Regularly drinking large amounts of alcohol greatly increases your risk of stroke. Most governments around the world recommend limiting drinking and avoiding binge drinking, where large volumes are consumed in a short space of time. If you often drink heavily, try alternating alcoholic drinks with glasses of water and have two to three alcohol-free days a week (1). We’ve found five simple ‘mocktails’ to help you start cutting back and reduce your risk of stroke:
- Watermelon Margarita (2)
Ingredients: 1 medium, seedless watermelon (cut into chunks), 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, 4tsp agave, 1/3 cup soda water.
Directions: In a blender, puree enough watermelon chunks so that you have 4 cups of watermelon puree. Add lime juice and agave and mix again. Pour into 4 cups. Top with sparkling water.
- Sin-free Sangria (3)
Ingredients: 1 medium-sized apple (finely sliced), 1 cup chopped raspberries, 1 cup chopped blueberries, 1 can of soda water, 1 can of cold ginger ale, 1 can of alcohol-free apple cider.
Directions: In a pitcher, add the raspberries, apples and blueberries. Then pour the club soda, followed by the ginger ale. Add the apple cider right before stirring. Serve immediately.
- Mojito Mocktail (4)
Ingredients: 1 tbsp sugar, small bunch mint, 3 limes (juiced), soda water.
Directions: Muddle the sugar with leaves from the mint using a pestle and mortar (or use a small bowl and the end of a rolling pin). Put a handful of crushed ice into two tall glasses. Divide the lime juice between the glasses with the mint mix. Add a straw and top up with soda water.
- Cranberry Cosmopolitan (5)
Ingredients: 2 oz cranberry juice, 1 oz fresh lime juice, 5 oz soda water, splash of orange juice, lime wedges and sugar for garnish (optional).
Directions: Pour ice into a tall glass. Add cranberry juice, fresh lime juice and soda water. Shake to combine. Run a lime wedge over the outside rim of a chilled martini glass. Put sugar onto a small plate and dip the rim of the glass into it until covered with a thin border. Strain carefully into a chilled martini glass. Add a splash of orange juice and lime peel to garnish.
- Pina Colada (6)
Ingredients: 4 oz cream of coconut, 4 oz pineapple juice, 2 cups of ice, 2 slices pineapple and maraschino cherries for garnish.
Directions: Put the cream of coconut, ice, and pineapple juice in a blender. This drink comes together quickly when you add all the ingredients at once. Blend until the ice is crushed. Pour it into two glasses. Garnish with a pineapple slice and a maraschino cherry.
References
- https://www.stroke.org.uk/resources/alcohol-and-stroke.
- https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/drinks/how-to/g785/best-mocktail-recipes/?slide=1.
- https://www.momjunction.com/articles/quick-and-delicious-mocktail-recipes_00349484/#gref.
- https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1508663/mojito-mocktail.
- https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/drink/cocktail/sparkling-virgin-cosmo.html.
- https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Virgin-Pina-Colada.
Updated February 2022
Next review 2024
