Stay Safe on the Road with Festive Christmas Mocktails

Did you know that you could be still be over the limit the morning after a festive night out? My delicious and simple Christmas mocktails will give designated drivers a more interesting choice of drinks.

There are so many drinks parties, meals out and other celebrations at this time of year. If you’re driving, it may be tempting to have just one glass of wine or bottle of beer to celebrate with friends and loved ones.

But even one drink could be enough to put you over the blood alcohol limit for driving. And even if you are not driving straight away, you could still be over the limit the next morning. Some people may drive after a drink because they don’t realise that they are over the limit, or because they think that a taxi would cost too much.

But the cost of a taxi is nothing compared to the cost of being caught drink-driving. According to the DVLA, being caught driving or attempting to drive whilst over the legal limit or unfit through drink can have serious penalties. These can include 6 months’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or a driving ban for at least 1 year. For more information, visit the Drink Aware website

And there is also the potential cost in terms of injury or loss of life to passengers, other road users and pedestrians. Sobering stuff, indeed…

If you’re the designated driver for your group of friends, then the non-alcoholic drink options can get a little repetitive. I usually end up opting for yet another Diet Coke, which doesn’t feel like much of a celebration. So for your  Christmas party, try mixing up a couple of these mocktails to give the drivers a more exciting choice.

For all of my Christmas mocktails, make sure that you chill the ingredients in advance and serve the drinks over plenty of ice. Each recipe makes one drink, just stir the ingredients together in a glass. Double up for a longer drink or mix a pitcher full for a party.

And if your non-driving friends want to give the drinks an extra kick, they all taste great with a shot of chilled vodka mixed in!

Cool Breeze (front)

75ml Cranberry Juice
75ml Apple Juice
75ml Pink Grapefruit Juice
Ice
Soda Water if required

This is an alcohol-free nod to the Sea Breeze – it’s sharp, dry and really refreshing. You could swap the grapefruit juice for orange juice if you want to add a bit of extra sweetness, or top it up with soda water to make a longer drink.

To mix a pitcher, just mix together one part of each of the fruit juices with plenty of ice.

 

Christmas Cracker (left)

150ml Pomegranate Juice
75ml Ginger Ale
Squeeze of fresh lime juice

This is a sweeter mocktail, and the pomegranate juice gives it a really pretty colour. I use Ginger Ale, which you will find with the other mixers like tonic water and soda water.

To mix a pitcher of this mocktail, you need to use 2 parts Pomegranate Juice to 1 part of Ginger Ale, and then add a good squeeze of lime juice.

 

Mistletoe Kiss (right)

25ml Lime Cordial
75ml Ginger Ale
Squeeze of fresh lime juice

This is my favourite – I’d happily drink this any time of year. As above, I use Ginger Ale but if you wanted to give it more of a kick, you could use Ginger Beer (you’ll find that with the soft drinks).

If you prefer to mix up a pitcher full, this drink is 1 part Lime Cordial to 3 parts of Ginger Ale with a good squeeze of lime juice.

I hope you enjoy my Christmas Mocktails, and stay safe on the roads this Christmas!