7 Healthy Mocktails to Celebrate Any Occasion in Lower-Calorie Fashion
We get it: Especially around the holidays or a special occasion (like smashing a goal at your most recent obstacle course race), having a few celebratory drinks can be tempting as hell. You've earned it, right? But while pounding high-calorie, often high-sugar alcoholic drinks can feel great for morale initially, you might be reversing all of the progress you've worked so hard to earn. Alcohol dehydrates you, making it harder to recover, and withholding from drinking before a race may improve your endurance training, according to research.
If you enjoy the act of a social celebration, but regret the negative side effects of one too many drinks the morning after, you'd probably benefit from enjoying a few non-alcoholic, healthier mocktails instead. Use these seven simple, lower-calorie mocktail recipes to get started right now.
Non-Alcoholic, Low-Calorie Mocktail Recipes
1. Sparkling Cranberry Kombucha Mocktail
Recipe from The Real Food Dietitians, Stacie Hassing. RDN and Jessica Beacom, RDN
This drink is a win all-around: Not only it is crisp, tangy (thanks to a hit of ginger) and refreshing, but it’s also low in sugar and high in probiotics. The kombucha packs over 6 billion probiotics into one serving, which is more than you’d get in some probiotic supplements. Plus, you’ll feel so good and won’t have the slightest bit of a headache after drinking it.
Related: Prebiotics Vs. Probiotics: What's the Difference?
2. Blood Orange Mocktail
Recipe from Marisa Moore, RDN
The best part about this mocktail is the generous dose of Vitamin C (over a day’s worth in one blood orange, Moore says), which can help boost your immunity. It mingles with honey and vanilla flavors, plus lime sparkling water to add that sweet fizz.
3. Pomegranate Margarita Mocktail
Recipe from Sara Haas, RDN, LDN
Margaritas are always fun, but not everyone can or wants to deal with a tequila hangover. (Plus, the sugar content in one traditional margarita is staggering.) This lower-calorie, lower-sugar margarita mocktail is made with fresh lime juice, pomegranate juice, and sparkling lime seltzer. It’s a drink that actually has antioxidants, thanks especially to the pomegranate.
4. Blueberry Ginger Mocktail
Recipe from Carlene Thomas, RDN
There are tons of antioxidants and vitamins in this blueberry-filled drink — it contains blueberry juice and actual blueberries, plus a full shot of ginger. A cinnamon stick adds some warmth and sweetness as a garnish, and you can finish it off with a sprig of fresh mint as well.
Related: Just How Bad Is Alcohol for Your Health?
5. Grapefruit Mint Mocktail
Recipe from Sarah Gold Anzlovar, MS, RDN
If you prefer your mocktails a bit tangier, this low-calorie mocktail is your answer. The kombucha (a gut-healthy, fermented drink) and grapefruit bring a tartness, which — combined with the grapefruit seltzer and mint — is perfectly refreshing.
6. Sparkling Apple Cider Mocktail
Recipe from Rebecca Clyde, MS, RDN, CD of Nourish Nutrition blog
This healthy mocktail is super easy to create, but looks really fancy in a stemless champagne glass. Just take sparkling apple cider and slice lime, orange, and grapefruit (or the citrus fruits of your choice for extra Vitamin C) and garnish with some fresh rosemary, too.
Related: 4 Critical Things Every Spartan Should Know About Booze + Training
7. Strawberry Sparkling Mocktail
Recipe from Tara Rochford, RDN
Even if it’s not the time of year to be lying on the beach or by the pool, you can still feel that same poolside vibe with this thirst-quenching mocktail. The ingredients include just strawberries, lemon juice, and sparkling water, and to make it sweeter, you can add natural coconut sugar if you prefer.
