Ah, Dry January, the month that challenges the best of us. However, these delicious mocktail recipes will make it that little bit easier.
After a month of binge drinking and eating, most people devote themselves to a challenging month of no booze. But for many, this month can prove difficult.
After all, there’s only so many cups of tea one can consume on a Saturday night.
Fear not, we’ve done some research on some of Ireland’s most favourite cocktails and found some non-alcoholic versions to keep us ticking over until February.
Keep reading to discover the best Irish mocktail recipes.
5. Strawberry and Lime Daiquiri – basically an adult slush puppy
This is one of our very own best Irish mocktail recipes. All you need is a non-alcoholic bottle of Strawberry and Lime Kopparberg, ice, and a blender.
Fill the blender about halfway up with ice, pour the Kopparberg in, and blend. You have your very own non-alcoholic Daiquiri style drink, and it’s delicious.
Strawberry daiquiri is always a favourite on a night out, and now you can enjoy the sugar rush without the hangover. You’re welcome.
4. Virgin Mojito – if you’re feeling more refined
While we all loved the strawberry daiquiri when we were younger drinkers, we feel the Mojito is slightly more sophisticated.
Many of us graduated to the Mojito when we wanted to feel more ‘grown-up’ in ourselves. BBC Good Food has this delicious and easy virgin mojito recipe, which requires very few ingredients.
All you need is one tablespoon of sugar, a small bunch of mint, three juiced limes, and soda water.
Simply mash the sugar and mint together into a paste and divide into two glasses with crushed ice and juiced limes. Top with soda water and enjoy. Find the full recipe here.
3. Espresso Martini – one of our most popular drinks
There’s no denying that espresso martinis have definitely risen in popularity in Ireland in recent years.
That’s why we had to search for an excellent non-alcoholic version to help keep us on the straight and narrow this month. Thankfully, we found one.
Blessed be Lyre’s, a company that specialises in non-alcoholic spirits. The recipe includes 45 ml of their Coffee Originale, 15 ml of their White Cane, 5 ml vanilla syrup, and 60 ml of espresso.
Shake it up in a cocktail shaker, add ice, shake again, and double strain it into a glass. You can see their video tutorial here.
2. Alcohol-free Baileys – our favourite creamy beverage
While regular alcoholic Baileys isn’t actually a cocktail, we think this non-alcoholic Irish cream liqueur deserves the title.
It requires the mixologist skillset to make, so this can definitely be considered a mocktail.
Combine the following in a cocktail shaker: 150 ml double cream, 50 ml evaporated milk, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 25 ml espresso, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla, and a pinch of orange zest.
Shake her up nicely with some ice, and pour it into your glass of choice. Find the full recipe here.
1. Lyre’s Maple Coffee Cocktail – Irish coffee meets Dry January
While you may not consider warm drinks to be cocktails, this has to be one of our best Irish mocktail recipes.
Who doesn’t love Irish coffee during these cold months, especially around Christmas and New Year? Obviously, we thought we couldn’t enjoy such a luxury with Dry January.
Then we discovered that you could do just about anything with the new non-alcoholic spirits that are on offer. You can grab a bottle of Lyre’s (as well as some other unique non-alcoholic brands) from most Supervalus.
The recipe calls for the combination of 75mls of Lyre’s American Malt with 7.5ml maple syrup and a splash of hot coffee.
Stir this mixture until the maple is dissolved, and then fill the rest of the glass with coffee. Top with whipped cream if that’s your thing. Find the recipe here.
BONUS DRINK: Alcohol-free gin and tonic – if you’re too lazy to make the others
Did you know that a gin and tonic is technically considered a cocktail?
If you’re missing the gin, we recommend picking up a Ceder’s Crisp bottle from the non-alcoholic section of your off-license (we found bottles in SuperValu and Tesco).
Add a shot or two to a gin glass and top with your favourite tonic water. We suggest adding a few slices of lime if you’re feeling really fancy.
It may taste slightly different at first if you’re a serious gin drinker, but trust us, it will grow on you and satisfy your cravings. It’d be a sin and a crime not to include this in the selection of the best Irish mocktail recipes.
