Put a healthy spin on your Christmas drinks this year, with Carly Yue's mocktail favourites… Alcohol contains a lot of empty and useless calories, which means that if you indulge at every opportunity, you may end up feeling ropey, looking a little like Santa, and let's face it… short of money. The biggest piece of advice I give to my clients is to limit their booze intake. So, here are my top five Christmas Festive Mocktails… proving that staying sober doesn't have to be boring! All recipes serve 2. 1. (Hold the) Vodka Sour festive_mocktails_vodka_sour You will need:
  • Ginger
  • 30ml rice malt syrup
  • 30ml lemon juice
  • 2 egg whites
  • Ice
  • A pinch of cinnamon
  • 70ml soda water
Method:
  1. Peel and juice the ginger
  2. Combine with all the other ingredients
  3. Mix in a cocktail shaker
Benefits: The rice malt syrup is a fructose free alternative to traditional cocktail syrups. 2. Kiwi ‘Margarita’ festive_mocktails_kiwi_margarita You will need:
  • 1 lime
  • 12 kiwis (peeled)
  • 50g soda water
  • Ice
  • 2 teaspoons of Himalayan rock salt
  • A pinch of Cayenne pepper
  • 30ml rice malt syrup
Method:
  1. Juice the lime and kiwis
  2. Blend with soda and ice
  3. Put the syrup, salt and pepper in a saucer and use to decorate the rim of the glass
  4. Pour and serve
Benefits: This drink is packed within vitamin C and contains 7g protein per serving. 3. Cucumber Spritz festive_mocktails_cucumber_spritz You will need:
  • 2 cucumbers
  • 100ml slimline tonic water
  • 50ml watermelon juice
  • A handful of mint
  • Cucumber to garnish
Method:
  1. Whizz all ingredients in a blender
  2. Pour into a high ball glass
  3. Garnish with mint and a cucumber slice
Benefits: Full of antioxidants and great for your skin too. 4. Pear Cooler festive_mocktails_pear_cooler You will need:
  • 2 peeled pears
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 50ml ‘cold de caf’ chai tea
  • A pinch of nutmeg
  • A slice of pear to garnish
Method:
  1. Pop the pears in a juicer
  2. Mix the juice with the cinnamon and warm on a low heat
  3. Stir in the tea
  4. Garnish with the nutmeg and a slice of pear
Benefits: Pears contain plenty of fibre and are thought to reduce your overall calorie consumption when consumed daily. 5. Hangover Free Piña Colada festive_mocktails_pina_colada You will need:
  • 1 chopped pineapple
  • 2 teaspoons of coconut oil
  • 50ml coconut water
  • Ice
  • A pinch of unsweetened desiccated coconut
  • Pineapple wedges
Method:
  1. Freeze half of your pineapple chunks and juice the others
  2. Blitz all in a blender with coconut oil
  3. Add the coconut milk and ice, and blend for another 30 seconds
  4. Serve with a sprinkle of coconut and garnish with a pineapple wedge (sparklers optional)
Benefits: Coconut oil is great for healthy skin. On behalf of Carly and the entire Fitness Superstore team, we wish you a very Merry Christmas! [caption id="attachment_641" align="aligncenter" width="150"]Carly Tierney Personal Trainer Guest post by PT & Media Fitness Expert Carly Yue.[/caption]