Lately I have been all about the mocktails (#notpregnant). Ever since completing my Whole 30, I have continued my weeknight mocktails and indulged in some occasional weekend cocktails too. I'm loving this new routine, and I look forward to my mocktail every night when Jeremy and I watch television. I've slowly created my own versions of "tricked out" sparkling waters that felt more special than drinking it straight from the can. And today I'm here to share my new go-to recipe that I've been making every single night.
In the past I posted my three favorite mocktails. And I'll be honest—it's hard to find those special drinks that taste equally as good with or without alcohol. Bonus points if it's light and healthy like the one I am sharing today!
I'll share how to make this as a delicious, light cocktail or mocktail.
Elsie's Go-To Home Cocktail (or Mocktail), serves one.
frozen blueberries
Simply Balanced sparkling water (available at Target, sub for any other sparkling water you want!)
cranberry juice cocktail (sub with %100 cranberry juice if you are avoiding sugar)
lime juice (fresh or bottled is fine)
gin (optional)
St-Germain (optional)
In a tall glass (I typically use a mason jar), add a few ice cubes, a handful of frozen blueberries, a squirt (or squeeze) of lime juice and a splash of cranberry juice. Top it off with sparkling water (this flavor pictured is my favorite, but any will work).
Next, if you are in the mood for a cocktail, add 1 ounce of Gin and 1/2 an ounce of St-Germain. The St-Germain adds a lot of sweetness and flavor.
*Note—this is a very lightly sweetened drink, which I love. If you want something sweeter, change your proportions to 1/2 or 3/4 cranberry juice cocktail and less sparkling water. :)
The thing I love most about this drink (besides the fact that it's delicious) is that it looks REALLY pretty and it's super simple to make! I hope you have a chance to try it.
If you make this recipe, share with us on Instagram using #mybeautifulmess. It makes our day to see what blog posts you guys are inspired to do at home!
Cheers! xx. Elsie
Credits// Author and Photography: Elsie Larson. Photos edited with Stella and Color Pop from The Signature Collection.
44 Comments
Another yummy cocktail/mocktail recipe! Gotta love drinking out of a Mason jar! 🙂
This looks AMAZING. You guys are some of my OG blogging inspiration and I’m enrolled in your ecourse. Keep up the good work ladies!
xoxo
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I wander if there is any sub for the st Germaine? Any other liquere I can use?
Cool!
xx- Elsie
Gin has a pretty strong flavor (I personally like it, but a lot of people don’t at first) so the St-Germain really helps to mellow out and sweeten the flavor. 🙂
xx- Elsie
Sounds awesome!
I might do that after we move! Thanks for the tip! :))
-Elsie
Hi Andrea,
Since I completed my whole 30 (over a month ago now) I added back in a few things (dairy anytime and alcohol on the weekends). It didn’t go as smoothly as I expected, and to be honest- I have learned that I am happier and feel better when I am sticking pretty closely to a whole 30 plan. I learned that I have trouble sleeping when I drink too much (or too close to bedtime) so I’m drinking less than I used to now. I’m loving my cherished “cheese night” every weekend. I’m still loving a lot of the recipes I made during whole 30. So I guess I would just say that, as with all things in life, you get what you put into it. 30 days isn’t going to change your entire life. You do have to commit to better habits after the challenge ends, but it’s a really good kickstart! 🙂
-Elsie
Haha! Always have to clarify. 😉
xx- Elsie
Oh yum! I’m mildly obsessed with blueberries at the moment … so this is perfect!
hm cranberry is my favorite fruit so I might try this out!
Thanks for sharing lovelies!
Betty | Inspiremeand
Looks refreshing
This looks delicious! And so pretty too : ).
Tiffany Tales – A British Beauty & Lifestyle Blog
Ooh this looks tasty! I love cocktails that have some flavour, gone off really strong alcoholic drinks!
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this looks so good!
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Thanks for posting this recipe! I am a red wine girl, but was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 years ago, and my oncologist has limited my alcohol drinking (damn her!). I get tired of drinking water, so I will be making this…sans the sugar version.
Thank you for a wonderful cocktail–healthier and less calories without bad side effects….
Ikea sells non alcoholic elderflower concentrate if you are ever looking to get the taste of St. Germain without the alcohol. Not sugar free though.
This drink sounded so yummy I decided to grab all the ingredients for Friday night cocktails! I LOVE this! I tried the mocktail version first and I’ll definitely be having some this week. This is also the first time I’ve tried St. Germain for the cocktail version and it’s pretty legit! Thanks so much for sharing this!
Cranberry is my favorite! Thanks for sharing this easy-to-make, yet amazing and pretty mocktail.
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I am obsessed with cranberry, so anything with that in it wins me over! x
nueyork.blogspot.com
I don’t drink often, but mocktails are (usually) a healthier/better option. I love how you’ve incorporated fresh fruits and minimal sugar.
Monica / Mocha and Moccasins
I feel so gat damned fancy drinking mocktails. Double points if I manage to put on a housecoat first.
This looks delish!
this looks so refreshing! I can not wait to give it a try!! Perfect for a mom and me night 🙂
I have zero experience with gin so I think this cocktail could be a great kick in the pants to start. :]
// http://www.itscarmen.com ▲
Oh yeah.
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This looks so pretty! I can’t wait to try it 🙂
This sounds really good! St. Germain is one of my favorite mixers. 🙂
Did you know it’s SUPER easy to make your own fruit “concentrate” for mocktails? Just heat up your favorite fruit with a very small amount of water (and sugar if you like) in a sauce pan until it’s slightly macerated and then hang the whole mess in a cheese cloth tied with twine to a cupboard pull — let gravity do the work over night dripping into a bowl. This is amazing mixed in sparkling water and much more flavorful than off-the-shelf juice. Go the extra step and process/can it up and it will last about 4-6 months in a dark cupboard — unfortunately the flavor mellows out much quicker than, say, jam. One batch will last through many, many drinks because a little bit goes a long way.
This looks so pretty! I’m not the biggest fan of cranberry juice but this does sound really nice!
Courtney | http://courtzmelv.com
Must try the mocktail version! Sounds delicious!!
Candace
www.themintedmama.com
Amazing! So yummy!
http://somebodyfromsomewhere.blogspot.com/
Sounds yummy! Also looks just like the one I posted today (different ingredients, same color!)
You should consider getting a soda stream. I have the one with glass carafes because we are cutting out plastic in our kitchen, and they are just a liter-so easy to use before the water gets flat. It is much more environmentally friendly than individual cans of soda water (yes I know the can is recyclable, but consider the shipping material, individual six pack packaging, pollution from transit, and pollution from manufacturing)
This sounds like such a yummy drink. I love that it’s gin – I have so much right now!
Wow, yum, looks amazing xx
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That looks so refreshing! Such a great cocktail for the summer! Can’t wait to try it!
Laura
http://laurahager.blogspot.com/
Love this! This looks so darn refreshing!
http://sometimesgracefully.com
Yum!! This is lovely and I love that it’s not too sweet!!
hahaha, #notpregnant, that’s great. 🙂
-Molly
http://www.modcircus.com/
This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yes! More mocktail recipes plz!
If it taste as good as it looks it must be amazing !!
So, I’m thinking about doing the Whole 30 and have been on the fence for a while. Your post about your experience was great, but the one thing I’m not hearing much about is the after. How do you maintain but still add some of your favorite foods back in without completely undoing all your hard work? How much are you still following the rules? I’m thinking my biggest challenge will be that my husband probably won’t do it with me, so how do you balance cooking for both diets? Sorry, so many questions!
Oh yum!! I’ve never tried the cucumber mint sparkling water, but cucumber in water is so refreshing I bet it is delicious! I might have to give the cocktail version a whirl this weekend.