What is the Point of Mocktails?

I Never Drank Cocktails, So What’s the Point of a Mocktail?

It started with beers – beers that had tolerable flavors. That’s a dangerous thing, to make strong beers that actually taste good. It was dangerous for me anyway.

Then I degenerated. Though the beers I drank had a high alcohol percentage, they became less effective over time. It was all filler and no killer. All that filler was making me gain weight. I needed more killer, or so I thought.

Like many alcoholics, I decided to cut out the middle man and go straight to the Devil – whiskey. I became one of those people who bragged about how much I could drink. I bragged about never getting hangovers and never missing work. In reality, I had just gotten used to powering through hangovers. In hindsight, that’s not something to be proud of!

Anytime I saw someone ordering a large, over-dressed cocktail I’d think, “What is the point of that? I’d have to drink twenty of those to get drunk.” And anytime I saw that mocktails were trending, I’d just laugh. “Ridiculous,” I’d think. As if my addiction wasn’t.

Mocktail Curious

Flash forward. I’ll be three years sober soon, and I finally got mocktail curious.

Being that I never drank a lot of cocktails, I had to research some recipes before I could create my own mocktails. Admittedly, I did encounter some intrusive thoughts about drinking while looking at cocktails and mocktails online.

Fortunately, my sober mind is smart and disciplined enough to know that drinking alcohol again would be a horrible decision with deadly consequences, so I started buying mocktail ingredients and mixing!

I finally understand the point of both a cocktail and a mocktail.

The Point of a Cocktail

The point of a cocktail is to mask the horrific flavor of alcohol because no one likes the way straight liquor tastes. Most people who say they do are lying. Also, cocktails tend to be consumed by casual drinkers, not alcoholics, so they are content with a little filler and a little killer.

The Point of a Mocktail

Conversely, the point of a mocktail is quite precious and exciting! You mean I can enjoy all these wonderous flavors without the headache, nausea, temper tantrums, weight gain, and slow suicide

I can enjoy and appreciate mocktails for the love of perfect flavor combinations. I have so much gratitude that we live on a planet that offers a kaleidoscope of delightful options to please my palate such as limes, pineapple, basil, agave, and peach. For the wiggle room within my sober calorie budget to experiment with something as delectable and indulgent as a Strawberry Creamsicle Drink.

For the love of my health.

But wait! What if I like that kick, that bite, that bitter flavor alcohol provides to a cocktail? I’ve done some experimenting and found an organic root powder that definitely adds a bitter kick. It also cures sinus infections and boosts the immune system! Check it out here.

Mocktails are a culinary delight, and it’s time they got more attention in the kitchen. Why not pair a delicious meal with the perfect mocktail? Why not make mocktails, and dance to 90s hip hop music? When I made my first Ginger Beer Mojito Mocktail, that’s exactly what I did. Maybe that sounds strange to some. But, it’s not strange when you think about it.

Rewiring the Brain

The human brain is wired to associate things that seem related and group them accordingly. One of the biggest challenges of getting sober and staying sober is untangling the wires because alcoholism makes it seem like everything you love to do is associated with drinking.

Think of it like a house with shotty electrical work. Through addiction, it was wired wrong and your house almost caught on fire because of it. Now you’ve got to hire an electrician to come and fix things. Except the electrician is you.

Wrong Wiring – Alcohol Allows Me To:

• have fun – until the party is over
• dance – clumsily
• drink super flavorful drinks – cocktails
• be social – superficially
• cure boredom – while suppressing creativity and productivity, and causing health issues
• handle stress – temporarily while exacerbating it in the long run

Right Wiring – Confidence, Sobriety, and Mental Wellness Allows Me To:

• have fun – lasting, authentic fun
• dance – less clumsily
• drink super flavorful drinks – mocktails
• be social – authentically
• cure boredom – in exciting ways that lead to new hobbies, interpersonal connections, and personal growth
• handle stress – many mocktail herbs relieve stress, like mint for example.

It takes hard work, perseverance, and patience to rewire the brain, but it’s necessary for healing and continued sobriety. Dancing with a mocktail isn’t the same as dancing with a cocktail. It’s better because it’s real, raw, healthy, more attractive, and less clumsy.