Dry January mocktail: Easy winter margarita | Canada Voices

If having a margarita is your go-to drink year-round, but you’re trying out Dry January, consider making a mockarita. Gone are the days when a virgin marg was just bar mix, club soda and ice. There are some pretty fantastic non-alcoholic tequilas out there and making a margarita with them really hits home when it’s Taco Tuesday.

Free Spirits’ The Spirit of Tequila is by far the best in category, with Canada’s own HP Agave as runner-up. Both of them have smoke, agave, a bit of salinity and a gentle burn that nicely replicates the deep flavours of tequila and works really well in mocktail recipes.

Adding a small amount of pomegranate juice to this mocktail recipe really elevates the standard margarita with a seasonal flair.

Ingredients

½ oz orange juice

½ oz lime juice

2 oz pomegranate juice

2 oz non-alcoholic tequila

Healthy pinch of salt

2 oz club soda (optional)

Preparation

Shake the first five ingredients briefly in a cocktail shaker just to chill. Strain into a glass with rough ice and top with club soda to taste.

Sarah Kate is an alcohol-free sommelier, writer and founding editor of the publication Some Good Clean Fun, which accepts advertising. She was previously affiliated with the Zeronimo wines brand in Canada and currently has no role as a brand ambassador for any non-alcoholic beverage brands.