An Elegant Non-alcoholic New Year's Drink

What better way to ring in the new year with an elegant non-alcoholic cocktail that contains pomegranates, a royalty amongst fresh fruit—ancient Greek Mythology regarded the fruit as a symbol of life. This beautiful colored drink will surely impress everyone on New Year's Eve or anytime you want to make a toast on new beginnings. You won't even miss the alcohol, and it is perfect when kids or pregnant friends wish to join in the cheering.

However, if you wish to turn this fruity mocktail recipe into a full-on adult beverage, then mix this beautiful concoction with a tad of your favorite champagne or prosecco.

This time of the year, you can find full, ripe pomegranates and juicy clementines in your local grocery stores. It's definitely the season when these mouthwatering fruits are at their best. And what better way to enjoy their naturally sweet flavors than by mixing them into a gorgeous non-alcoholic cocktail.

Don't let the simplicity of this recipe fool you. This drink tastes DELICIOUS and has a beautiful red, orange color that looks festive and elegant.

The fresh mint leaves in this homemade drink nicely balance out the fruits' sweetness and add a touch of sophistication.

This little liquid is beautiful, colorful, flavorful, and full of health benefits! Let's make it.

Note: Yes, everything can be mixed in minutes if you buy 100% pomegranate and clementine juice. But I implore you to make this healthy non-alcoholic cocktail with fresh fruits. The prep work might be a little messier, but so worth it. You'll appreciate the drink's freshness and infinite better flavors when you make it from scratch.

The ingredients

To make this fruity mocktail recipe

Pomegranates

• Go for thick ones that feel heavy for their size when you hold them in your hand. Most likely, these are the juiciest fruits of the bunch.
• I also like to avoid the ones with brown or softer spots that appear to have gone through the fruit's skin—an obvious dent. They might have smushed seeds underneath that don't taste all that good anymore.
• Surface scratches or an uneven color are fine as long as the skin appears firm.
• This fruit ripens on the tree and not off the tree. So, you should be able to enjoy them immediately—no need to brown-bag or leave them on the counter to ripen further.
• I like to store them in the fridge, mainly because they stay fresh that way, and I find it easier getting all the arils out of the pomegranate when the fruit is chilled.

Fresh mint leaves

• Don't forego this herb.
• It adds a deliciously bright flavor and a wonderful scent to this non-alcoholic cocktail.
• You can find fresh leaves all-year-round, and you only need a good handful if you stick to the recipe.
• The fresh leaves have the most flavor and wonderfully cools down the sweetness of this cocktail.
• I also keep the best looking leaves for garnish.
• Store fresh mint in the fridge for up to one week or even longer.
• Then when ready to make this pomegranate drink, rinse the leaves and gently pat dry.

Clementines

• They are mouthwatering sweet, easy to peel, and seedless.
• Their arrival in stores marks for me the start of the winter Holiday.
• And these tiny fruits always light up my large wooden fruit bowl as the centerpiece of my Christmas table.
• There is no sourness or bitterness to this fruit, just a delicious pleasing tarty sweetness.
• Store them in a cool, dry place but don't refrigerate them. They otherwise lose somewhat of their flavor.

To garnish and dress up the cocktail glasses

Coconut sugar

• This is to coat the rind of the glasses.
• You can also use light brown sugar, but I find the taste of coconut sugar nearly as sweet with still that hint of caramel.
• Try to go for an unrefined golden coconut sugar that has finer crystals.
• If your sugar has larger individual granules, I recommend blending or grinding it into smaller pieces first.

Orange

• You only need half of an orange.
• A thick slice to wet the glasses' rim before dipping them into the coconut sugar.
• And the rest can be sliced into thin and small wedges for garnish (see picture below).

How to peel and deseed a pomegranate

You have a few options

Now, I'll admit that I've never succeeded in the one-minute spoon beating method. I had pomegranate seeds flying across the room or being crushed.

Someone told me that the trick is to open this fruit in a bowl of cold water before beating those seeds out with the back of a spoon. Apparently, the seeds sink, and the skin floats.

After doing some research on the web, I found such a step by step process for deseeding a pomegranate using water, courtesy of the Greatist, who have tested various techniques, and who claim to have mastered the art of extracting those juicy seeds. Feel free to give their method a try.

And although I do not own one myself, there are super affordable pomegranate DeSeerders out there that get rave reviews and are worth investing in if you regularly enjoy this healthy fruit.

However, if you are like me and not intimidated by this fruit, follow some simple tips below as your guide to peel and cut the pomegranate into smaller pieces and then gently remove the arils with your hands. You'll have these tiny red fruits out in no time. It's the only method I've learned and use, and it's almost a bit meditating.

Simple tips to peel with your hands

• Use a sharp knife to cut out the pomegranate's crown, then further peel the fruit's red skin—like you would peel an apple.
• Place the fruit on a flat surface, crown up, and use your fingers to open it gently. If the fruit is very ripe, this should be easy to do; otherwise, use the tip of your knife to gently bore deeper into the white part of the crown until the fruit begins to crack.
• Next, use your hands to break up the segments into smaller pieces while removing any large white pith or membranes.
• Take one segment, place over a bowl, and pop and peel the seeds out by gently rolling your thumb over the red jewels away from the pith as you bent open the segment.
• Repeat.
• Make sure you wear an apron or something you are not worried about staining!

Make the mocktail

You have two options.

1. Pour the pomegranate jewels, peeled clementines, and fresh herbs into a juicer.
2. Or use a blender and blend everything into a smoothie-like consistency. Take a sieve or nut milk bag, place it over a bowl, and either sieve it or squeeze out the juice. The bowl will catch the red liquid. Discard the pulp.

Note: After juicing or blending and sifting, I like to skim off most of the foam with a slotted spoon, leaving only a little to simulate the bubbles of real champagne.

Make your pomegranate drink festive

You can make this non-alcoholic cocktail as festive-looking as you like and make adjustments based on the occasion. Here are a few modest suggestions.

• Rim coconut sugar on the glasses (see picture below.) It gives a beautiful golden and fancy look and tastes delicious too.
• Add a couple of pomegranate seeds to the drink. It is a cute little surprise with that last sip.
• Decorate with a slice of orange or extra fresh mint leaves.
• But feel free to explore and add your ideas or creations. Maybe serve with stainless steel and crystal stir sticks. If you have good quality ones, they will last forever and can be used for multiple events. 

Note: Have a larger crowd, or want to count for extra refills, scale up the recipe, which serves six to nine people and counts for half a cup per person.

Drink out of elegant glasses

I have a fondness for festive glasses and use them often, whether it is to celebrate special occasions or expressing gratitude for being together with my family before evening dinner.

After all, I believe in celebrating life daily and not just when there is a momentous event. Besides, nothing better gets the juices flowing before a lovely meal than a "Bon Appetit" toast and a sip from a delicious mocktail out of an elegant glass!

I own a lovely selection of champagne, wine, and cocktail glasses, but I have moved away from using high-end glasses with a thin rim. I lost many of them over the years while hosting a dinner party at my house. But I don't like drinking out of plastic glasses either—I only make an exception for outdoor summer parties.

I have come to rely on festive glasses that have an elegant design but are very durable and more kid-friendly when used at a dinner table—most drinkware designed for commercial or restaurant use fits that description.

You can't have a great mocktail or cocktail without beautiful glasses—my humble opinion. So here are a few suggestions in case you want to spice up your Sunday dinners, dinner parties, celebrate the Holidays, or want to make those perfect New Year wishes:

• The Cocktail Kingdom Leopard Coupe Glass: this is a very affordable glass, quite sturdy, and a decent size (6 ounces). I use them often to serve drinks or mocktails like this one.
• The Algonquin Cocktail Glass: this is such a handsome and entertaining glass. It is similar to the coupe glass but has a sleeker design and has a more generous size (8.5 ounces.) These are lovely coupe glasses to serve champagne or this mocktail recipe for New Year.
• The Libbey Catawba Flute Glasses: if you are looking for a durable and affordable champagne flute glass, then this one will fit the bill. It has a sturdy stem, is easy to clean, and they are great for ringing in the new year or offering mimosas at Sunday brunch.
• JoyJolt Spirits Stemless Wine Glasses: it is a more modern-looking glass but very attractive, and they look beautiful at the table. I use them at home to serve wine and our favorite mocktails. I enjoy drinking from them.

Now all that is left is to pick your favorite glasses, decorations, and plan to make this drink!!! Cheers

Note: This Holiday non-alcoholic cocktail is very much loved by adults and kids alike. My daughter loves to help prep the glasses. It's a fun activity to include your kids in the joy of creating a festive drink.

More healthy drinks you might like

• The Best Homemade Honeydew and Basil Lemonade
• Sweet and Sour Mango Lassi
• Healthy Date Sweetened on the go Iced Coffee (dairy-free)
• A Pineapple-Apple Mocktail

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(Note: this post was initially published in December 2016. This post has been updated to include new info and photos)