Brilliant Cocktails & Mocktails Everyone Will Love
It’s summertime, which means plenty of time to sit poolside while sipping a stylish drink. Whether you’re a teetotaller or love a classic cocktail, we’ve assembled a collection of easy summer mocktail and cocktail ideas that everyone will love this season. Here are our picks for brilliant cocktails and mocktails to please a crowd.
Drinks with a kick
If you’re after drinks with a bit of a buzz then we recommend busting out the champers for a day of bubbles and fruit. You can’t go wrong with celebrating a special occasion (or a random Tuesday) with these bubbly-infused cocktails. Or, for savoury queens, try your hand at Bloody Mary-inspired tomato cocktails with a kick.
Fruity flirtations
Celebrate the end of the year with a peachy flair. For this yummy cocktail Juicy Delicious partnered with Steenberg Estate to bring you the perfect blend of bubbles, and fresh in-season stone fruit. One of the everyday joys at this time is the abundance of quality, locally grown stone fruit. Peaches, nectarines and plums embody the fresh, sweet taste of the summer months. Stone fruit is also wonderfully versatile – perfect as refreshing, juicy whole fruit on a hot day, but also the hero ingredients in so many summer drinks.
Steenberg Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc is fun and full of fruitiness, and freshness that pairs so well with sweet, juicy peaches. It features full, intense aromas of passion fruit, summer melons, and a hint of lime, and a palette that is light and smooth with a fresh, zippy acidity that lifts the tropical flavours of pineapple, pear, and guava. It’s the perfect wine for sharing with your besties on a hot summer’s day.
NECTARINE BELLINI
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
250g frozen nectarine slices
2 tots peach liqueur
1/2 a bottle Steenberg Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc
Fresh nectarine slices, to garnish
Method:
1. Place the frozen nectarine into a blender, along with the peach liqueur and blitz to form a frozen crush.
2. Spoon into glasses and top with Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc.
3. Garnish each glass with a slice of nectarine.
NECTARINE FUZZY NAVEL
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tots peach schnapps
2 tots fresh nectarine juice
2 tots cranberry juice
4 tots orange juice
Ice
1/2 a bottle Steenberg Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc
Method:
1. Place the schnapps, nectarine juice, cranberry, orange juice and ice into a shaker and shake well.
2. Strain into glasses and top with Steenberg Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc.
Savoury sippers
Yeah, yeah, we know, tomato juice. It’s a choice, hey. But we’re here for the well-spiced, deeply flavourful umami vibes of this unexpected revival. Let Marty’s Spiced Tomato Juice usher you beyond the meh in your mind where tomato juice is concerned and get you as excited as we are about this wellness-boosting beauty. Forget the super lame (probably lank gloopy) tomato juices you’ve encountered before, Marty’s is light, versatile, and packed with flavour.
Marty’s Spiced Tomato Juice is a great choice whenever you’re in the mood for a drink that leans into the savoury space instead of the sweet. Here are a few cocktail options to try using this exciting drink.
THE ULTIMATE BLOODY MARIA
Serves 2
Ingredients:
90ml Tequila or Mezcal of choice
2 chilled bottles of Marty’s Spiced Tomato Juice
5 – 10ml lime juice (add to taste)
A few drops of Sriracha sauce or your preferred hot sauce (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
Garnishing (optional):
Chilli salt for the rim of the glass
Lime wedge
Cocktail pickles
Cocktail onions
Pickled jalapeno
Method:
Pour chilli salt onto a plate.
Run the lime wedge around the rim of your glasses to dampen each and dip the rim of the glasses into your chilli salt.
In a mixing glass, combine the Marty’s with tequila and season with lime juice, hot sauce, and salt to taste.
Fill each glass with ice and pour your cocktail evenly between each.
Add your desired garnishes.
MARTY’S RED SNAPPER
Serves 1
Ingredients:
1 chilled bottle of Marty’s Spiced Tomato Juice
50ml Cape Town Classic Dry Gin
Lime wedge
Funky Ouma Chilli Salt
Garnishing (optional):
Lime Wedge * 2 Sticks Celery
Method:
Grind the Funky Ouma Chilli Salt onto a plate. Run the lime wedge around the rim of your serving glass to dampen the rim and dip the rim of the glass into the mixture.
In a mixing glass, add Cape Town Classic Dry Gin to Spiced Tomato Juice and mix thoroughly. Fill the rimmed serving glass with ice and the Red Snapper. Add your desired garnish and enjoy.
Alcohol-free spoils
If you’re doing your best to avoid alcohol, then we’ve got you covered too! A non-alcoholic cocktail doesn’t have to be a bummer. And, there are an increasing number of reasons to enjoy them over their boozy counterpoints. For example, if you’re pregnant, if you’re attempting to improve your health, if you’re taking a break from alcohol, or if you’re just tired of waking up feeling a bit groggy. Here are a few delicious alcohol-free mocktails to try this summer.
Savoury sippers
Marty’s Spiced Tomato Juice is a fabulous option for sober-curious epicureans and teetotallers alike. She is also a fabulous post-sweat cheerleader to replenish electrolytes after cycling, running, or any other sweat session. Best of all, Marty’s Virgin Bloody Mary will also be popping onto the scene soon. She’s a little dauntless, a teensy bit more daring, and very keen to spice up your life.
VIRGIN MICHELADA
Serves 2
Ingredients:
½ bottle of light non-alcoholic beer (nothing too fruity)
2 chilled bottles of Marty’s Virgin Bloody Mary
½ – 1 tsp sriracha sauce
1 tbsp lime juice (to taste)
Salt or olive brine (to taste)
Garnishing (optional):
Chilli and lime salt for the rim of the glass
Lime wedges
2 skewers of olives
Method:
Place 2 beer glasses in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes before you start making your cocktails.
To make your own chilli and lime salt, simply mix coarse sea salt with chilli flakes and the grated zest of one lime.
Remove the chilled glasses from the freezer, run the lime wedges around the rims of each glass, and place the salt mixture on a plate. Dip the rims of the glasses into the mixture.
Add a Marty’s Virgin Bloody Mary to each glass, top up with half of the beer in each. Season with lime juice, sriracha, and salt to taste. If opting for a skewer of olives or pickles for garnish, you can also add about 1 tsp of brine to each drink instead of salt.
Serve immediately with some corn chips and guacamole or chilli poppers.
SMOKY VIRGIN BLOODY MARY
Serves 1
Ingredients:
1 chilled bottle of Marty’s Virgin Bloody Mary
50ml Mahalo Amber non-alcoholic spirit
Lime wedge
Oryx Smoked Salt
Garnishing (optional):
Lime Wedge * Olives
Method:
Grind the Oryx Smoked Salt onto a plate. Run the lime wedge around the rim of your serving glass to dampen the rim and dip the rim of the glass into the mixture.
In a mixing glass add Mahalo Amber non-alcoholic spirit to Marty’s Virgin Bloody Mary and mix thoroughly. Fill the rimmed serving glass with ice and the Smoky Virgin Bloody Mary. Add your desired garnish and enjoy.
Non-alcoholic spirits, like leading local brand Abstinence, Ben Branson’s iconic Seedlip and Fluére, are not meant to replace alcoholic drinks. Rather, they add diversity and more options so that when you aren’t indulging in a few drinks with friends, you don’t have to compromise on flavour or ingredients.
Fruity favourites
Non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails are not meant to replace alcoholic drinks. Rather, they add diversity and more options so that when you are enjoying drinks with friends, you don’t have to compromise on flavour or ingredients. Even better, a delicious cordial, like Two in a Bush, also gives you the option to experiment with premium mixers, garnish and flavour combinations to create perfectly balanced mocktails, just as you would with an alcoholic spirit.
Two in a Bush premium rooibos cordials are locally made from organic rooibos tea, pure spring water, and natural fruit juice concentrate. The cordials offer a unique and health-conscious beverage choice for young and old. The cordials are endorsed by Diabetes SA and the GI Foundation as a low GI drink, making them a preferred choice for those seeking healthier refreshments. It’s not just the flavours that set Two in a Bush apart; it also packs a punch of antioxidants and essential minerals like magnesium, potassium, and zinc. One bottle can yield an astonishing 3.5 litres, making it a practical and delightful addition to your home, workplace, or any communal gathering.
BREAKFAST PUNCH
Ingredients:
1 Knob of fresh ginger
60ml Two in a Bush Rooibos cordial
1 Granadilla, cut in half and scooped out
Sparling water to top up
Method:
Press the ginger through a garlic press, straight into the glass.
Add cordial and granadilla pulp.
Top with sparkling water and ice, stir well.
BASIL, LIME & PINEAPPLE PUNCH
Serves 1
Ingredients:
1 Sprig fresh basil
1 Thick slice fresh pineapple, cubed
1 Lime, cut into 4 wedges
Ice
60ml Rum of your choice (spiced rum works really well)
60ml Two in a Bush Honeybush Cordial
Sparkling water
Extra basil to garnish
Method:
Place pineapple and lime into a large highball glass.
Use a muddler to press a few times.
Top with ice, rum, cordial and sparkling water, give it a good stir and garnish with fresh basil.