Not everyone at a Christmas party wants a glass of wine. Drivers, children, people having a quieter December and anyone who wants a clear head the next morning deserve something better than squash. Fresh juice is the easiest way to make a mocktail that tastes like a proper drink.
Below are six Christmas mocktail recipes built on fresh juice, using winter fruit you can find in any UK supermarket: pomegranates, cranberries, apples, pears, clementines and fresh ginger. Each recipe makes about four glasses, and there are tips on prepping ahead so you are not stuck at the juicer when guests arrive.
What makes a good festive mocktail?
The best alcohol-free drinks balance three things: something sweet, something sharp and something with a bit of bite. Apples and pears bring the sweetness. Cranberries, lime and pomegranate bring the sharpness. Ginger, rosemary, cinnamon and cloves bring the warmth that makes a drink feel grown-up. Add sparkle with soda water, tonic or ginger ale, serve it very cold, and you are most of the way there.
Shop-bought cranberry drinks are usually heavily sweetened, and bottled apple juice tastes flat next to apples pressed an hour earlier. A slow juicer gives a smooth, bright juice with very little foam.
Kit and prep
- A slow juicer. The Fridja f2500 Self Feeding Whole Fruit Juicer has a 135mm chute, so whole apples and pears go straight in; you close the lid and it feeds itself. The f2800 Open Whole Fruit Juicer has an even wider 180mm open chute. Both are on our juicers page if you are still choosing.
- A large jug and a fine sieve for any juice you make ahead.
- Plenty of ice. Make extra the day before. Ice cubes with a few pomegranate seeds or a small rosemary sprig frozen inside look lovely and cost almost nothing.
- Mixers: soda water, tonic, ginger ale or an alcohol-free sparkling wine.
Wash all the fruit first. Apples and pears can go in whole if they fit the chute. Peel clementines, oranges, lemons and limes, as the peel and thick pith make juice bitter. For more on loading order and getting the most juice from every fruit, read our guide to getting the best yield from a self-feeding juicer.
6 Christmas mocktail recipes
1. Pomegranate and apple sparkler
If you only make one, make this. Its deep ruby colour looks festive in a flute.
- Seeds of 2 pomegranates
- 3 sweet apples, such as Gala or Braeburn
- Juice of half a lime
- Soda water or alcohol-free sparkling wine to top up
- Rosemary sprigs to garnish
Juice the pomegranate seeds and apples together, then stir in the lime. Pour about 100ml into each glass over ice, top up with fizz and finish with a sprig of rosemary. Only juice the seeds: the skin and white membrane taste bitter. The quickest way to get the seeds out is to halve the fruit and tap the back firmly with a wooden spoon over a bowl.
2. Cranberry, orange and ginger fizz
Fresh cranberries are very sharp on their own, so they need a sweet partner.
- 150g fresh cranberries
- 3 oranges, peeled
- 2 apples
- A thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
- Ginger ale to top up
Juice everything, adding the cranberries between the apples so the firmer fruit helps carry the small berries through. If it is too tart, juice another apple and stir it in. Serve over ice, topped up with ginger ale, with a twist of orange peel on the rim.
3. Warm spiced apple punch
A mulled drink for cold evenings.
- 8 apples, a mix of sweet and sharp
- 2 ripe pears
- 1 orange, peeled
- 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves and 2 star anise
- A few thin slices of fresh ginger
Juice the fruit, pour it into a pan with the spices and warm it gently for 10 to 15 minutes without letting it boil. Strain into heatproof glasses or mugs. You can keep it warm on the lowest setting of a slow cooker through the evening. Our guide to the best apples for homemade juice explains which varieties give the best flavour.
4. Clementine and rosemary spritz
- 10 clementines, peeled
- 1 lemon, peeled
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (optional)
- Tonic water to top up
- Rosemary sprigs
Juice the clementines and lemon. If you like it a little sweeter, warm the honey with a splash of water and a rosemary sprig, leave it to cool, then stir it into the juice. Serve roughly half juice and half tonic over plenty of ice. The tonic makes it taste like a proper aperitif.
5. Blackberry and apple bramble
- 200g blackberries (frozen and thawed are fine)
- 3 apples
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Soda water to top up
Juice the blackberries with the apples so the apples push the berries through. Fill short glasses with crushed ice, pour over the juice and top with a little soda. For a frozen version, the f600 Stainless Steel Portable Blender crushes ice in seconds: blend the juice with a handful of ice for a slushy that stays cold in its insulated cup.
6. Pear, ginger and lime cooler
- 4 ripe pears
- 1 apple
- A thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
- 1 lime, peeled
- Soda water and fresh mint
Juice the fruit, pour over ice, then top up with soda and add a sprig of mint. For more combinations using seasonal fruit, our autumn juice recipes also work well with a splash of fizz.
Making mocktails ahead for a party
Fresh juice tastes best on the day it is made, so plan to juice in the afternoon rather than the night before.
- Juice your bases a few hours ahead and keep them in covered jugs in the fridge.
- A squeeze of lemon or lime helps apple and pear juice keep its colour.
- Add fizz only as you pour, or it will go flat in the jug.
- Set up a self-serve tray with jugs of juice, a bucket of ice, mixers and a bowl of garnishes, so guests can mix their own.
- Label the alcohol-free jugs clearly so drivers know which ones are for them.
Juicing for a crowd uses more fruit than most people expect. Our guide to how much fruit you need for a glass of juice breaks it down fruit by fruit. Do not throw the pulp away either: apple and pear pulp is good in muffins and crumbles, and there are more ideas in our post on ways to use juice pulp.
A note on sugar
Fresh juice is still juice. The NHS advises keeping fruit juice and smoothies to a combined total of 150ml a day, because juicing releases the natural sugars in fruit. These recipes keep the juice to around 100ml a glass and top it up with soda or tonic, which makes for a lighter drink. Sharper fruit such as cranberry, lime and lemon also means you need less sweetness overall.
Which juicer suits party juicing?
If you are pressing a lot of apples and pears, a wide chute saves the most time because whole fruit goes straight in with no chopping. The f2500 is a Which? Best Buy and feeds itself once the lid is closed. The f2800 takes larger fruit whole through its 180mm chute and comes with a sorbet attachment, which is handy for a frozen fruit pudding after dinner. If you are weighing them up, our comparison of which Fridja juicer is right for you sets out the differences honestly.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good non-alcoholic Christmas drink for a party?
A pomegranate and apple sparkler is hard to beat. It has a festive ruby colour, a good balance of sweet and sharp, and takes minutes to make. Juice pomegranate seeds with sweet apples, add a squeeze of lime, then top up with soda water or alcohol-free sparkling wine and a sprig of rosemary.
Can you make mocktails the day before?
You can prepare garnishes, syrups and ice the day before, but fresh juice tastes best on the day it is made. Juice a few hours before guests arrive, keep the jugs covered in the fridge and add a squeeze of lemon to stop browning. Add fizzy mixers only as you pour so they stay lively.
Can you juice pomegranate seeds in a slow juicer?
Yes. A slow juicer presses pomegranate seeds well and gives a smooth, deep red juice. Remove the seeds first and leave behind the skin and white membrane, which taste bitter. Juicing the seeds together with apples helps push everything through and softens the sharpness of the pomegranate for a more rounded drink.
How do you make a mocktail taste less sweet?
Use sharper fruit such as cranberries, lime, lemon or sour apples, and top up with soda water or tonic instead of lemonade. Fresh ginger, rosemary or a pinch of black pepper adds a warm bite that stops a drink tasting like squash. Serving it very cold over plenty of ice also tones down sweetness.