I often find myself taking necessary “sunshine breaks” during the week with the content team. These chats and important “team meetings” tragically tend to steer towards food, and recently – with the balmy summer days upon us – exotic cocktails. All of these chats and debates about refreshing summer drinks that we can’t enjoy have become rather depressing, and churned up an improbable fantasy of initiating office cocktail parties without having to wait for the end of the work week.

After hours of day-dreaming, I have finally come up with a solution to satiate this clearly impossible desire. Non-alcoholic cocktails are the future! No longer will we have to endure the long days at work without a funky and colourful cocktail at our side. (Can I get a hell yeah?). My research has uncovered an unending supply of mouth-watering non-alcoholic cocktail recipes that are innocent enough to be enjoyed at work and can be whipped up in under two minutes – enough to have you back at your desk in no time. After all, a happy heart makes for better work, right?

1. The Virgin Mojito

Ingredients

• 15ml lime juice
• 15ml simple syrup
• 8 – 10 fresh mint leaves
• Club soda
• Sprig of mint

Place the lime juice, simple syrup, and the mint leaves in a glass. Mash the mint leaves into the bottom of the glass and mix.  Fill the glass with crushed ice and then top with club soda. Stir the drink again and garnish with a sprig of mint or a lime wheel.

2. The Innocent Shirley Temple

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup ginger ale
• 15ml grenadine or sprite
• 1 cherry
• 1 lime
• Splash of orange juice (optional)

Fill a tall glass with ice cubes. Squeeze the juice of the lime over the ice and add the grenadine. Top with ginger ale (or sprite) and stir. Garnish with a cherry and/or an orange wedge.

3. The Legitimate Pina Colada

Ingredients

• 60ml pineapple juice
• 60ml coconut cream
• 30 ml half and half cream
• 1 cup crushed ice
• 1 pineapple triangle

Place the pineapple juice, coconut cream, cream, and ice into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a tall, chilled glass and garnish with a pineapple triangle.

4. The Angelic Strawberry Daiquiri

Ingredients

• 90ml strawberry puree
• 90ml lime juice
• 15ml simple syrup
• 1 cup crushed ice
• 1 strawberry

Pour the strawberry puree, lime juice, simple syrup, and ice into a blender and blend until smooth. Empty the mixture into a chilled glass, and garnish with a ripe strawberry.

5. The Guiltless Cosmopolitan

Ingredients

• ½ cup red cranberry juice
• 15ml lime cordial
• ½ lime
• ¼ orange
• 1 lemon or orange wheel

Fill a shaker half way with ice cubes. Add the cranberry juice, lime cordial, and the juice from the lime and the orange into the shaker. Shake vigorously for 5 to 10 seconds. Strain the contents into a chilled glass and garnish with a lemon or orange wheel.

6. The Sinless Sangria

Ingredients

• 1 Bottle of non-alcoholic red wine
• ½ cup red cranberry juice
• ½ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 45ml simple syrup
• 1 apple, cored and diced
• 1 pear, cored and diced
• 1 orange, sliced into wheels
• 1 lemon, sliced into wheels
• 1 lime, sliced into wheels

Pour the alcohol-free wine, cranberry juice, orange juice, lime juice, and simple syrup into a large jug and mix. Add the diced apple and pear and refrigerate until chilled (for best results, chill for 4 – 6 hours). Prior to serving, add the orange, lemon and lime wheels. Pour the Sangria into ice-filled wine glasses and serve. Note: This recipe makes 10 servings – great for office drinks.

How to make Simple Syrup

Simple Syrup (or sugar syrup) is an essential item to stock any bar and is very easy to make. It’s used in most cocktails as a sweetener and substitute for raw sugar. You can buy it from most shops but it is much more economical to make it yourself.

Ingredients

• 2 parts sugar
• 1 part water

Bring the water to the boil in a pan on the stove. Dissolve the sugar into the water, stirring constantly. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, remove the pan from the heat. Note: Do not allow the syrup to boil for too long or it will become too thick.  Allow it to cool completely and then bottle it. An easier option is to combine equal parts of water and sugar (1:1) into a shaker and shake until the sugar is completely dissolved.

With the option of non-alcoholic drinks, there’s no reason work shouldn’t feel like an exotic paradise! What is your favourite “mocktail” to enjoy on hot days?

Main Image 1 by Stewart Butterfield (Flickr)