Sober Up

Dry July doesn’t have to mean dry glass. The month-long event sees participants abstaining from alcohol to raise money for adults Australia-wide living with cancer. A worthy cause and worthy for your health. But hitting the town with a clear head might leave you dizzy. Never fear, these mocktails will get the party started as if they were alcoholic. Minus the drunken slurring, texting and tumbling. Cheers to that.

Coco Jumbo

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

1/2 scoop coconut or vanilla ice cream
20 mL coconut syrup
90 mL pineapple juice
Toasted coconut
Pineapple wedge

Method:

1. Place ice cream in a cocktail shaker
2. Add coconut syrup
3. Add pineapple juice
4. Wet the rim of a large cocktail glass with pineapple juice
5. Dip the rim of glass in toasted coconut
6. Shake all ingredients in the shaker and strain into glass
7. Garnish with pineapple wedge and serve with a straw

Apple (Mock) Mojito

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

75 mL apple juice
75 mL soda
1 whole lime
1 sprig fresh mint leaves
1 tsp sugar
Icecubes

Method:

1. Add the lime (quartered), sugar and mint to a highball glass and mix with a muddler.
2. Add several ice cubes and pour in the apple juice
3. Top with soda (alter to taste) and stir
4. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve

Magic Dragon Fruit

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1 dragon fruit
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon rind
1/2 tbsp grated palm sugar
3 cups sparkling mineral water
2 mint leaves
Ice

Method:

1. Halve the dragon fruit and scoop out the flesh into a blender
2. Add the remaining ingredients and blend
3. Serve in a tall cocktail glass with a slice of the dragon fruit skin and sprinkled with a touch of lemon rind

Grapefruit Fizz

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

120 mL water
120 mL soda water
300 mL lemonade
300 mL grapefruit juice
1-2 strawberries
4-5 mint leaves
1 ruby grapefruit

Method:

1. Fill one ice cube tray with lemonade and a second tray with grapefruit juice
2. Chop strawberries into small pieces. Drop one piece into each lemonade cube and repeat with the mint leaves into the grapefruit juice
3. Leave trays in freezer until frozen
4. In a jug mix remaining grapefruit juice and lemonade with soda water
5. Peel and take out the pith from the ruby grapefruit. Cut into small pieces and add to jug
6. Put three or four ice cubes of each flavour into individual glasses. Top up with jug mixture and spoon out the fruit to distribute evenly

Peachy Keen

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1 cup peeled, sliced fresh peaches
1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup peach yoghurt
1 cup cold milk
1/2 cup crushed ice or ice cream
Honey to sweeten if desired

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and pour into a cocktail glass
2. Add crushed ice or ice cream to glass and serve

By Jenna Chaitowitz

Image: Flickr