Mocktails to keep you snug and happy

At the turn of the year, the party scene in the Capital is about to reach its crescendo.  Chalking out New Year Eve’s party plans for your friends and family, you would not want to miss out upon a crucial detail.

It’s going to be chillingly cold and your friends, specially the teetotallers need some comforting winter mocktails to enjoy these parties wholeheartedly. Metrolife speaks to experts in the Capital to  figure out what’s on their mocktail menu that suits your needs.

Abhishek Thakur, F&B Trainer at Hinglish: The Colonial Cafe, says, “While people are of the opinion that you need hard alcohol to keep you warm in winters, the truth is that some key ingredients nourish you like none other and add warmth to even a non-alcoholic drink.” Their range of special winter mocktails includes Mulled Grape nectar, a Holy Sangria, Mulled Apple Juice and even a Sledgedriver’s Punch (a combination of cranberry and smashed oranges).

Elaborating upon the warmth inducing drinks in winters, Abhishek says that with summer mocktails, the idea is to refresh the person drinking them but unlike that, “the winter mocktails don’t provide that same taste and feeling as that of a summer mocktail because that would leave a mocktail drinker feeling cold – so the fresh fruits get replaced by stewed ones and mulled versions to actually warm you from the inside. In colder countries like Paris, the mulled versions are actually piping hot.”

“Apart from the seasonal fruits, other ingredients which contribute to the range of mocktails during winters are cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves and dry fruits,” says Hemant Sharma from Kitty Su, The Lalit adding that these ingredients put a touch of warmth and add their own special characteristics to the drinks. Kitty Su’s range comprises its special guava juice, made with a concoction of tobasco, salt and pepper, green chili, grated nutmeg, sprinkled with cinnamon and fresh coriander, and a mocktail made by using crushed ginger, cardamom and lemon half, green tea, cloves, honey and fresh mint leaves. What a warm and cosy idea it is!