Mix it up and try a very tasty mocktail?
More and more are shunning alcohol
Not long ago, being a non-drinker meant hours of sipping soda water and lime in a bar - or, at best, a glass of mixed fruit juices topped with a cocktail umbrella. But no longer. Following the runaway success of non-alcoholic spirits, the zero per cent booze market has blossomed.
These drinks, packaged in beautiful bottles, may be free of alcohol but they still taste like their alcoholic counterparts.
Some companies aim to emulate existing spirits such as gin, while others have created their own range of vibrant botanical infusions.
And they have given mixologists new materials with which to fashion a fresh wave of mocktails.
Anyone for a No-jito, a nonalcoholic spin on the rum, mint and lime classic? Or how about a No-groni? Far from being a fly-by-night trend,it seems that alcohol-free cocktails are here to stay.
Whether seeking to be healthier or simply wishing to avoid a hangover, more people than ever are shunning alcohol.
One in five adults claims not to drink at all - an increase of a third in just over a decade - and many more are trying to cut down.
Alcohol Research UK estimates that 4.5million people took part in Dry January this year.
So why not make a decision to avoid hangovers and banish the risk of being over the legal driving limit and instead sip a mocktail and relax this festive party season.
Here are some for you to try at your office party or you could make some for your Hogmanay bash at home. Orange and Cranberry Spritz Ingredients: 500ml smooth orange juice 500ml smooth cranberry juice 400ml sparkling elderflower drink To make: Mix together orange juice and cranberry juice in a large jug.
Slowly pour in the sparkling elderflower drink, as it will fizz up.
Mix together and serve in tall glasses with ice. Driver’s Punch Ingredients: 100g cranberry 100mlcranberry juice 500ml blood orange juice (Sanguinello) juice of one lime Thin wedges of lime Thin wedges of orange Mint sprigs 600ml Appletise, sparkling apple juice drink To make: Put the cranberries into a medium size, rigid freezer container, cover with water (by about 2.5cm), freeze until solid.
Mix the cranberry juice in a large jug (about 1.5 litre) with the orange and lime juices.
To serve, smash the sheet of frozen cranberries into shards and put in the bottom of eight highball glasses.
Put a wedge of lime and orange and a mint sprig in each glass, then pour in the mixed fruit juices and top up with Appletise. Pineapple and lime mocktail Ingredients: One tsp clear honey Edible gold glitter Small bunch coriander leaves Juice of one lime 750ml pineapple juice Handful of ice 400ml tonic water To make: Dip a pastry brush in the honey and paint a line down one side of four tumblers.
Sprinkle some edible gold glitter over the honey, dust off any excess, then put the glasses in the fridge.
Chop the coriander leaves and place in a cocktail shaker with the lime juice, 100ml pineapple juice and a handful of ice.
Shake together until the outside of the shaker feels cold. Strain into the glasses, add extra ice cubes and divide 650ml pineapple juice and the tonic water between the glasses.