We have a more than a few reasons to celebrate in the next few weeks! The weeks surrounding the holidays have a way of filling up with holiday parties, concerts, and family traditions. My birthday also happens to fall during this busy season, and this year I am turning 30! With so much to celebrate between now and January 1st, I asked my hobbyist bartender husband to help me develop a few special “mocktail” recipes to share with my fellow pregnant friends and all of you.

Since holiday parties and New Year’s Eve celebrations often go hand-in-hand with alcoholic beverages, it can be hard when you’re feeling like you’re “missing out” when you are abstaining from alcohol for one reason or another. The festive mocktail recipes I’m sharing this week, including this Holiday Spice Fermented Punch, incorporate the seasonal flavors we love into a balanced beverage that is reminiscent of a manhattan cocktail. Don’t forget to check out the other two drinks that we created, a Blueberry Rosemary “Old Fashioned” and a Apple Cider Cranberry Punch.

Holiday Spice Fermented Fizz Mocktail

Ingredients:

1 oz Holiday Spice Syrup (see recipe below)
3oz of Kombucha (we used Townshend’s Vanilla Oak seasonal flavor, but original works too)
3 dashes of no-proof orange bitters
Orange or lemon twist for garnish

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice, stir until well chilled.
Strain and serve in a chilled coupe glass.
Garnish with a citrus peel twist.

Ingredients for Holiday Spice Syrup (makes roughly 1.5 cups):

1 cup of filtered water
3/4 cup of maple syrup (grade B)
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 Tbsp of all spice berries
3 star anise pods

Directions for Simple Syrup:

For syrup, mix all ingredients in a sauce pain and bring to a boil.
Let cool, let steep to desired flavor intensity (30 minutes - 1 hour) before straining.
Transfer to a glass jar for storing (keeps in the fridge for a few weeks).