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This festive basil lime spritzer is the perfect nonalcoholic drink for celebrating the holidays.
One of the things I love about Austin is that there are lots of places in town to get a great drink, and more are popping up all the time. When I was in college getting a drink meant a vodka tonic or a terrible whiskey sour, and pretty much nothing more than that. I embrace the return of cocktails wholeheartedly!
Of course, now that I’m older I also appreciate the option to not drink. Unfortunately, many bars, restaurants, and food events don’t recognize that fact – or that if you don’t want to drink, you might also not want to sip on mineral water or soda every time. (Food event planners: please consider offering sober passes to your events! Some of us can’t afford to spend the extra $40 that goes toward booze if we’re not partaking.) I’ll be honest when I say that sometimes I’ve ordered more drinks than I should just because my friends were still drinking. Yep, it’s stupid.
Did you know that last December in Texas alone there were 78 deaths as a result of drunken driving? Sure Texas is a large state, but multiply that by 50 and we’ve got a huge problem.
I’m happy to see the Texas Department of Transportation roll out their Holiday P.A.S.S. (Person Appointed to Stay Sober) program again this year, but with a little twist – they’ve teamed up with the creative folks behind Peché and Cherry Street to create some delicious nonalcoholic alternatives for the season. Being the sober driver shouldn’t be considered a punishment. Let’s help remove that stigma so we can all have a happy holiday!
The drinks that were created are just as fun as your standard cocktail, with familiar flavors and festive names for the season: Home Safe Merry Cherry, Yule Be Safe Sipper, No Alco-Holly Basil Lime Spritzer, and Sober Snowman. The recipe for my favorite is below, but head on over to the TxDOT Holiday P.A.S.S. resource page for printables of all the recipes, and be sure to offer one or more at your next holiday gathering!
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Basil Lime Spritzer
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sugar
- Zest of one lime
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup loosely packed basil
- Sparkling water or club soda
Instructions
- Simmer the water with the basil and lime zest for 10 minutes. Let cool and add sugar and lime juice, stirring until fully dissolved. Strain to remove basil and lime zest.
- Add 1 ounce of the Basil-Lime Syrup to a glass; fill to top with sparkling water or club soda and ice. Garnish with lime slice and basil.
Notes
Recommended Products
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.
More nonalcoholic sips you might like:
- Fig & Thyme Fizz – The Merry Thought
- Orange Green Tea Punch – Savvy Eats
- Spiced Apple Sparklers – Kitchen Treaty
- Strawberry Mint Sparkles – Stetted
- Vanilla Lemonade – Stetted
What nonalcoholic drinks do you like to serve at parties?
About Megan
I learned how to cook by exploring seasonal ingredients, and you can too! Meal time shouldn’t be stressful or complicated, and with fresh ingredients and easy methods, I’m here to help you enjoy the time spent in the kitchen. Read more…
I just want to say that I love this post – I’m also tired of the only non-alcoholic options at restaurants and events being water or soda! I’m definitely going to be trying some of these at home, and hope to see a similar program here in NY sometime soon too. That spritzer sounds super refreshing!
Great post Megan – and I love the idea of events offering sober passes to those who don’t intend to imbibe.
I love this idea! Although I tend to stay home to imbibe (it’s just easier with a toddler) I love that there are some festive non-alcoholic options out there for parties.
Thank you for this, Megan! I was just thinking that this time last year I was pregnant and at parties no one thought of virgin drinks. Love your pretty little spritzer.