This Christmas I’m going alcohol free. I made the choice to cease consuming alcohol again in September and having put in all that onerous work and dedication and feeling completely superb due to it, I don’t really feel prepared to surrender and bounce again on the wagon simply because it’s Christmas. But not going to lie, the prospect of going alcohol free at such a notoriously boozy time of 12 months is daunting. So a lot of the festivities are centred round what drinks we now have to accompany numerous components of not simply the massive day itself, however through the run as much as Christmas, the times afterwards and naturally the massive crescendo, New Year’s Eve, that I do know temptation goes to be in every single place.
To give myself a combating likelihood of staying alcohol free this Christmas I do know I have to be ready. And a part of that preparation entails realizing which options I can drink {that a}) style good and b) make me really feel as if I’m not lacking out. So, I’ve accomplished my analysis. I’ve style examined numerous alcohol free drinks and provide you with some booze free drinks as options to my standard Christmas tipples.
Here are the 8 alcohol free drink swaps I’ll be making this Christmas:
Christmas Day Morning
- Swap This – Bucks Fizz
- For This – Sparkling Mead
Christmas day mornings in our home go like this. The youngsters get up and convey their stockings to our room to open, whereas we watch with a cup of espresso. A number of chocolate cash get eaten whereas we end our espresso after which we go downstairs to open the primary presents underneath the tree. Now, it’s whereas this current opening is occurring that we’d often have our first alcohol of the day, I imply it’s Christmas proper, no guidelines. So, it’s Bucks Fuzz and chocolate brioche to begin the day. We get out the particular glasses that we purchased in Singapore on our honeymoon, which we solely ever get out for this Christmas morning custom, so that is virtually ritualistic in its nature.
The vary of non-alcoholic sparkling mead from Bemuse is a unbelievable various to my standard festive Buck’s Fizz. There is a select of flavours: Ginger & Cardamom, Tarragon & Basil, Wild Raspberry, Original Hops, Original Brut, and Wild Raspberry Rosé, or you’ll be able to attempt mixing with some orange juice to create an alcohol free Buck’s Fizz. My private fave is the Wild Raspberry, however the different flavours are very nice too. Mead is a fermented honey primarily based drink and so my concern was that these can be actually candy, however truly while you’ll be able to style the honey in there, they don’t seem to be overpoweringly candy within the slightest.
I like these Bemuse drinks as a result of it makes me really feel as if I nonetheless have the entire ceremony on Christmas morning that I’m so accustomed to. I could make myself a Bucks Fizz with them, or have them on their very own, drink from my particular glass, and never really feel as if I’m lacking out.
Festive Family Gatherings
- Swap This – Mulled Wine
- For This – Mulled Cider
Mulled wine, it’s Christmas summed up in a glass, proper? And positive you might warmth up some alcohol free crimson wine, bung within the standard spices and many others., however I’ve but to discover a non-alcoholic crimson wine that lives as much as the flavours that I’d anticipate from a tasty mulled wine. And so, I’m going barely off piste with this one and as an alternative moderately than attempt to utterly replicate mulled wine, I’m going to recommend happening the mulled cider path as an alternative.
Now, I’m going to be utterly clear with this one, and it does open up a complete can of worms almost about the entire non-alcoholic factor. You see, the cider I’ve used is by Maiden Mill, a Somerset firm (I imply come on, that’s the place all the very best cider comes from, proper?) who produces a medium dry and medium golden cider with a 0.5% ABV. So, right here’s the cope with what counts as non-alcoholic… In the UK for a product to be classed as alcohol free it have to be 0.05% ABV. However, if that exact same product was obtainable in Europe or the US it might be 0.5% ABV for it to be labelled alcohol free. Same product, completely different nations, and earlier than Brexit there wouldn’t have even been a distinction. The reality of the matter is, in case you drink one thing that’s 0.5% ABV you’re not going to get drunk. Indeed, some fruit juices and yogurts include as a lot, if no more, alcohol than this due to the way in which they ferment, which helps put issues into perspective a bit of. But for the sake of transparency this cider can’t formally be labelled ‘alcohol free’.
Anyway, pedantics apart, lets crack on. Maiden Mill cider is scrumptious in its personal proper, nevertheless I personally affiliate cider with summertime consuming, so I’m going to spice issues up a bit and rework this into mulled cider as an alternative.
Here’s the recipe I like to make use of:
- 1 bottle of Maiden Mill cider
- 4 Cloves
- 2 Star Anise
- Grated Nutmeg
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 50ml Orange juice
- 50ml Pomegranate Juice
- 1 teaspoon Caster Sugar
Pour all the pieces right into a saucepan and heat on a low warmth. You don’t need the cider to boil, so once you begin seeing steam coming off of it that’s when it’s accomplished. Pour into heatproof glasses – I like to make use of this butterbeer one which I obtained from the Harry Potter Studio tour – and don’t neglect to garnish with a cinnamon stick to make use of as a drink stirrer.
Winter Walks
- Swap This – Lager
- For This – Alcohol free beer
I completely love going for a Christmas morning stroll. We’ve obtained a canine, so we have to get out with him anyway, however often we’re nonetheless ready for my son to get off the bed so myself and my husband drag out our daughter, all carrying festive Christmas Santa hats or reindeer antlers. Last 12 months we moved into a brand new home and we’re extremely lucky that it backs on to the forest, so we actually have superb walks proper on our again doorstep. I like walks at any time of 12 months, however the Christmas day stroll appears much more particular. There’s often nobody else round and it feels as if the world is all ours. It’s actually magical.
After a brisk, winter stroll, it’s good to come back again to the home, sit within the backyard in all our layers and have a beer. I’m not a lot of a beer drinker I’ll be trustworthy, however typically it’s simply good to have one, and that is a kind of occasions. For one factor it’s good to hydrate after a stroll, however on this occasion I’ve discovered an alcohol free beer that has different added advantages.
ERDINGER Alkoholfrei is one other product on my listing that might formally be labelled as ‘low alcohol’ within the UK. It incorporates lower than 0.5% alcohol however as we now have learnt above, this doesn’t make it ‘alcohol free’. But we all know the deal. Interestingly, this beer has been round quite a bit longer than different non-alcoholic beers having been produced since 2001. Aside from attracting non-drinkers ERDINGER Alkoholfrei can be focused at sports activities individuals and athletes. Mainly due to its low alcohol content material, which due to this fact means it’s more healthy than normal beers, but in addition due to its isotonic properties, because it incorporates nutritional vitamins B9 and B12, which means it not solely helps to quench thirst but in addition replaces misplaced fluids from train quite a bit faster. Now, I’m not saying my Christmas morning walks are strenuous, removed from it, however it’s good to know I’ll be placing one thing good into my body that additionally tastes like beer.
The beer itself tastes malty and barely spicy, however on the similar time beautiful and light-weight, which is sweet for me as like I say I’m not often a lot of a beer drinker. Best of all there’s no nasty chemical after style, which you’ll be able to someday get with alcohol free or low alcohol beer. All in all a scrumptious, thirst quenching weißbeer, good for submit stroll consuming.
Drinks With Friends
- Swap This – G&T
- For This – Alcohol free gin
My alcoholic drink of alternative is just about something with gin in it, and so discovering a good various is a biggie for me. Whether it’s gin and tonic, a gin cocktail, or my private fave, rhubarb gin and ginger ale, Christmas isn’t Christmas if there isn’t gin concerned. However, this 12 months, as a result of I’m not consuming alcohol, I’ve been on a mission to discover a scrumptious tasting and genuine alcohol free gin which is able to make me really feel as if I’m not lacking out. And I’ve discovered one!
Clean Co’s alcohol free gin is a blended mixture of juniper and fragrant botanical substances. And I feel that’s the important thing with non-alcoholic drinks, it’s all about packing these flavours in so that you simply produce a drink that’s about as near the actual factor as you may get, with out that harsh style of alcohol. And Clean Co have accomplished simply that with their Clean G. It’s crisp, it’s dry and for my part makes a greater G&T than an alcoholic model would. You see, once you surrender consuming alcohol your style buds change. Your body now not craves the alcohol and also you begin to style it for what it truly is… ethanol.
As properly as Clean G, Clean Co additionally make Clean G Rhubarb, which let me let you know is absolutely the good various to my a lot beloved rhubarb gin and ginger ale. If there was one drink that I knew I used to be going to overlook after I gave up the booze it was this. But fortunately Clean Co have ensured I don’t want to present it up fully. This non-alcoholic gin has all of the style, oodles of favor (I imply, simply have a look at that bottle!) and better of all it comes with no hangover. I’m for positive going to be consuming this all through Christmas and past.
Christmas Hot Tub Dip
- Swap This – Beer
- For This – Alcohol Free IPA
At some level on Christmas day it’s an actual deal with to get within the sizzling tub, particularly if it’s tremendous chilly or a bit of bit drizzly outdoors. And a Christmas sizzling tub dip wouldn’t be a Christmas sizzling tub dip with no Santa hat on my head and a chilly can of drink in my hand. This 12 months, as I’m not consuming alcohol, I plan on switching out my standard can of premixed gin and tonic for a can of Poolside IPA from the Big Drop Brewing Co. It’s an alcohol free IPA with a beautiful citrus zing to it, so good and light-weight which fits my palate completely. Arguably extra suited to the summer season, in fact, I used to be drawn to it due to the identify. I imply if I’m consuming within the sizzling tub, one thing known as Poolside simply matches the invoice completely, proper?
If you fancy one thing completely different, Big Drop have a spread of different beers on provide. From milk stout and brown ale to craft lager and pale ale, in addition to the IPAs, there’s a non-alcoholic beer for everybody. Interestingly, Big Drop makes use of a combination of barley, rye, wheat, and oats of their beers which helps give them their distinctive depth of flavours. And I feel that’s a giant factor with alcohol free drinks, they type of must work that bit more durable than alcoholic drinks as a result of they really must style good. People aren’t shopping for them to get drunk and most of them don’t but have the properly established fame and large model loyalty that the massive alcohol manufacturers have. So style is a giant deal. It must not simply style good, it must style particular, and it must style higher than the alcoholic variations. It’s a tough job, however Big Drop have accomplished it. And when alcohol free beer tastes this good, I reckon I would even have the ability to persuade the husband to modify out his standard lager and go for considered one of these non-alcoholic variations as an alternative.
After Dinner Drinks
- Swap This – Irish Coffee
- For This – Alcohol free rum sizzling toddy
I’d heard of alcohol free wine, and beer, and even alcohol free gin, however this was a brand new one on me. This is one other absolute cracker from Clean Co, Clean R is alcohol free rum and I’m LOVING it!
As a rum various, it does rather well. Flavours include heat, golden caramel spices with a touch of cayenne pepper to present a bit of kick on the finish. It shouldn’t work, however someway it does. Clean R is a flexible little quantity. You can drink it plain and easy with cola, combine it right into a cocktail, or do as I do and pour some right into a espresso to make a scrumptious sizzling toddy for these after dinner vibes.
Here are some extra methods to make use of alcohol free rum:
- Mince Pies – Making your individual mincemeat on your mince pies? Whack a few of this Clean Co rum into the combo to present a depth of flavour with out the alcohol.
- Egg Nog – For a Christmas traditional, whisk 2 egg yolks with 3 tablespoons of sugar till fluffy. Stir in 100ml entire milk, 100ml double cream, and 100ml of alcohol free rum. Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl till they type tender peaks after which fold into the rum combination. Pour into glasses and high with some grated nutmeg.
- Hot Buttered Rum – Mix 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 a teaspoon of floor nutmeg, and 1 tablespoon of soppy gentle brown sugar in a bowl. Add 100ml of non-alcoholic rum and a couple of tablespoons of melted unsalted butter. Pour into two heatproof glasses or mugs and high up every with 100ml of boiling water. Stir properly with a cinnamon stick. This one will heat your cockles proper up!
- Rum Cream – Looking for the proper various to brandy butter to have together with your Christmas pudding? Try whisking some Clean R and sugar into some double cream for a punchy dessert accompaniment.
Christmas Dinner
- Swap This – Prosecco
- For This – Sparkling tea
It was a buddy that first launched this one to me, and when she described it I’ve obtained to say I wasn’t fully satisfied. You see Real Drinks make non-alcoholic sparkling teas. Yep, that’s proper, tea. And as a non-tea drinker I wasn’t overly enthused. However, I’m actually transformed. Real provide 4 various kinds of glowing tea; Peony Blush, Dry Dragon, Tiger Hill, and the one which I’ve tried, Royal Flush. They are made by naturally fermenting unfastened leaf teas like Darjeeling and Longjing with different substances which then someway produces a drink that’s loopy good.
What I like about it’s that it’s not making an attempt to be one thing else. Many alcohol free drinks attempt to straight mimic their alcoholic counterparts. Sometimes it really works, however different occasions it may possibly fail miserably and that is notably noticeable within the alcohol free wine market. Many wines and glowing wines can style too candy, like an affordable and nasty bottle of plonk, and also you’re left feeling utterly unhappy. Royal Flush is a fruity little quantity, carrying flavours of rhubarb and white peach. It’s extremely moreish, simple to drink, and appears for all intents and functions as if you’re consuming an alcoholic drink. If you’re getting stick for not consuming (as a result of belief me there may be large prejudice on individuals who don’t drink – everybody has an opinion!) this could simply be mistaken for a glass of prosecco, so in case you can’t be bothered with the effort, that is good.
Along with gin, prosecco is often my drink of alternative. There are some alcohol free proseccos on the market, they usually’re okay. What I need you to know with this one, is that the place I’ve mentioned you’ll be able to exchange Royal Flush together with your trusty bottle of prosecco, please don’t come into this considering that you simply’re going to get a like for like swap, since you’re not. But what you’re going to get, is a extremely scrumptious, recent, fruity, glowing drink that feels uniquely particular. It actually earns itself a spot on the Christmas dinner desk. And the Christmas occasion for that matter. It’s not prosecco, however that doesn’t matter, as a result of prosecco was soooo final 12 months. If you’re dabbling within the sober curious world, the designated driver, pregnant, otherwise you simply need one thing non-alcoholic I urge you to present this a go, you gained’t be dissatisfied.
New Year’s Eve
- Swap This – Champagne
- For This – Wild Idol
Arguably the trickiest evening of all of them to go alcohol free, and apart from after I was pregnant, I can’t bear in mind a New Year’s Eve after I didn’t drink. Society expects you to drink on this evening. Your mates anticipate you to drink on this evening. If you don’t drink on this evening individuals assume there’s one thing unsuitable with you. The strain is 100% actual. But after all, it doesn’t imply the evening needs to be any much less enjoyable simply since you’re not consuming alcohol. So, the very best factor you are able to do is use another… and it helps when it appears and tastes like the actual deal!
Wild Idol is a premium non-alcoholic drinks model that you’d be forgiven for considering was a champagne. The packaging actually appears excessive finish, and the colourful bubbles and zesty, fruity notes additionally scream luxurious. Unlike most alcohol free wines, Wild Idol hasn’t been dealcoholized (had the alcohol eliminated) and it is because the alcohol was by no means in there to start with. The result’s a barely heat, spicy dry drink with a beautiful sharp aftertaste. There’s none of this candy sickly, grape juice factor happening, that’s for positive!
This is your New Year’s Eve secret weapon. Save it for the midnight celebration, when everyone seems to be clinking glasses and toasting the beginning of a brand new 12 months. Available from Wild Idol, at just below 30 quid a bottle it’s on the pricier facet of what you’d need to pay for an alcohol free drink, nevertheless once you’re on the lookout for one thing a bit of bit particular, I completely assume it’s value it.
(*8*)
Final Thoughts
I do know it will likely be a problem not consuming this Christmas. Years of routine consuming have cemented alcohol into my mindset, and it’s laborious to interrupt these associations, particularly round Christmas time. But I’m feeling constructive about it, and it now not feels as if not consuming alcohol is a giant deal. I’m nonetheless the identical particular person, I simply don’t drink the laborious stuff anymore. Simple.
I’m hoping that by changing my standard festive tipples with alcohol free options, it would make it really feel as if I’m not lacking out and that Christmas may be simply as enjoyable with out alcohol. It will definitely be far more enjoyable with out the hangover, that’s for positive!
If you’re occupied with discovering out extra about why I made a decision to cease consuming alcohol and the way I went about it, you’ll be able to learn my article:
