Although we typically make alcoholic beverages, that doesn't mean we can't talk about mocktails. We are an advocate of a healthy lifestyle, natural ingredients and responsible enjoyment of cocktails. For some, a healthy lifestyle means not drinking alcohol at all. Maybe just for a month (Hello Dry January), a few months or for the rest of their lives, but thankfully mocktails are totally hot!
We definitely see the benefits of an alcohol-free period once in a while, so now during Dry January, the least we can do is support you during this alcohol-free month (or longer). Dry January doesn't mean you can only drink water, coffee and soda. You can still enjoy the best cocktails, even without alcohol. We have listed the reasons to drink mocktails during your alcohol-free period.
#1. Say goodbye to a hangover!
Everyone knows that morning after a fun night of delicious cocktails, beer or wine where you promise yourself each time never to drink again. Hangovers can certainly be annoying and there may just come a time when you've had enough of that feeling. Especially after the holidays that were filled with good food and alcohol. The most quickly recognizable benefit of drinking mocktails or other non-alcoholic drinks is not having to worry about a hangover. Just imagine, starting your day fresh and fruity even after it got late. Sounds good, right?
#2. Intake of fewer calories and sugar
Alcohol adds about 7 calories per gram and sugar adds about 4 calories per gram per cocktail. So, drinking mocktails right away reduces your intake of calories and sugar. The only downside to drinking mocktails is that sometimes the liquor is replaced with syrup or juice. These ingredients also contain a lot of sugar. The best way to drink a mocktail with fewer calories is to keep the mocktail to two ingredients. For example, a Virgin & Tonic, with Damrak Virgin and a (light) tonic.
#3. Become a fitboy or fitgirl
Reducing intake of calories and sugar helps if you are working on a fit body, but there are more benefits. Having a clear mind, feeling energized and improving your immune system can for also be results of drinking non-alcoholic drinks. It may well be that if you stick to mocktails or other non-alcoholic drinks, you will have a better night's sleep and more energy. This is because your body has more difficulty getting into deep sleep when you have been drinking alcohol. This is necessary for your body to recover and de-stress.
In addition, drinking too much alcohol can make you vulnerable to colds and flu. While there are so many positives to drinking mocktails, we believe that you should always enjoy (alcholic) cocktails responsibly. When you enjoy responsibly, you might even have the energy to go to the gym too!
#4. It's good for your wallet!
Nine times out of ten, ordering or making a mocktail is much cheaper than a cocktail with alcohol. The reason for this is that in most cases you don't need different liquors, vodka or other alcohol. For a mocktail, all you need is one or more juices, a syrup or soda and some fruit for the finishing touch. So, after the expensive holidays, Dry January can also make sure you get your j.e bank account back in shape.
#5. Discover new flavors and alternatives
It's great fun to experiment with mocktails and the different flavors you can use for them. Nowadays there are a huge number of different non-alcoholic versions of your favorite drinks. The most famous are the non-alcoholic gins. Every non-alcoholic gin tastes different. Experimenting with different juices and syrups may not sound so exciting, but what it is definitely good for is boosting your creativity. For example, think about how you can make your favorite cocktail like the Margarita or the Espresso Martini without alcohol. It's definitely a challenge, but you'll go far by using non-alcoholic ingredients like syrup, juices, flavorings or natural extracts. To help you out a bit, we've teamed up with our partner Anne Travel Foodie to create a list of our top 5 favorite mocktails, including a Virgin Piña Colada and a Virgin Pornstar Martini.
With these, we've given you five reasons why you might want to try drinking mocktails instead of cocktails for a while. If this is still not enough to convince you or if you have already tried it once but found out that you really prefer cocktails, we are always ready to serve you with delicious cocktails that you can enjoy responsibly.
