‘Tis The Season: Festive Mocktails For A Mindful December

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Rethinking Celebration

There is a quiet revolution happening in how we celebrate: a shift from excess to intention, from numbness to presence. December has always been a month of sparkle, indulgence and gleaming glasses held aloft, but now, more people are choosing to savour the moment without the heaviness that alcohol sometimes brings.

Mindful drinking doesn’t diminish the magic of the season; it deepens it. You taste more. You remember more. You arrive fully in each moment. With the right recipes, mocktails feel every bit as luxurious and celebratory as their alcoholic counterparts, perhaps even more so.

*All recipes designed to serve 1, easily multiplied for gatherings.

Rosemary & Clementine Winter Spritz

A bright, aromatic drink that captures the warmth of winter sunshine.

Ingredients

• 120ml freshly squeezed clementine juice

• 60ml sparkling water or non-alcoholic sparkling wine

• 1 tsp runny honey or agave

• 1 small sprig fresh rosemary

• Ice cubes

• Clementine slice, for garnish

Method

1. Add the clementine juice and honey to a glass. Stir gently until the honey dissolves.

2. Add ice, then pour in the sparkling water.

3. Clap the rosemary sprig between your hands to release its aroma, then nestle it into the drink.

4. Garnish with a clementine slice.

5. Sip slowly — this one tastes like the first morning of December.

Spiced Pear Velvet Cooler

Soft, warming and deeply comforting, like being wrapped in a blanket.

Ingredients

• 100ml pear juice (cloudy works best)

• 30ml cinnamon syrup or ½ tsp cinnamon + ½ tsp brown sugar

• 30ml fresh lemon juice

• 80ml ginger ale

• Pinch of nutmeg

• Ice

Method

1. Fill a glass with ice.

2. Add the pear juice, cinnamon syrup, lemon juice, and nutmeg.

3. Stir slowly.

4. Top with ginger ale for sparkle.

5. Optionally garnish with a thin pear slice or a cinnamon stick.

Cranberry & Sage Frost Tonic

Crisp, elegant, and beautifully aromatic. The perfect Christmas Eve drink.

Ingredients

• 80ml cranberry juice (unsweetened for sharpness)

• 20ml fresh lime juice

• 100ml tonic water

• 2 fresh sage leaves

• Ice

• Fresh cranberries, optional

Method

1. Add ice to a tall glass.

2. Pour in cranberry juice and lime juice.

3. Add the sage leaves and gently press them with a spoon to release their oils.

4. Top with tonic water and stir once.

5. Add fresh cranberries for a festive touch.

Ginger-Apple Sparkler

Warming yet refreshing, ideal for cold winter nights.

Ingredients

• 120ml cloudy apple juice

• 60ml ginger beer (alcohol-free)

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• Thin apple slices

• Ice

• Optional: a drop of vanilla for extra warmth

Method

1. Fill a glass with ice.

2. Add apple juice and lemon juice.

3. Pour in ginger beer.

4. Add a thin apple slice and, if desired, a tiny drop of vanilla.

5. Stir gently.

6. Enjoy the cosy hug of ginger and apple.

Pomegranate Winter Bellini

Rich in colour, festive in spirit. The showstopper of any Christmas gathering.

Ingredients

• 60ml chilled pomegranate juice

• 120ml non-alcoholic sparkling wine or sparkling water

• Pomegranate seeds

• Twist of orange peel

Method

1. Pour the chilled pomegranate juice into a flute.

2. Top slowly with sparkling wine.

3. Add a few pomegranate seeds.

4. Finish with a delicate twist of orange peel.

5. Toast to a mindful, meaningful December.

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Connection Over Consumption

What matters most at any gathering is not what fills the glass. It is what fills the moment. These drinks invite us to slow down, to savour each sip, and to choose presence over pressure.

Mocktails aren’t an alternative; they are a celebration in their own right.

A December to Remember

When you raise your glass this season, let it be filled with something that supports clarity, comfort, and connection. Let it reflect the kind of year you’re hoping to create, full of intention, joy, and the gentle feeling of truly being there.