Staying Away from Alcohol? Try Ginger Beer!

Today’s post is from StyleBlueprint Atlanta Editor Katherine Snell:   My husband and I found out early last fall that we are expecting a baby in June. We are filled with joy about his or impeding arrival! Through the last few months, though, I have been, well, a little bored at dinner… No, it is not the first trimester nausea or morning sickness (although I’ve definitely had my fair share!) that left me feeling left out. It was my lack of a cocktail!

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It is no fun saying, “I’ll just have water,” when your friends are ordering up fancy cocktails with names like “Death on the Moon” and “Veronica Umbrosa.” A few times, I scanned the cocktail list to see if the bartender could just make a certain cocktail without alcohol. But, I found out that while that is easy with drinks like a Bloody Mary, there are so many fancy alcoholic components in most cocktail lists that you basically end up with a glass of tonic and a squeeze of lime.

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A few restaurants in town are delighted to make you a virgin cocktail if you ask. Bocado and Abattoir are two where I have had particularly good virgin drinks. I have noticed that each time, the base of the drink is always ginger beer. Ginger beer is a tricky name because it contains no alcohol (I promise). It has a delicious, fresh taste and is a little more “full bodied” then regular ‘ole ginger ale.

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I decided to get fancy at home and whip up a few mocktails with ginger beer. I didn’t want to have to buy a lot of fancy ingredients, so I used things I usually keep in the kitchen. And the ginger beer… I like the Parker’s brand pictured above. It has a bit less sugar then other brands and has a nice smooth taste. If you want to try different ones, there are quite a few choices of ginger beer at Whole Foods. The recipes below aren’t exactly precise. It really is up to you and your tastebuds!

The Ginger Orange

• 3-4 large ice cubes
• Ginger beer
• Juice of half a large orange (you can use orange juice, but I prefer an orange to cut down on added sugar)
• Juice of half a lime
• Splash or two of water

Add ice cubes to a double old fashioned glass. Add ginger beer until it reaches halfway up the glass, juice of the orange and the lime, and a splash of water. Stir and serve. The Ginger Cran

• 3-4 large ice cubes
• Ginger beer
• 100% cranberry juice
• Juice of half a lime

Add ice cubes to a double old fashioned glass. Add ginger beer until it reaches halfway up the glass. Add an equal amount of cranberry juice and the juice of half a lime. Stir and serve. Play around with ginger beer and see what you come with! Cheers!