After the indulgences of the holiday season, many of us find ourselves seeking to give our bodies a little break to start the new year fresh and rejuvenated. If you're participating in Dry January, or maybe Damp January, and looking for tasty and refreshing low-to-no alcohol cocktail and mocktail alternatives, we’ve got the recipes for you.
What is Damp January? If you haven’t heard of it, Damp January was coined to describe cutting back on alcohol consumption for the month of January: it can mean only drinking one night of the week, or only allowing yourself one drink a week. You can adapt it to whatever works for you. Since it’s not a truly Dry January, it’s considered Damp January!
Liqueurs
Lighter in alcohol than full strength spirits, liqueurs are typically used as a “modifier” in cocktails. But they are full of complex flavor and add a lot of flavorful backbone when used in larger quantities. The Gondolier is a Venetian spritz inspired, bittersweet and citrusy cocktail, that’s low enough in alcohol to still be light and sessionable.
The Gondolier
1oz Barr Hill Gin
1oz Aperol
1oz Fresh lime juice
.5oz Simple syrup
Club soda or seltzer
Homemade Syrups
Experimenting with homemade syrups is a great way to incorporate fun and exciting flavors while still responsibly imbibing. Barr Hill Raw Honey is a boldly aromatic, natural sweetener that adds rich complexity to cocktails and mocktails. Each of these recipes can be easily adapted to make delicious low-ABV cocktails or no-ABV mocktails at home.
Honey Syrup
If you’ve tried making a Barr Hill Bee’s Knees, you’ve probably heard of honey syrup. Similar to simple syrup, honey syrup is just a mixture of honey and water. Why dilute your honey before making cocktails with it? Raw honey crystallizes and hardens when it gets cold. Since most cocktails are cold, it’s impossible to get cold honey to dissolve properly into your drink. Diluting your raw honey with a warmed water thins it out and makes it easier to measure precisely and dissolve into your cocktail (or mocktail). We recommend a 2:1 combo of honey to water to preserve more of the texture and not over dilute the aromatics.
Honey Syrup
1 cup Barr Hill Raw Honey
½ cup water
Gently heat the water in a kettle or in the microwave. You want the water hot, but not boiling, so you don’t scald the honey and burn some of it’s more delicate flavors. Once hot, combine with the honey and stir until it has dissolved. Let cool and store in a jar in the fridge.
Low-Abv Sunny 75
1oz Honey syrup
1oz Fresh lemon juice
Dry sparkling wine to top
Shake the lemon juice and honey syrup together with ice; double strain into a flute glass; top with sparkling wine and a lemon twist
No-Abv Bee’s Teas
2oz Chilled tea
.75oz Honey Syrup
.75oz Fresh lemon juice
Shake all ingredients with ice; double strain into a cocktail glass; garnish with a lemon twist
Tea is a natural and healthy alternative to alcohol, making it a good choice for people who are looking to avoid alcohol or limit their intake. Tea has a wide range of flavors and aromas, so it can be used to add complexity and depth to mocktail recipes. We recommend using something bold and tannic, like a black tea, to hold up to mixing. Double up on the tea bags and brew it strong. Then let it chill in the fridge until you're ready to mix.
Similar to simple syrup, once you’ve learned how to make the standard honey syrup recipe, you can experiment with adding different flavors too like spices or berries.
Cinnamon Honey Syrup
1 cup Barr Hill Raw Honey
½ cup water
3 cinnamon sticks; roughly chopped or broken up
Add everything to a pot and gently heat, stirring regularly until the honey and water have fully combined. Remove from heat and let the cinnamon steep for about 30 minutes, taste as you go. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, store in a jar and refrigerate.
Low-ABV Apple Cinnamon Collins
1.5oz Cinnamon honey syrup
1.5oz Fresh lemon juice
Sparkling hard cider
Shake cinnamon honey syrup and lemon juice with ice; strain into a glass with ice; top with sparkling hard cider of choice. Dry or semi-dry will work great, but a ginger cider will add a little extra wintry deliciousness!
No-ABV Cinnamon Appleade
1oz Cinnamon honey syrup
1.5oz Fresh lemon juice
Non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider
Pour all ingredients over ice and stir.
Cinnamon honey also adds the perfect kick of spice and aromatics for Toddies, tea and other hot cocktails/mocktails.
Low-ABV Amaro Toddy
1oz Tom Cat Reserve Gin
.5oz Amaro Ciocaro
.5oz Cinnamon honey syrup
.25oz Fresh lemon juice
1 dash Angostura bitters
Black Tea to top
Build in mug; top with hot tea; cinnamon stick and lemon wheel to garnish
No-ABV Cinnamon Tea
.75oz Cinnamon honey syrup
.5oz Fresh lemon juice
Hot tea of choice
Homemade Honey Grenadine
Contrary to popular belief, grenadine is not, in fact, a cherry syrup. It’s actually pomegranate syrup. And if your only experience with grenadine is the neon red stuff that comes pre-made in a bottle, you’ve probably never actually had grenadine - so let’s remedy that!
Real grenadine is not only super easy to make, it’s incredibly delicious to the point you’ll be wondering why it’s been missing from your life all this time.
1 cup Barr Hill Raw Honey
1 cup Pomegranate juice
2 cinnamon sticks; roughly chopped or broken up
2 pieces star anise
½ tsp vanilla extract
Add everything to a pot and gently heat, stirring regularly. Once the honey has dissolved, remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and store in a jar.
Low-ABV Honey Grenadine Spritz
1.5oz Honey grenadine
1.5oz Fresh lime juice
Top with Prosecco or another dry sparkling wine
Shake grenadine and honey with ice; strain into a flute glass; top with sparkling wine
No-ABV Winter Mule
1oz Honey grenadine
1oz Fresh lime juice
Ginger beer
Add honey grenadine and lime juice to a mug and top with ginger beer
No matter what your preference, with these delicious and easy recipes you can make a variety of New Year's resolution-worthy mocktails and low-abv cocktails at home. If you’re participating in Dry January (or cutting back on your alcohol consumption for Damp January), give these recipes a try. Your taste buds (and body) will thank you.
