BYO Mocktail: Full Circle Mocktails

BYO Mocktail: Full Circle Mocktails

I hope I’m not disappointing my 4 readers (hi Roxanne, Robyn, Kerri and Trisha!) No mocktail recipe this month. But I will throw in my favorite homemade ice cream recipe as of late for a little change up. Lately my mocktails have been top secret as I’ve been writing one for a friend that’s getting married this month.

wedding

 

Being my reflective self, I realized that it 2 years ago exactly I hosted my first a mocktail class with Café RE. I’m really proud of myself for becoming comfortable enough with myself to be known as someone who makes mocktails. And not just mocktails, but delicious ones that people request.

 

Cher Horowitz

 

We can say it, Sobriety is weird sometimes. How do you make friends? What do you do with your hands?

 

When does my “ASK MY ABOUT MY BEING SOBER” tee shirt arrive that is now a requirement to wear to all parties?

 

All of a sudden you can feel 14 again, but actually be 39. So figuring out who you are next can be hard and takes some time to get comfortable in a new skin. I liked to make and drink cocktails before I stopped drinking, so why should that stop just because there’s no more booze in my drink? Happy to be making cocktails still.

 
All that said and now here’s your recipe for this month.
Kiwi Strawberry

 

 

Birthday Cake Ice Cream

Serves 1 (because Ice cream isn’t meant for sharing)
 Ingredients
  • 2 C heavy cream
  • 1 C whole milk
  • ¾ C sugar
  • ⅛ t sea salt
  • 1 t vanilla extract
  • 1 t almond extract
  • 1/4 cup sprinkles or jimmies

1- Pour 1 cup of the cream into a saucepan and add the sugar, salt and vanilla. Warm mixture over medium / low heat until the sugar has just dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the remaining cream, milk, and almond extract. Stir to combine and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

2- Once chilled Whisk mixture and pour into ice cream maker. Make according to manufacturer’s instructions. Last 5 minutes add sprinkles and finish churn.

3- Eat.

 

Until next time!

 

Love and Mocktails,

Kate

BYO Mocktail: Kiss from a Rose

BYO Mocktail: Kiss from a Rose

This past year I have been working for a large international women’s retail clothing store. I have the first hand knowledge of how fashion is coming back around… the good and the bad. The return lately has been to the fashion of the early 90s, grunge but with a little more sophistication and polish.

Kiss from a Rose

 

While I am not loving the low rise jeans that are back (can we please just not) and overalls, I am loving the return of Clueless and Cher’s plaid suit, slip dresses, a cropped sweatshirt and a good bias cut.

 

Cher Horowitz

 

Having my head so firmly in the 90’s and a lot of time on my hands has led me to day dreaming back to that magical time as well. In my high school, before parents worried as much about what we ate during the day, I would buy a Snapple Kiwi Strawberry drink everyday for $1.25 and drink it with my lunch. Something sweet and tart at the same time really hit the spot. 

 

I think I just heard the 3 people who

read this blog get really excited!!

They know where this is going!

 

Kiwi Strawberry

 

 

Kiss from a Rose

Serves 2
Prep time: 15 minutes + cooling time
Ingredients Simple Syrup
  • Handful of strawberries, rough chopped
  • 2 Kiwis peeled and rough chopped
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1/2 c. water
Additional Ingredients
  • Seltzer of your choice
  • 1t of balsamic syrup

 

To make the syrup

Add all ingredients to a pan and bring to a boil over medium head, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Once boiling reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month

 

To make the cocktail

Add 1T of the simply syrup, add 1t balsamic syrup (try a berry flavored one) top with seltzer of your choice and stir.

 

Kiss from a Rose

The Recovery Elevator podcast last week was about the AF beverage (S4 / E416), go check it out and let us know where your feelings lie on this!

 

Love and Mocktails,

Kate

BYO Mocktail: All Snowed In (Maple Cinnamon Coffee)

BYO Mocktail: All Snowed In (Maple Cinnamon Coffee)

Who else feels the last three months of each each really blend together…starting with Costume-palooza all the way through “New-Year-New-Me!”?

I love a good party just as much as the next person, but I also need to focus on the traditions that unique to my family. The holiday decorating has been happening earlier and earlier every year, and this year is no exception. 

It becomes important to keep traditions.

Behind the scenes

 

I like to do most of our end of year things with a warm drink in my hand. Recovery Elevator was lucky enough to have Rise Up Coffee roast us a special Bozeman Blend this year and I used that in my recipe today.

 

Rise Up Coffee

 

This drink can be enjoyed hot or cold, but I almost always drink it hot. The dichotomy of cold whipped cream and hot coffee with a touch of malted flavor is something that reminds me of holidays at home.

 

Cinnamon Maple Coffee

 

 

All Snowed In (AF)

Serves 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients

 

To make the drink

Combine all ingredients, stir, top with whipped cream, sprinkle with cinnamon. Enjoy by the fire.

 

All Snowed In

 

What are some traditions you keep and still love?

 

Love and Mocktails,

Kate

BYO Mocktail: Tamarind Agua Fresca

BYO Mocktail: Tamarind Agua Fresca

At this point it sounds cliche, 2022 has been an a$$ kicker of a year. I’m very tired, but I’m also very sober, still. Sober because I was lucky enough to have built a large toolbox which I relied on a lot this year. When I tell you that I used ever single tool in there… I am not lying.

2022 has been the year I almost drank.

Best night ever
Fangwell judging me and also probably you.

 

For the most part I hang out with my pets and my husband. But among the highlights was a cruise to Alaska and I went to Bozeman to hang out with my sober friends, who are now like family.

Returning home, all I want to do is spend the long days of the end of summer on my back porch drinking something fancy and refreshing.

 

Recovery Elevator Mocktail Blog

 

Therefore, I keep my mixing simple and to the point. I used fruit to keep it sweet and a topper of your choice of seltzer makes it unique!

 

Best night ever

 

 

Tamarind Mango Agua Fresca (AF)

Serves 2
Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1⁄2 cup Tamarind Nectar
  • 1 t Tamarind puree
  • 1⁄2 cup frozen mango
  • 1 t honey
  • 2T Tajin
  • Fizzy water (your choice of flavor)
To make the drink

1- In a blender place the nectar, puree and frozen mango. Blend until smooth.

2- Rub the honey along the rim of the glasses and then dip the edges into Tajin.

3- Divide the mixture evenly and top with the fizzy water.

 

Sangria

 

Love and Mocktails,

Kate

BYO Mocktail: Pineapple Basil Lemonade

BYO Mocktail: Pineapple Basil Lemonade

One of the scariest questions I had during my path to sobriety was: How will I celebrate ANYTHING? How will I toast at my wedding?

Am I allowed to celebrate anymore ever?!

Best night ever

 

 

I was married for the first time in 2005, I was young, figuring out my career and had spent the previous 2 years as a bartender. So I had my best bartender friend (hi ash!) write us a signature cocktail. Seventeen years later, all I can remember is that it was called “The True Love”, had a champagne floater and I drank many of them.

 

 

The name of that drink rang true, because what I was really in love with was the alcohol. I wasn’t able to love myself, let alone anyone else at that time. Alcohol was my true love, it was the celebration. I had the ability to turn a Monday afternoon into a celebration, because of booze.

 

Best night ever
Best night ever

 

I’ve come to learn over time and with therapy, yes, those that are alcohol free do celebrate! It has also come to light that we celebrate harder because we are fully present in the moment. This month, in honor of Paul Churchill getting married, I’m dedicating this mocktail to his bride. A reinvention of The True Love  because this time, it actually is true love.

 

Recovery Elevator Mocktail Blog

 

 

The True Love: Pineapple Basil Lemonade (AF)

Serves 4
Prep time: 30 minutes + cooling time

Ingredients

  • 1 pineapple, cored, chopped & divided
  • 1 T cinnamon
  • 1⁄2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 T honey
  • 10 basil leaves
  • 2 1/2 cups pineapple water (see below)
  • Ice
Pineapple water

Boil 3 cups water, add pineapple peel, rough chopped and cinnamon. Boil 20 minutes, strain liquid through sieve. Allow to cool.

To make the drink

1- In a blender place the pineapple, pineapple water, lemon juice & honey. Blend until smooth.

2- Add in basil and pulse a few times to chop up the basil.

Garnish with pineapple if you want!

Sangria
 

Love and Mocktails,

Kate

BYO Mocktail- Keeping a Gingerly Tempo (AF)

BYO Mocktail- Keeping a Gingerly Tempo (AF)

The other day I was texting with a longtime friend, just the usual, sometimes nonsensical, back and forth of friends who have a solid foundation. While she was catching me up on her husband and son, she mentioned that her son’s favorite mocktail right now is a Don Johnson. Being a curious person, I took the bait and asked “What’s a Don Johnson?” 

It’s a Miami vice with no socks! (🚫rum)

Best night ever

 

And then I snorted so hard with laughter, I scared my cat. But this got me thinking about the mocktail traditions I had as a kid. I believe that we all experience exposure to alcohol in our youth and it begins to form the values we have around alcohol. 

 

Recovery Elevator Mocktail Blog

 

My family mocktail was a Shirley Temple. On Saturday evenings my father would make my mother a Campari and soda and then for us kids, a Shirley Temple. We would then sit dow as a family and have a little pre-dinner chat. As an adult I can see what my (extremely tired) parents were doing. They wanted us to sit down and talk to them, but also not have to exert a lot of energy at the same time.

 

Best night ever

 

To this day, I love to sit and have a pre-dinner drink. I find it the best way to quiet my busy mind. I used to think that I needed vodka to also quiet my mind, but I know better. So in keeping with traditions established in our youth, I’m updating the Shirley Temple, adding in some ginger and lime to spice it up, but keep it fun without the booze.

Recovery Elevator Mocktail Blog

 

 

Keeping a Gingerly Tempo (AF)

Serves 4
Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Ginger Beer
  • 1 cup sparkling water
  • 3 T lime juice
  • 3 T grenadine
  • cherry and limes for garnish

Combine all ingredients (except garnish) pitcher. Stir together. Put 2 cherries in the bottom of the glass. Pour over crushed ice (my ice maker has decided to stop making crushed ice, please trust me, crushed is best!)

Sangria

 

Love and Mocktails,

Kate

PS- When I told the friend she was the opening subject of my blog, she wanted me to add the following “Your friend is an aspiring film writer with a penchant for tennis skirts and an endearing laugh. She tells amazing jokes.”

Get the latest news from Recovery Elevator

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from team Recovery Elevator.

You have Successfully Subscribed!