Early this year, Bella Hadid announced she’d stopped drinking and introduced the non-alcoholic beverage brand she co-founded, Kin Euphorics. The supermodel is on trend, as usual, because sober curiosity is on the rise among millennials and Gen Z. While 1 in 5 people were participating in Dry January this year, 27% of millennials planned to abstain from alcohol for the month. Sober October also saw a record number of participants and press.
Drinking alcohol is linked with a host of health problems: high blood pressure and cholesterol, liver damage, anxiety and depression, increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and several cancers. Women can increase their breast cancer risk by up to 9% from just one drink a day and they are more likely to suffer alcohol-related brain damage than men. According to Hadid’s psychiatrist, Daniel Amen, M.D., moderate drinking — which is defined as a drink a day for women — can lead to serious brain issues including shrunken brain volume, lower blood flow to the brain, atrophy of the hippocampus, reduced number of new brain cells, and increased risk of dementia. Andrew Huberman, M.D., Instagram’s favorite podcasting neurobiologist, believes the best amount of alcohol to drink is exactly none.
Meet the Experts
Camille Wilson is the creative mastermind behind The Cocktail Snob on Instagram.
But this, ahem, sobering information doesn’t mean the upcoming holiday season requires toasting with a flute of seltzer.
“Mocktails don’t have to be boring,” says Camille Wilson, the creative mastermind behind The Cocktail Snob on Instagram. “It doesn’t have to be club soda and lime. You can have a fancy drink with a fancy glass and it doesn’t need alcohol.”
Case in point: Wilson just released her first book, Free Spirit Cocktails, a collection of 40 alcohol-free drink recipes designed for home entertaining. “Mocktails are all about creativity,” she says. “I found myself using teas and coconut water and it’s perfect as people are being more mindful about what they’re putting in their bodies.”
Wilson shares four of her favorite mocktail recipes for the holidays with The Sunday Edit, so you can drink to the holidays — and to your health.
Gingerbread Martini*
Ingredients:
- Crumbled gingerbread cookies
- Honey
- 3 oz half & half
- 1 oz ginger syrup
- ½ oz cinnamon syrup
- ⅛ tsp ground allspice
Directions:
- In a small bowl, add the crumbled gingerbread cookies.
- Brush honey onto the rim of a glass and dip it in the gingerbread cookies, rotating to coat fully. Set aside.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the half & half, ginger syrup, cinnamon syrup, allspice, and ice.
- Shake until chilled.
- Strain into the prepared glass & enjoy!
*Featured in Free Spirit Cocktails
Coconut Rose
Ingredients:
- 4-5 strawberries
- ¾ oz simple syrup
- 4 oz canned coconut milk
- 1 oz orange juice
- ½ oz rose water
Directions:
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle strawberries and simple syrup.
- Add remaining ingredients and ice.
- Shake until chilled.
- Pour into a glass & enjoy!
Sober Sour
Ingredients:
- 2 oz non-alcoholic gin/gin alternative
- 1 oz lemon juice
- ½ oz strawberry syrup
- ½ oz egg white
Directions:
- Combine non-alcoholic gin, lemon juice, strawberry syrup, and egg white in a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Shake until chilled.
- Strain into a glass & enjoy!
The Pom Bomb*
(makes 3-4 drinks)
Ingredients:
- 4 oz pomegranate juice
- 4 oz mango juice
- 2 oz fresh lemon juice
- Ginger beer, for topping
- Pomegranate arils for garnish
Directions:
- In a pitcher or mixing glass, add the pomegranate, mango, and lemon juices.
- Stir to combine.
- Pour the juice mixture into the sphere molds and freeze for at least 2 hours or until completely solid.
- To serve, place the frozen spheres into coupe or wine glasses.
- Top with ginger beer and garnish with pomegranate arils.
*Featured in Free Spirit Cocktails
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