For those of us not drinking alcohol, the holidays create the opportunity for being creative when everyone else is grabbing for the booze and beer. I used to ratchet things up during the Christmas season when it came to cocktails, but now I prefer a simpler way of life. You can still get as extravagant as you’d like with your libations, with or without the liquor – for me, at this point in life, the season is extravagant enough, and so I tend to tone things down when it comes to mocktails, using what is already fizzy and fanciful rather than start from scratch.
Trader Joe’s offers several fun holiday sparklers, such as the cranberry ginger soda seen here (which I’ve amended with pomegranates and a sprig of fresh rosemary) as well as a pomegranate sparkling juice that I’ll try next. They can be had on their own, or accented with fresh garnishes or citrus to give them some extra zing. Keeping the cocktail/mocktail situation pared down and simple is one small way to make things run easier amid all the other madness.
