Berry Summer Spritz mocktail — Ashleigh Gee
The drink: Strawberry and raspberry flavours mix together to give a gorgeous red colour, and topping with ginger ale balances the sweetness.
Ingredients: 4 fresh raspberries, 2-3 fresh strawberries (stems removed and halved), 10ml sugar syrup (2 teaspoons), 3 mint leaves, ginger ale (or, if not a fan, lemonade or soda can work), crushed ice, mint sprig for garnish.
Berry Summer Spritz method: Make in a tumbler glass (around 400ml in size). squeezed if possible), 15ml sugar syrup, 15ml liquid from maraschino cherries, 6 drops of Bittermens mole bitters (just for extra credit, not essential).
Method: Combine everything into your cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and shake for about 10 seconds.
Strain into a coupe glass or over fresh ice — “if that tickles ya fancy”. Garnish with some slices of lime.
Tip: To scale it up, just follow the ratio above, add ice to the vessel, and mix to dilute until tasty.
Sober Santa mocktail — Josh Fitzgerald
About: There are so many great alcoholremoved products available now — you can get Seedlip, used in this recipe, at the supermarket. This is a quick, easy, refreshing drink that’s perfect for the sunny Kiwi summer.
Ingredients: 30ml non-alcoholic gin (Fitzgerald used Seedlip Citrus), 45ml elderflower syrup, 5-6 mint leaves, 20ml lemon juice (freshly squeezed if possible). Top with soda water.
Method: Combine all the ingredients except the soda water.
Fill the glass with ice right to the top. Top with soda and give it a mix, making sure the ingredients in the bottom of the drink are mixed through.
Garnish with a mint sprig and lemon slice.
Tip: If you like your drinks a little more tart, increase the lemon juice quantity. Or, if you like it sweeter, this would also work with lemonade instead of soda water.