or just a better night’s sleep.

But one issue that always pops up when you look for a drink without alcohol in it is the lack of variety. ‘Oh yeah mate we’ve got Coke and ahh, sparkling water?’. Such a stitch up! Surely there’s a bit of flavour out there that won’t screw up your Dry July.

At WAE we’ve just found out about Six Barrel Soda Co. They’re an independent brand from NZ taking on big soft drink with wild new flavours and a fresh take on some classics. They’re organic, ethical and have about 30% less sugar than regular soft drink. They even make syrups to bring your soda water to life.

That might be enough of a shpiel for you to grab a pack (and if you do, use WEAREEXPLORERS10 for 10% off).

But if that’s a bit tame for your tastebuds, we reckon one of these mocktails will spice up your fireside chats (or add some tropical zing to your couchtime).

raspberry & lemon, six barrel soda co.

One bottle of syrup, 15 drinks

1. Grapefruit Mocktail

Ingredients:

  • 30mL Grapefruit Syrup
  • Sparkling water / soda water
  • Ice
  • Rosemary
  • Lemon
  • Edible flowers

Method:

Pack your glass with ice, then pour over the grapefruit syrup. Top up with sparkling / soda water. Garnish with rosemary, lemon wedges and edible flowers.

2. Pomegranate No-Jitos

Ingredients:

Method:

Add cherry pomegranate syrup, mint leaves, and lime wedges to your glass and muddle to release the flavours. Add ice and pomegranate seeds, then pour over soda water to top up. Garnish with lime slices, pomegranate seeds/cherries and mint sprigs.

pomegranate no-jitos, six barrel soda co.

More like Yes-Jito!

3. Strawberry Ginger Ale

Ingredients:

  • One strawberry (fresh or frozen)
  • Ginger Ale Syrup 30mL
  • 3 Fresh mint leaves
  • Lime juice 10mL
  • Soda water 100mL
  • Candied ginger to garnish (optional)

Method:

In a tall glass, crush the strawberry, then add our Ginger Ale syrup, lime juice, and mint (press mint gently to release oils). Add ice and top-up the glass with soda water. Garnish with candied ginger, mint and lime.

4. Pink Lemonade

Ingredients:

Method:

Add ice and berries to glass, then pour over raspberry and lemon syrup. Top up with soda water and garnish with lemon slices.

5. Ginger & Pineapple Spritz

Ingredients:

  • 35mL Ginger Ale Syrup
  • Sparkling or soda water
  • Pineapple juice
  • Ice, 
  • Lemon 
  • Mint

Method:

Put ice in a jar or glass and pour over ginger ale syrup and pineapple juice (to about 1/3 full). Top up with sparkling or soda water, then garnish with lemon and mint.

ginger & pineapple spritz, six barrel soda co.

Pineapple on pizza is still up for debate, but I’m pretty sure we can agree on this spritz

6. Blueberry Limeade

Ingredients:

  • 35mL Lime Syrup
  • 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
  • Soda water
  • Lime
  • Fresh mint

Method:

Add lime syrup, blueberries (save some back for garnish), and a few torn mint leaves to your glass, then muddle together (a rolling pin works well). Add ice, then pour over soda water to top up. Garnish with lime slices, blueberries and a sprig of mint. Cool!

7. Lavender Lemonade

Ingredients:

  • 100mL Lemonade Syrup
  • 10 lavender stems
  • Soda water
  • Fresh lemon
  • Lavender for garnish

Method:

Wash your lavender well, then pour syrup into a pot and add lavender heads. Put the pot on the stove at medium heat to simmer gently for about 10 minutes until fragrant (don’t let it boil). Allow syrup to cool. Once cool, add ice to your glass and pour over 35mL of lavender infused lemonade syrup, then top up with soda water. Garnish with lemon slices and lavender stems. 

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Feature photo by @lukebender