What is your favourite non-alcoholic holiday drink recipe?

What is your favourite non-alcoholic holiday drink recipe?

Becoming increasingly popular in the past years are non-alcoholic beverages that are rapidly taking over markets. Consumers are now actively choosing to let go of the booze, with reasons ranging from health consciousness to safety precautions. Although alcohol is still heavily consumed, non-alcoholic drinks in Australia are gaining momentum, and trends point towards their dominance. What is your favourite non-alcoholic holiday drink recipe?

Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Beverages that do not contain alcohol are categorized as non-alcoholic beverages, which can range from juices to cocktails. They are a mixture of either organic or inorganic elements or both intermixed; to quench thirst without the addition of booze. Modern society is turning into a more moderated community when it comes to liquor consumption. These changes in preferences are attributed to concerns about violence, which has a perceived relation to alcohol consumption. Being drunk has earned a negative impression on most members of the community. For some, feeling nauseous and battling a terrible headache the day after a drinking session is just not as appealing. Therefore, society has started to turn their attention to beverages that satisfy thirst and cravings for unique flavours; without the questionable effects of alcohol.   

Rise of the Mocktails

Consumers all over the world are making an active choice to forego alcohol and opt for their non-alcoholic counterparts. The demand for no-proof drinks is predicted to stay, as seen in market trends scrutinized relentlessly by experts. The following are some responses made by companies involved in the booze-making business. As they tailor their products in anticipation of an even more explosive boom of this trend.

1. Mocktails, the term for non-alcoholic cocktails, are getting makeovers as teetotalers or those who do not consume alcohol, demand for more creative concoctions.
2. Aesthetic beverages have become the top priority projects of bartenders and chefs to cater to Generation Z, who have considerably lower alcohol consumption, want Instagram-worthy orders of their choice mixes.
3. Bars are no longer the only place to order beverages from. Non-alcoholic mixes have become increasingly accessible as they are displayed in market shelves as ready-to-drink mocktails.  

Australians are Drinking Less

Non-alcoholic drinks in Australia have also rapidly become the new favourites. Although Australians still rank among the world’s heaviest drinkers; consuming 224 beers per person in 2016-2017, ahead of Americans and the Japanese. There is a significant downfall of this number from their 500 stubbies per person in 1974-75.

1. Beer and wine are among the most widely consumed alcohol in the country, but the desire for beer has decreased drastically compared to the past.
2. Many are opting to buy non-alcoholic drinks in Australia because of health conditions like being pregnant and preventing alcoholic addiction.
3. The movement for safer roads is also an increasingly important move. As designated drivers can enjoy a night out with peers without the threat of getting into an accident; due to drunk driving.

Tips on How to Drink Smarter

Alcohol addiction is a real phenomenon that has affected lives and destroyed many dreams and aspirations. The Australian Department of Health has presented the following points of advice; for those who want to prevent themselves from suffering such an issue.

1. Limits should be set-up for oneself, and there should be a strict following of them.
2. A night-out can start with the consumption of non-alcoholic drinks that can then be alternated with alcoholic beverages.
3. Slow drinking can prevent a person from consuming too many drinks as satisfaction is processed slowly by the brain.
4. Trying drinks with lower alcohol content can help get oneself used to let go of booze.
5. Consume solid food before or during the process of drinking to balance the effects of the beverages.
6. When going for rounds of drinks, as is the practice of many during the weekend or when going out with colleagues and friends, make sure to include non-alcoholic beverages on the menu.

Popular Recipes of Non-Alcoholic Beverages

The first step in getting used to consuming non-alcoholic drinks is knowing how to prepare the perfect combination of such. The following are some recipes for holiday drinks that one can make in place of alcoholic beverages; for healthier and relatively safer celebrations.

1. Simmering barley with lemon zest (albeit optional) until it is cooked, and then sieving and mixing the liquid with lemon juice where honey or sugar could be added to taste makes lemon barley water. It is a non-alcoholic drink that is also a health tonic.
2. The traditional Samoan chocolate drink called Koko Samoa is another non-alcoholic option. Samoan cocoa beans are roasted and pounded before being left to dry into hardened blocks. These blocks are then melted with hot water and added with sugar to get the desired flavour.
3. The root of a local pepper plant called kava can make yaqona, a popular traditional Fiji drink. It is ground and mashed into a thick paste; which is then mixed with hot water, sieved, and then poured into bowls, traditionally halved coconut shells, for drinking.
4. Coffee, another popular non-alcoholic beverage, is consumed popularly either as long black or flat white. The former resembles cafe Americano, but it extracts espresso directly into the hot water; while the latter mixes two shots of espresso with steamed milk.

There are a variety of other recipes that can replace alcoholic beverages. Among these, Australians can take their pick to promote a healthier and safer environment of enjoying nights out and holidays. When choosing; choose the drink that is closest to the flavour of one’s favourite alcohol; to replicate the satisfaction of consuming the liquor without its consequences. One can quickly be on the road preceding to alcohol consumption.

Featured photo by Rirri on Unsplash