The holidays are filled with rich meals, celebratory toasts, and late nights. But as January approaches, it’s the perfect time to reset and let your body recover.
Enter Dry January—a 31-day alcohol pause filled with wellness and lifestyle perks. Better sleep, clearer skin, sharper focus, and an energy boost are just the start. Plus, it’s a great way to reflect on your habits and give your gut a much-needed break after all the indulging.
But skipping the booze doesn’t mean your drinks have to be boring. With gut-friendly ingredients like kombucha, ginger, and kefir, mocktails can be delicious and packed with health benefits.
We’ve rounded up our favorite mocktail recipes—refreshing sips that make skipping booze easy and satisfying.
Why Dry January rocks
With all the flavors and zero proof, you can still enjoy your favorite drinks without the alcohol.
Decades of research show that alcohol negatively impacts your central nervous system, heart, digestive organs like the pancreas and liver, and even immune responses [1]. Beyond wholesome ingredients, mocktails serve up some refreshing benefits for your overall wellbeing and lifestyle:
- Calorie-friendly: Without alcohol and sugary mixers, mocktails can be a low-calorie option, making them a healthier choice.
- Hydration boost: Ingredients like coconut water, herbal teas, and water help keep you refreshed and hydrated.
- What hangover?: Enjoy a drink without worrying about the toll booze takes on your body or dealing with the dreaded morning-after ickiness.
- Sleep saver: Mocktails won’t disrupt your sleep like alcohol can.
- Cheers for all: With no alcohol, mocktails are a tasty, safe choice for everyone—perfect for moms-to-be and the little ones.
Choosing nourishing ingredients that are good for your gut makes these staff picks even healthier. From kombucha with gut-boosting probiotics to mint that soothes bloating, these mocktails are just what you need for a feel-good reset.
Cranberry Moscow Mule
This mocktail swaps vodka for fizzy, probiotic-packed kombucha, giving it a gut-loving upgrade that doesn’t skimp on flavor. Kombucha is a fermented drink made from black tea, sugar, bacteria, and yeast. It’s full of amino acids, flavonoids, vitamins, and active enzymes, offering a range of health benefits, including anti-inflammatory effects [2].
Cranberries and basil leaves are rich in antioxidants like polyphenols, which studies show help reduce intestinal oxidative stress and inflammation [3], [4], [5].
Tip: If you’re sensitive to caffeine, it’s best to enjoy kombucha drinks earlier in the day for a restful night’s sleep.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 3 large basil leaves
- ½ lime, quartered
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon 100% ginger juice
- ½ cup kombucha (low-sugar variety)
- 1 cup of ice
- Splash (about ½ cup) of sparkling water
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
- Star anise (optional garnish)
Directions:
- Add cranberries, basil, lime, thyme, ginger juice, and a cinnamon stick (if you'd like) to a mason jar or cocktail shaker. Then, gently release the flavor by crushing the cranberries and limes with a muddler or fork.
- Pour in the kombucha, half of the ice, and star anise. Seal the jar and shake or stir until well mixed.
- Fill a large glass with the remaining ice and pour the mixture over it with the herbs and spices.
- Top with sparkling water, give it a gentle stir and enjoy.
Blueberry Creamsicle
If you love kefir, this probiotic and antioxidant-rich sip is worth a try. Kefir, a fermented dairy product, is a popular probiotic drink that can help boost Actinobacteria in the gut, including Bifidobacteria [6]. The probiotic content of kefir depends on how it’s made, so be choosy.
Ingredients
- 1 oz honey syrup (a mixture of ½ oz of hot water with ½ oz of honey)
- 2 oz wild blueberries
- 1 handful of fresh mint
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- 4 oz coconut water (no sugar added if available)
- 1 oz filtered water
- 2 oz blueberry kefir
- Ice cubes
Directions
- Mix honey syrup, blueberries, and mint in a cocktail shaker, using a muddler to crush the ingredients properly.
- Next, add the lemon juice, coconut water, regular water, and blueberry kefir, and add a handful of ice. Shake until chilled.
- Fill a glass with fresh ice, then strain and pour the mixture into the glass.
- For a finishing touch, garnish with a few mint leaves and blueberries.
Pomegranate Ginger
One of the easiest mocktails on our list, this vibrant and refreshing drink is packed with antioxidants and digestion-friendly compounds like gingerol. While more research is needed, pomegranates may help restore the intestinal barrier and regenerate the protective mucus layer [7]. Gingerol is what gives ginger its kick. This powerful compound helps reduce inflammation, ease nausea, and support better digestion [8].
With pomegranate's tartness and ginger's warming spice, this mocktail is a flavorful way to soothe your gut and refresh your senses.
Ingredients
- ½ fresh lime
- 4 oz 100% pomegranate juice
- 2 oz ginger kombucha
- Crystallized ginger (rim) and lime slices for garnish
Directions
- Chill your glass in the freezer.
- Place the crystallized ginger on a small plate. Wet the rim of your glass with a lime wedge, then dip it in the crystallized ginger.
- Pour in freshly squeezed lime juice, pomegranate juice, and ginger kombucha. Stir gently to combine.
- Garnish with a lime slice and your favorite herb (optional).
Blueberry Basil Jun Kombucha
If you like tangy, complex flavors, this Blueberry Basil Jun Kombucha mocktail from Moody Mixologist is a festive, go-to sip.
Jun kombucha, made with green tea and raw honey, is lighter than traditional kombucha but still packed with benefits. Green tea adds antioxidants to protect your cells, while raw honey delivers prebiotics to nourish healthy gut bacteria [9]. Add in blueberries for polyphenols that support digestion, and you’ve got a bold, gut-friendly drink that’s as tasty as it is good for you.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz Monday Zero Alcohol Gin (optional)
- ½ oz fresh lemon juice
- ½ oz honey syrup (a mixture of 1/4 oz of hot water with 1/4 oz of honey)
- Handful of about 5-8 blueberries
- Wild Tonic Blueberry Basil Jun Kombucha (make sure it’s the non-alcoholic variety)
- Basil for garnish (optional)
Directions
- In a cocktail shaker, mash fresh blueberries to release their juices.
- Pour in Monday Gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and honey syrup. Fill the shaker about three-quarters full with ice.
- Shake well until the mixture is chilled, then strain it into a large coupe or rock glass filled with ice.
- Finish with a splash of Jun kombucha and garnish with a few blueberries and basil.
Cheers to Dry January and gut-loving sips
Because they’re filled with wholesome, gut-friendly ingredients, these mocktails are a delicious way to kick off the New Year and prioritize your health. Who doesn’t want to feel their best with a whole year of possibilities ahead?
One good health habit deserves another. Our baseline Gut Health Test can help you uncover what’s happening in your microbiome and provide personalized science-backed insights.
Here’s to making small steps that make a big difference!
