Mocktails are definitely a thing for Holiday Parties 2018 ~ an extension of the craft cocktail craze ~ just check out this Pinterest search and all the tasty options. Family Friendly, Driver Friendly, Diet Friendly, Healthy Friendly, mocktails have come a long way from the Shirley Temple of our youth.
Diet Coke® recently challenged us to come up with some tasty Craft Mocktails to serve at 2018 Holiday Parties, using the four new Diet Coke® Flavors: Feisty Cherry, Twisted Mango, Ginger Lime, and Zesty Blood Orange. Launched in early 2018, the zero-calorie soda added these four fruity and fun flavors in sleek, colorful new cans to their classic Diet Coke® line up.
We tapped one of our favorite QC bartenders, Michael Mascali of WP Kitchen + Bar in Phillips Place, to create some easy-to-make-at-home mocktails out of Feisty Cherry, Twisted Mango, Ginger Lime, and Zesty Blood Orange. In addition to wanting drinks we can all make at home, we didn’t want to add a ton of calories to these particular mocktails. After all, we love Diet Coke’s calorie free goodness and we didn’t want to mess with that.
Michael tapped into the fruity tones in each new Diet Coke® flavor to create 4 flavorful, non-alcoholic drinks:
- The Feisty Cherry Float
- The Twisted Mango Inferno
- The Ginger Lime Metropolitan
- The Zesty Blood Orange Transfusion
Recipes for each drink are below, with recommendations on how to spike them if you desire. WP K+B poured a few of these to customers last week and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive. Smooth & Delicious!
All photos by Christina Hussey
The Feisty Cherry Float
½ oz Vanilla Extract
½ oz Grenadine
Add ingredients to a shaker glass filled with ice and shake vigorously.
Pour the contents, including ice, into a wine glass and top with Feisty Cherry Diet Coke®.
Garnish with a skewer of cherries.
For an alcohol based version add 1.5oz Stoli Vanilla.
The Zesty Blood Orange Transfusion
1 oz Rosemary/Elderflower Syrup (recipe below)
Fill a shaker glass with ice and add the syrup and shake vigorously.
Pour the contents, including ice, into a cocktail glass and top with Zesty Blood Orange Diet Coke®.
Garnish with a sprig of Rosemary.
For an alcohol based version add 1.5oz of Hendricks gin.
Rosemary/Elderflower Syrup Recipe
5 oz Darbo Elderflower Syrup
3-4 sprigs of Rosemary
Add ingredients to a container with a lid and allow ingredients to infuse for 2-3 days.
The Ginger Lime Metropolitan
1oz Cranberry Puree
1oz Cranberry Juice
Add ingredients to a shaker glass filled with ice and shake vigorously.
Pour the contents, including ice, into a cocktail glass and top with Ginger Lime Diet Coke®.
Garnish with a skewer of fresh cranberries and a lime wheel.
For an alcohol based version add 1.5oz Captain Morgan spiced rum.
Cranberry Puree Recipe
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 oz simple syrup
1 cup water
Add ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth, 2-3 minutes.
The Twisted Mango Inferno
¾ oz Jalapeno Simple Syrup
Add Jalapeno Simple Syrup to a shaker glass filled with ice and shake vigorously.
Pour the contents, including ice, into a tall soda glass and top with Twisted Mango Diet Coke®.
For an alcohol based version add 1.5oz Sambra Mezcal
Jalapeno Simple Syrup Recipe
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Bring to a boil and add
2-3 medium jalapenos, cut in half, with the seeds remaining.
Boil mixture on med heat for 20- 25 minutes, allow mixture to cool. Strain mixture through a coffee filter to remove seeds. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready for use.
If you whip up one or more of these at home, please do comment below with your taste test and suggestions!
Happy Holidays and Mocktail Making 2018!!
