Immune Boosting Mocktails to Mix Up this Winter

Dec. 1, 2023

Tis the season for holiday festivities, immune-boosting regimens, winter citrus, and mocktail recipes to serve up as an alcohol alternative at your next holiday party. We compiled a list of delicious seasonal sips that will add some extra strength to your immune system to help you stay healthy this winter. Not on the no-alcohol train? All of these mocktails can be transformed into cocktails, too; just add a shot of your booze of choice and mix or stir it up. 

Citrus, Ginger, and Turmeric Tonic

Ginger and turmeric's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties make these two ingredients an immune-boosting duo you’ll want to add to your winter wellness must-haves.

Ingredients:

  • 5 mandarin oranges peeled. You can use tangerines, satsumas, or clementines. Also, feel free to use your winter citrus of choice instead. 

  • 1 lemon peeled and cut into quarters

  • 1-inch piece of fresh turmeric cut in half

  • 1-inch piece of fresh ginger cut into pieces

  • A dash of cayenne pepper

  • 1 cup crushed ice

  • Sparkling water

Tools:

  • Fine mesh strainer

  • Blender

Instructions:

  1. Add the mandarin oranges or your citrus of choice, lemon, ginger, turmeric, and cayenne to the blender bowl. Blend until smooth.

  2. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Pour the mixture through in batches, gently pushing down the pulp with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to release the juices. Discard the pulp. This should yield about 1 cup of juice. As always, you can double or even triple the recipe if needed. 

  3. Pour the mixture into a pitcher or mason jar. 

  4. Add ½ cup of the mixture to a glass. Add crushed ice and a splash of sparkling water. Gently stir. Your tonic is ready to sip. 

Pomegranate Ginger Refresher

This Vitamin C-packed and immune-boosting mocktail is the perfect blend of slightly sweet, tart, and spicy. It’s colorful and bright and will make a great addition to your holiday party menu. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice

  • 1/2 cup cranberry juice

  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

  • 1 cup ginger kombucha (or sugar-free ginger beer)

  • 1/2 cup pomegranate arils

  • 1/3 cup fresh cranberries

  • 2 cups crushed ice

  • Fresh rosemary sprigs, pomegranate arils, and fresh cranberries for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Juice the oranges until you have ½ cup of freshly squeezed orange juice. 

  2. Combine the pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, orange juice, ginger kombucha, pomegranate arils, and cranberries in a pitcher. Gently stir.  

  3. Add crushed ice to a tall glass and pour the mocktail over the ice. 

  4. Garnish with pomegranate arils, fresh cranberries, and/or a sprig of fresh rosemary. This refreshing mocktail is ready to serve up. 

Notes:

  • If you want to mix up this mocktail ahead of time, leave out the kombucha until you’re ready to serve. This will ensure that the mocktail isn’t served flat and will have optimal carbonation and bubbliness.

Zero Proof Moscow Mule with Fresh Ginger Beer

Here’s a fresh take on a non-alcoholic Moscow Mule using homemade sugar-free ginger beer. You’ll start by making a ginger beer concentrate that you can easily mix up into a spicy ginger beer using sparkling water or club soda. You can preserve any leftover concentrate you have by freezing it in ice cube trays. Running short on time or don’t have any frozen ginger beer concentrate on hand? You can substitute store bought ginger beer instead of the homebrew stuff. 

Ginger Beer Concentrate 

Ingredients:

  • 20 ounces fresh ginger, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks

  • 2 cups filtered water divided

  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from 4 to 5 limes), plus more as garnish

  • 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups of agave nectar or honey (to taste, see note)

  • Sparkling water or club soda

Tools:

  • Fine mesh strainer

  • Blender or food processor

Instructions:

  1. First, you’ll liquefy the ginger into ginger juice. Liquefy the ginger and 1 cup of water in a blender or food processor for 3 minutes. Strain the ginger juice into a large bowl or pitcher. Transfer the remaining ginger pulp back to the blender or food processor, add another ½ cup of water, and liquefy again. Strain the juice from the second round into the same large bowl or pitcher. Then, transfer the remaining pulp along with another ½ cup of water and liquefy again. Repeat the process of straining the liquid into your bowl or pitcher. Press on the ginger solids with the back of a big spoon to squeeze out as much of the ginger juice as possible.

  2. Discard the remaining mashed-up ginger and rinse out your blender/food processor. 

  3. Pour the ginger juice into the blender/food processor. Pour in the lime juice and 1 ¼ cups sweetener. Blend for 30 seconds. To test the sweetness level, pour about 2 ounces of ginger concentrate into a glass along with about 8 ounces of sparkling water or club soda. If you’d like it to be sweeter, blend in more sweetener until it reaches your preferred sweetness level. Once your sweetness level is achieved, the ginger beer concentrate is ready to go. 

  4. To make the ginger beer, pour about 2 ounces of ginger concentrate into a glass and add about 8 ounces of sparkling water or club soda. Add a squeeze of fresh lime, give it a stir, and just like that, you have fresh ginger beer. Fresh mint and/or candied ginger make nice garnishes as well. 

  1. Refrigerate the concentrate for up to 3 weeks. Be sure to shake the concentrate before mixing it up into ginger beer. You can also freeze the excess concentrate in ice cube trays, which will last for several months in the freezer. Be sure to store the ice cube trays in an airtight freezer bag. If the concentrate is frozen, let it thaw before making the ginger beer.  

Notes:

  • Ginger beer concentrate recipe adapted from Cookie and Kate 

  • Yields about 36 ounces of ginger beer concentrate. This will make about 18 ginger beers if you use 2 ounces of ginger beer concentrate per ginger beer. 

Zero Proof Moscow Mule

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup of Ginger Beer (either homemade ginger beer or store-bought ginger beer)

  • ¼ cup of sparkling water or club soda

  • 1-2 juiced limes

  • A few leaves of fresh mint 

  • Lime wedges for garnish

  • Crushed ice

  • 2 oz Non-alcoholic vodka (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Make your ginger beer by using the ginger beer concentrate. Skip this step if you’re using pre-made ginger beer. To make the ginger beer, pour about 2 ounces of ginger concentrate into a glass and add about 8 ounces of sparkling water or club soda. Make sure you shake the ginger concentrate before adding the sparkling water or club soda. Add a squeeze of fresh lime, give it a stir, and set aside. 

  2. In the bottom of a copper mug, add the freshly squeezed lime juice and a few torn mint leaves.

  3. Use a muddle to gently press the mint leaves to release the oils. If you don’t have a muddler, you can use the handle of a wooden spoon instead.

  4. Add the sparkling water or club soda and gently stir. 

  5. Fill the cup ⅔ of the way with crushed ice and pour in the ginger beer. Gently stir. 

  6. Optional: add the non-alcoholic vodka. Gently stir. 

  7. Garnish with a lime slice and fresh mint leaves. Your zero-proof mule is ready to serve up and sip.

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