Four Dry January mocktails to get you out of your winter funk

Because this January has seemed especially cold, these four Dry January mocktails will have you longing for warmer days

It’s finally 2024 and many people are still holding on strong to their New Year’s Resolutions… including taking part in Dry January and beyond.

With every new year comes new goals and hopes for what the next 12 months may bring. Maybe you’re taking part in the latest fitness challenge, such as 75 Hard, or tasking yourself with reading a new book every five days. After a month filled with boozy Christmas parties and holiday get-togethers, perhaps your main goal was simply offering your body and mind the chance to reset.

That’s where Dry January comes in, the annual challenge of going alcohol-free for all 31 days of the month. Dry January has grown in popularity in recent years, with one recent Morning Consult poll stating that 21 per cent of drinking-age adults in the United States were participating in some form of reduced alcohol consumption this month. And with so many delicious mocktail recipes and non-alcoholic apéritifs on the market these days, participating in Dry January doesn’t mean you need to cut out the pleasures of drinking a fizzy beverage or fruity refresher completely.

In fact, the mocktail beverage industry is expected to grow to $30bn in 2025, according to Global Market Insights. These days, there’s a plethora of non-alcoholic drink brands to choose from - such as Ghia, De Soi, and Curious Elixirs among the most popular.

Because this January has seemed especially cold, The Independent has crafted some light and summery mocktails to get you out of your winter funk. Not only do these four recipes contain signature ingredients found in mocktails, such as ginger beer and lime, but each one also invokes the tastes and smells of warmer seasons to come, and makes for the perfect drink year-round.

Fizzy Grapefruit Ginger Mocktail

For this very simple mocktail drink, originally concocted by Girl Gone Gourmet, we combined three ounces of grapefruit juice and three ounces of ginger beer for a quick and easy refresher. The touch of rosemary sprig offers an essence of the holiday season, a nice touch for those who have yet to take down their Christmas tree.

If you’d stocked your refrigerator with popular mocktail brands in preparation for Dry January, this recipe pairs well with De Soi’s Champignon Dreams. The sparkling non-alcoholic apéritif contains strong notes of grapefruit for a bitter blend. Try substituting your favourite grapefruit juice with De Soi’s Champignon Dreams, or add just a touch alongside the grapefruit juice for an even more tart taste.

(Randy Plavajka)

Upon tasting, we found this fizzy mocktail had a sour kick and resembled somewhat of paloma - a tequila-based cocktail containing grapefruit and lime juice. It also seemed to be the perfect beverage to sip during the summer, as it brought about a strong yearning for warmer weather. If anything, this fizzy grapefruit ginger mocktail will help you get through the winter blues.

Rosemary Cider Mocktail

When it comes to making mocktails, there’s no shame in getting a little creative. This mocktail recipe from EatingWell calls for apple cider, because who says you can only drink apple cider in the fall?

To make this fizzy rosemary mocktail, begin by making your own sugar-free simple syrup on the stove. Combine one-half cup of water, one-half cup of granulated sugar substitute, and one sprig of rosemary for some earthiness before turning up the heat. After its consistency has turned, well, syrupy, let it cool.

(Randy Plavajka)

For the mocktail, combine four ounces of apple cider, four ounces of club soda or seltzer, and the simple syrup in a short glass. The hint of rosemary makes this drink the best-smelling one of them all, but it tastes just light enough to have more than one serving.

Blueberry Lime Mocktail

Perhaps the most intricate mocktail to make is this blueberry lime beverage by The Bettered Blondie. Unsurprisingly, this recipe calls for a lot of blueberries, as well as lime and mint. After muddling one cup of fresh (or frozen) blueberries, two tablespoons of honey, and one tablespoon of water, add four ounces of fresh lime juice and six ounces of berry-flavoured sparkling water to the blueberry mixture.

(Randy Plavajka)

Instead of using just any old berry-flavoured seltzer, a few drops of Purple Lune from De Soi gives this mocktail an extra kick. While the Purple Lune might make this drink a little more tart, adding some fresh lime and mint will help balance this beverage.

Cucumber Mint Ginger Mocktail

For our final mocktail, the Cucumber Mint Ginger offers a refreshing taste similar to a mule. In this recipe from the Food Network, all it takes to craft this mocktail is three cucumber slices, ginger beer, mint and lime juice. Add a dash of Ghia’s Lime and Salt aperitivo for that tarte yet fizzy finish.

(Randy Plavajka)

While the Cucumber Mint Ginger can be sipped all year round, this mocktail offers a subtle minty flavour that’s perfect for hot summer days. In fact, just because this no-alcohol challenge is dubbed “Dry January”, that doesn’t mean your commitment to drinking some crafty mocktails needs to end there. If you enjoyed the taste of these all-seasonal mocktails, or simply how you felt from those clear-headed and hangover-free days, there’s no shame in extending your period of not drinking.