The Sober September & October Mocktail Perfect for Tailgating Season

Football season is HERE! You know what that means - good friends, celebrating, team pride and of course tailgating. But what happens if you’re partaking in Sober September, Sober October, are sober curious or simply just don’t want to drink any alcohol? It doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun during football. I actually have been doing Sober September and I have been loving it! It’s always good to take a break — and it’s totally doable even while the world is fully immersed into game day every week. How so might you ask? With Mingle Mocktails! It’s a female-founded line of sparkling specialty mocktails which happens to be my newest obsession this season!

Mixing up the world of entertaining, Mingle’s six fruit-forward flavors offer delicious & booze-free alternatives to your favorite cocktails. Cranberry Cosmo, Cucumber Melon Mojito, Key Lime Margarita, Blood Orange Elderflower Mimosa, Blackberry Hibiscus Bellini, and Moscow Mule are crafted with real fruit juice and botanicals, and can also be mixed with your favorite spirits for a tasty, low-calorie cocktail if you’re opting to stick with a cocktail!

They’re great to add some color to your cooler if you’re tailgating at the stadium and add flair to your bar cart if you’re entertaining at home. I love how they are a really refreshing beer alternative as well and they don’t leave you feeling bloated which is common with drinking beer. They’re the perfect blend of sweet and bubbly with a little kick. My personal favorite is the Hibiscus Bellini (for obvious reasons - but seriously, I absolutely love this flavor!!).

I know I’ll be drinking these all year long, whether for a mid-week pick me up, for celebrations and of course for the rest of the football months. From Football Sunday mocktails, to holiday libations to refreshing spring and summer bevies, Mingle is the perfect way to mix things up; to sip and celebrate, no matter what season you’re in.

Ring in Spring with These Refreshing Cocktails and Mocktails

Can we all agree that it has felt like the longest winter ever? Even though Spring has started, I’m still waiting for the weather to let up. Maybe a light and airy cocktail or mocktail will help activate the season! Here’s a toast to the warm weather, the fresh air and sunnier days ahead with these refreshing bevies…

The Sunset Rose

Ingredients:

• 3 oz Whispering Angel

• 1.5 oz Belvedere Vodka

• .5 oz Lime Juice

• .25 oz Honey Water

• 3 Blackberries

• Garnish with Mint Sprig

Method: Place Blackberries into shaker and muddle. Add remaining ingredients into shaker except the Rosé. Shake with ice and strain into rocks glass over fresh ice. Top with Rosé and garnish with Mint.

Betty Buzz Grapefruit Thyme Fizz Mocktail

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 Bottle Betty Buzz Sparkling Grapefruit

• Meyer Lemon Juice

• Thyme

METHOD: Bring it all together in a lowball glass over ice. Stir gently and garnish with thyme.

THE VOLCAN SMASH

INGREDIENTS

• 2 oz Volcan Cristalino

• 6 mint leaves ripped in half

• .75 oz lemon juice

• .75 oz honey

• .25 oz lime

METHOD: Garnish with Mint. 

Welcome the Spirit of Fall with These Fall-Inspired Cocktails

As summer comes to a close and we trade in our spritzes for warm and spicy cocktails, it’s time to ring in the chillier season with some fall-inspired cocktails! I am not going to lie, while I am a total summer girl, something about fall cocktails really does something for me. I love the notes of spice, smokiness, cinnamon, fruit and nutmeg to name a few… the list goes on! It just gets you in a cozy mood.

The one spirit to transition you into fall? Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon.

Check out some of the recipes I’m loving this season!

BITTER BERRY SMASH

For those who may want to hold on to summer just a little longer, the Bitter Berry Smash serves as the perfect transitional cocktail marrying sweet strawberries and refreshing mint with the sweet and bold flavors of Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon. 

1.5 parts Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

½ part Cynar Amaro

¼ part Simple Syrup

1 Strawberry

3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

METHOD: Muddle strawberry with Peychaud’s Bitters, Cynar and simple syrup in a rocks glass. Add a small scoop of crushed ice and bourbon, then stir for 15 seconds. Top with more crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig.

HOT BUTTERED TODDY

For those cool nights with friends where you need something more than a sweater to warm you up, the Hot Buttered Toddy might just do the trick. This take on the Hot Toddy uses cinnamon, brown sugar, orange spice tea, Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon and the ultimate twist - butter! 

1.5 parts Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

6 parts Orange & Spice tea (hot)

¾ part Cinnamon-brown sugar syrup*

½ teaspoon butter

METHOD: Combine all ingredients in a hot toddy glass or mug and stir. Garnish with grated cinnamon.

*CINNAMON-BROWN SUGAR SYRUP: 

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup water

2 cinnamon sticks

Method: Combine all ingredients in a pot and stir while bringing to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and strain out the cinnamon stick.

SMOKE & MIRRORS

A warm and smoky cocktail with a long and lingering spice served up in a chilled coupe glass. The Smoke & Mirrors secret ingredient? Lapsang Souchong smoky black tea, and Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon of course. 

2 parts Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

¾ parts Amontillado Sherry

¼ part Demerara Sugar Syrup*

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

4 dashes Lapsang Souchong Tea Tincture**

METHOD: Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice and stir. Strain into a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass. 

**LAPSANG SOUCHONG TEA TINCTURE: 

2 teaspoons Lapsang Souchong

4 parts vodka

Method: Let tea steep in vodka for 24 hours then strain. Put tincture in a dropper or dasher bottle. 

*DEMERARA SUGAR SYRUP: 

1 cup Demerara Sugar

1 cup warm water

Method: Stir together until sugar is completely dissolved. 

BANANA BREAD OLD FASHIONED

With a vanilla aroma and the bold and sweet flavors of walnuts, banana, and Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon, the Banana Bread Old Fashionedis sure to take you down memory lane.

2 parts Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon

¼ part Banana Liqueur

1 bar spoon Allspice Dram

1 bar spoon Simple Syrup

2 dashes Black Walnut Bitters

METHOD: Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice and stir. Then strain into a rocks glass over a large cube.

My Favorite Alcohol-Free Drinks I Discovered During Sober October

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I decided to do a little bit of re-setting for my mind and body by eliminating alcohol for the entire month - SOBER OCTOBER! I really only ever have drinks on the weekend, but it goes without saying that it’s never a bad idea to take a step back for a minute and dial it all in. In October, I was all about creating mocktails and discovering brands that offer alcohol-free beverages. I was so surprised at not only how many options there were, but actually at how amazing and truly delicious each of them proved to be! A mocktail definitely does not need to be just a seltzer and lime. What I drank this past month surpasses what’s expected. The great part? You could whip up any of these at any time of day if you’re craving something with a bit more of a kick! Today, I’m sharing with you all of my favorites that I highly recommend, whether you’re going alcohol free for a month, you are alcohol free in general or if you just enjoy something really freaking tasty… I have a feeling most people fall under that category!

MOCKTAIL CLUB

Get ready to have your taste buds tantalized with the luscious non-alcoholic drinks from Mocktail Club. Made in the US with the highest quality and natural ingredients, Mocktail Club creates healthy, refreshing drinks reminiscent of classic cocktails, but with a modern twist. Each of these sophisticated drinks are created with functional benefits and include antioxidants and prebiotics for digestive health.

Mocktail Club has four flavors to choose from: 

Capri Sour: Tasty and tart, this drink has pomegranate, cranberry, apple cider vinegar and lemongrass – think Italian Spritz.

Bombay Fire: A unique blend of pomegranate, chili, agave and infused tea that leaves you with a warm burn like a traditional Old Fashioned. 

Havana Twist: Refreshingly sweet with a tangy zest of lime and hint of spice with cardamom; a new age take on a Mojito.

Manhattan Berry: Like its namesake, this drink is sophisticated with a mix of blackberries, pear shrub and a dominant linger of ginger.

DAMRAK Virgin

The non-alcoholic alternative contains the recognizable botanicals, including citrus peels, lavender, and coriander seeds, that its alcoholic counterpart, Damrak Original Gin, is known for. Damrak is the first gin brand to launch a non-alcoholic alternative, with Lucas Bols’ master distiller Piet van Leijenhorst spending two years perfecting the zero proof formula, ensuring that even at 0% alcohol, the spirit can stand out in a cocktail and mirror Damrak Gin’s flavor profile. Damrak Virgin 0.0, a gluten-, sugar-, and calorie-free distilled spirit, was the highest rated in the 2020 Ultimate Spirits Challenge Non-Alcoholic Spirit category. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that, worldwide, the rate of alcohol drinkers fell by nearly 5% over the past several years, creating the perfect window of opportunity for Damrak to introduce this non-alcoholic variant.

SUNTORY ALL-FREE

ALL-FREE is the latest exciting release from the renowned Japanese distiller and brewer, mostly known in the U.S. as the maker of Yamazaki and Hibiki whiskies. By combining modern technology with their brewing experience, the brand has created a crisp, light and innovative beverage with zero calories and 0.00% alcohol. Not sure what to concoct with a can of one of these? Here’s a fab recipe for the drink shown here.

Blackberry ALL-FREE Shandy by Elliott Clark (@apartment_bartender)

Suntory ALL-FREE

3-4 blackberries, muddled

1 oz fresh grapefruit juice

½ oz fresh lemon juice

2 oz green tea

½ oz simple syrup

Fresh mint and blackberries for garnish

Directions: Add ice, muddled blackberries, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, green tea and simple syrup to cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a glass over ice. Top with Suntory ALL-FREE. Garnish with fresh mint and blackberries.

FERM FATALE SHRUB-BUCHA

Ferm Fatale isn’t JUST the world’s first line of zero sugar, wildly fermented, raw, live, and organic “ready to drink” mocktails in classic cocktail flavors. Ferm Fatale is a SOCIAL REVOLUTION.

Ferm Fatale mocktails are high in B vitamins, good bacteria, yeast, and enzymes that support and detoxify your liver instead of tax it. These detoxifying elements make you glow from the inside out, so you can wake up and crush it the next morning. Drinking dirty is about consuming good bacteria, knowing that the gut is the source of health. Local, seasonal, small-batch, and artisanal, these drinks are meant to inspire you to live your joy day or night.

Available in 4 varieties, including Nojito, Margarita, Madame Mule and Cosmopolitan.

My Cider Skull Sangria with Campo Viejo for Dia De Los Muertos

Happy Dia De Los Muertos! In celebration of the colorful holiday, I created a specialty cocktail to sip on today - what I like to call the Cider Skull Sangria using my favorite Campo Viejo Tempranillo wine. Because Campo Viejo encourages everyone to live more colorfully and vibrantly, I thought it was the perfect fit.

Check out my recipe for this tantalizing festive concoction!

The Cider Skull Sangria

INGREDIENTS

· 1 bottle Campo Viejo Tempranillo
· 1 ½ cups apple cider
· 3 oz. brandy
· 2 honey crisp apple, sliced, plus more for garnish (optional)
· 2 cinnamon sticks, plus more for garnish (optional)
· 1 star anise, plus more for garnish (optional)

FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR RIM

· 2 Tablespoons cane sugar
· 1/2 Tablespoon cinnamon
· pinch of salt


METHOD

For the cinnamon sugar rim, stir together cinnamon, sugar, and salt on a dish.
Wet the rim of the glasses by running a slice of lemon around each one.
Dip the rims into the mixture and then fill glasses with sangria.

Add all ingredients to a large pitcher and stir to combine. Cover pitcher and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. Fill glasses with ice then pour sangria over top. Garnish with cinnamon sticks, star anise, and apple slices, if desired, and serve.

Photography by: Grace & Light Photo