Finding a balance as a Kenzai veteran might lead you to the occasional indulgence “made less bad.” Mocktails fit great into this category! You can scratch the itch with some tasty, indulgent drinks but ones that are way less calorie dense than most adult beverages, ensuring you don’t miss that next workout. Here are some tips to mixing up (or ordering out) some fun mockatils!

We can break their creation down into a few components; Base, sweet, tart, bitter, savory, and herbal.

Below are some examples:

Bases: Sparkling water, coconut water, maple water, nut milks
Sweet: Mango, orange, strawberry, watermelon, cantaloupe
Tart: Lemon, lime, yuzu, kiwi, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, tomatillo, raspberry
Bitter: Grapefruit, lemon peel, lime peel, bell pepper, coffee, tea
Savory: Cucumber, chili pepper, tomato, salt, horseradish
Herbal: Basil, parsley, lavender, elderflower, chamomile, thyme, rosemary, cilantro

By no means a comprehensive list, this is just to get your creative juices flowing! Sure, you can’t just randomly pick one out of every category and expect to hit a home run, but some combinations of the above are fun, unique, and taste great!

Mocktail #1

Muddle some basil and cucumber in the bottom of a glass with 60-90ml (2-3oz) of watermelon juice. Add ice and top with sparkling water. Pour a small drizzle of balsamic on top with extra basil for garnish and you have a killer and beautiful mocktail!

Mocktail #2

Shake 30ml (1oz) mango juice, a squeeze of lime juice, a splash of coconut milk, 60ml (2oz) of coconut water and a small thai chili that’s been halved over ice then strain into a glass over ice. Garnish with lime wheel and/or chili salt! Spicy, unique, and refreshing!

The options are literally limitless. Tap into what’s fresh and available in your area and try some out! Served up with a pretty garnish from any of those categories except “bases,” you can really have a lovely and wonderful drink. And shaking it up over ice is always fun and makes your friends and family realize you are mixing them up something special! An added bonus is mocktails work for the whole family, kids included, and anyone else that’s trying to stay away from or limit their alcohol intake.

Have fun and get creative! If you whip up a mocktail get that posted to your journal so we can see what you came up with!

ABOUT NATE

Nate stumbled across what would eventually become Kenzai back in 2008 and never looked back. You can usually find him cooking up new stuff in the kitchen, out in the garden, or working on a new batch of home-brewed beer. Oh, and he might be out and about trying to not break himself while he jumps around on things. Getting more in touch with seasonal and local produce and businesses every year has been a rewarding way that Nate has tried to expand his Kenzai lifestyle.