While for some, the hardest part about completing dry January is going without the booze, for many, it’s missing out on the flavorsome drinks they’ve come to know and love that stings the most. It can be especially tricky for those who find food and drinks to be one of the most enjoyable aspects of socializing and relaxing after a hard day’s work.
Thankfully, there is a world of yummy flavors to choose from in the form of drinks and mixers, that can help to keep your taste buds happy. Many of these alternatives to alcoholic drinks and sodas packed with nasties are healthy for you, too.
Here are some suggestions for bringing some much-needed flavor into your dry January experience.
Infused water
If optimal hydration and minimal calories are at the top of your priority list, but you just get bored with plain old water, infused water is your first port of call.
JUST Infused – a range of delicious, refreshing infused waters from Jayden Smith’s JUST water brand, featuring Lemon, Mint, Cherry and Blackberry, is a popular choice, as you’re getting the health benefits of clean, mountain spring water, with tasty flavors created with natural ingredients.
All-natural fruit juices
Another all-natural choice is fruit juice. While fruit juices are typically packed with a high amount of fructose (natural sugars), there are some that offer significant health benefits that shouldn’t be overlooked – plus, they’re super yummy.
Orange juice
Good old O.J. is renowned for being packed full of immune-boosting vitamin C, folate, and a variety of other goodies. It’s super thirst-quenching on its own, but it can also be paired with alcohol-free spirit alternatives, such as vodka, to give you the next best thing.
Cranberry juice
It’s no secret that drinking cranberry juice helps promote a healthy urinary tract, but it also helps support heart health and fights bad cholesterol. This is another delicious juice as a stand-alone drink, or perfect as a mixer with your favorite alcohol-free spirit of choice.
Tomato juice
Anyone who enjoys the odd Bloody Mary will probably find that they can enjoy tomato juice on its own, or accompanied by a dash of lemon juice and perhaps even a shot of faux vodka to replicate the traditional beverage. Tomato juice is full of goodness, including vitamins A and C, as well as the anti-cancer antioxidant lycopene. Yummy and so good for you.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is renowned for its cleansing qualities and its immune system support, but many don’t know that, despite it being clearly acidic, once ingested, it actually helps to alkalize the body. In some parts of the world, lemon juice is enjoyed neat over ice – which really packs a punch taste-wise. Just a squeeze of lemon in your water might be enough to make staying well-hydrated a good deal more enjoyable.
Coconut water
Technically, a coconut is a ‘fibrous, one-seeded drupe, but it’s widely referred to as a fruit, and is certainly more fruit than nut, despite the name. Some add in muddled berries (and perhaps a faux spirit for a mocktail), and others drink it instead of sports waters for the natural electrolyte benefits. It isn’t always initially loved as a flavor, but once you’ve had it a couple of times, it can really be enjoyed cold as a refreshing alternative to plain water.
Betty Buzz range
Just like Blake Lively, the actress’s range of alcohol-free mixers, Betty Buzz, is bubbly and fun, including flavors such as Grapefruit and Ginger Beer. Yummy as stand-alone drinks but also great for adding to booze-free spirits when you want the next best thing.
Alcohol-free alternatives
If the flavors you’re missing most are the ones normally provided by your alcoholic beverage of choice, then it may be drinks that mimic the experience that you most need to help make dry January yummy.
There is a wide range of alcohol-free wine and spirit alternatives to choose from. Popular choices include Heineken 0.0, Pierre Zero Rosé, St. Regis Chardonnay, and a range of alcohol-free spirits from Ritual Zero-Proof
You can use these alternatives to make up your favorite go-to drinks, such as vodka and orange or gin and tonic, or simply enjoy the non-alcoholic wines just as you would a regular wine. That said, if this is a time for making healthy changes, it might be a good idea to consider sticking to drinks that don’t mimic alcoholic beverages; it’s up to you.
Get inquisitive
We can all get so stuck in our habits that we forget just how many other options are available to us. Dry January is a great opportunity to consider just how stuck you might be on your go-to drinks of choice, and what wonderful world of new and delicious flavors awaits you when you opt to give something completely different a go. You might just surprise yourself!
Leave a Reply