Sparkling Apple Ginger Mocktail

(Originally posted on Seek Satiation on November 7th, 2017)

Well, lookie here, I’m bringing an old recipe back from the achieves! (And, of course, the photos are from 2017, too. Ha! Time for a reshoot? Those cinnamon sugar rims could use a clean-up… )

The mocktail seems to be coming to the forefront of people’s minds as of late. While I believe their popularity has been on the rise, I’ve seen a plethora of articles about mocktails as of late, whether its a newly-developed mocktail recipe or people debating the merits of being sober and sober-curious. And, of course, no one ever has to explain why they choose not to drink alcohol. All reasons are valid!

As for me, I’ve never been a big drinker, and when I do drink alcohol, it’s never to get drunk. (Ugh, not my end game!) Rather, I love the science behind the creation of a good cocktail or a unique hard cider. I love to see how creative folks get with mixing liquors, liqueurs, flavors, and additional elements. The great thing? These basic elements can be applied to mocktails as well! Where alcohol is removed from the equation, other elements can be added in to make a charming mocktail, such as effervescent liquids, flavorful juices, bitters, smoke, spices, you name it!

Many moons ago, I created this recipe for a disposable recyclable drinkware company – please note my article about getting fair monetary compensation for content creation, since exposure doesn’t pay the rent! – but even though 2021 Allison would have asked for a nice chunk of money for this when 2017 Allison was happy with receiving 24 plastic drink vessels because “FREE PRODUCT AND EXPOSURE, YAY!”, this recipe turned out beautifully, and I still make it during the holidays!

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I will always go for apple cider. Once September comes around, I’m drinking it well into January or February; it’s the perfect cold weather beverage, especially when heated up and mixed with some warming spices. For those times when I’m feeling a bit more festive, I turn it into this Sparking Apple Ginger Mocktail, made with Q Ginger Ale, which is my mocktail ginger ale of choice.

Enjoy this Sparking Apple Ginger Mocktail this holiday season! Hopefully your cinnamon-sugar rims turn out cleaner than the ones in these old photos. 😉

Sparkling Apple Ginger Mocktail
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 liter ginger ale (I used Q Ginger Ale)
• Whole fresh cranberries, rinsed (optional)

• 2 tablespoons white sugar (optional)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional)

Before We Get Started…

• The addition of cinnamon-sugar to the rims is optional, but it’s oh-so pretty!

Directions:

1.) If decorating rims: In a small shallow bowl or on a small plate, combine sugar and cinnamon until well-mixed. Wet the rims of the champagne flutes, then dip in cinnamon-sugar mixture.

2.) Fill each champagne flute with 1/4 cup apple cider, then top off with ginger ale.

3.) Float fresh cranberries on top of mocktails, if desired. Serve immediately!