REFRESHING ALCOHOL FREE COCKTAIL

In college, detox drinks meant a 16-ounce bottle of Gatorade and two Tylenol. Now, after two nights with a glass of rosé or a Gin & Tonic, I need a gallon of water and a non-alcoholic cocktail.

To reduce the bar tab and the groggy feeling that follows, I needed to get back to the basics with a refreshing, no alcoholic refresher.

It has been ten years since I kicked this habit. The key for me was to replace soda with an alcohol-free carbonated beverage.

CARBONATED WATER IN A GLASS WITH A LEMON WEDGE

That’s the key to a summer refresher… make it an event.

CARBONATED WATERS

My go-to refresher drink includes carbonated flavored water and a wedge of:

lemon wedge
lime
grapefruit
orange
cranberries (in freezer from Thanksgiving)

By the end of the day, the bottom of my glass looks like a fruit salad.

I tried this crazy concoction, and it adds just a hint of strawberry (or peach or grape) to your refresher.

My new summer refresher is simple: carbonated flavored water and a spash of juice.

Here are my go-to Carbonate brands:

Bubly
Spindrift
Kroger
Polar
Perrier
Topo Chico ( Found the history of Topo Chico

Do you have a favorite brand? Please share in the comments for others!

JUCIES

Cranberry
Grapefruit
Lemonade

I prefer the sugar-free juices.

Here’s the secret to making a summer refresher: add an herb!

I love to add mint and Rosemary to a non-alcoholic cocktail. It adds a wee little bit of a kick to a low-calorie or sugar-free juice or lemonade.

Sometimes I choose sparkling water for the shape of the bottle.

I find the “fun bottles” at HomeGoods, Sprouts or Trader Joe’s.

Did you notice these glasses? These are my new favorite “just because” gifts. My daughter introduced me to these Anthropologie glasses. I gave my nieces these “big girl” glasses to celebrate the everyday days of summer.