‘I’m spending Christmas sober and this is my favourite festive mocktail’

This summer marked my first year of sobriety, a milestone I’m incredibly proud of.

Like many others, I had grown increasingly interested in in recent years. The crippling anxiety that followed even a few drinks made the fleeting buzz of a cocktail or cider in the sun simply not worth it.

However, and indeed the entire month of December, seem to revolve around festive tipples, , and alcoholic winter warmers like mulled wine and Bailey’s hot chocolate, and I’m not keen on spending the day with FOMO.

My fiancé and I take turns spending Christmas with our respective families. Last year, we were with my parents, and my first sober Christmas was relatively easy.

My father, a true Yorkshire man, was initially puzzled by my decision to abstain from alcohol, but after getting over what was, to him, a baffling and nonsensical decision on my part, he accepted it and it wasn’t mentioned again. This year, we’ll be celebrating with my partner’s family.

Every Christmas we’ve spent with them over our 13-year relationship has seen me and my future mother-in-law enjoying a retro yet delicious Snowball. A classic Snowball is made with Advocaat, lemonade, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and a maraschino cherry garnish.

I adore them – they’re sweet, creamy, and wonderfully festive. However, this year, I will be swapping the traditional Snowball for an alcohol-free version, using a homemade ‘eggnog’ I found, which mimics the consistency of Advocaat.

The rest of the cocktail ingredients are more or less the same, and leave plenty to make numerous glasses. While it may initially seem like a lot of work, once the ingredients are prepared, you can easily top up your glass and get lost in the festive magic.

Ingredients

For the eggnog:

• 500ml of whole milk (I prefer oat milk)

• 100ml double cream

• 100ml sugar syrup

• 4 egg yolks

• 1 vanilla pod (split, with the seeds scraped out)

Alternatively, if you don’t want to make eggnog, you can use vanilla ice cream instead which saves a lot of time and mess – though it’s not as fun. Just make sure to blend it until it’s really smooth and creamy.

For the rest:

• 100ml lime juice

• 500ml of lemonade (sparkling)

• Maraschino cherries to garnish

Method

For the eggnog:

1. Add the vanilla seeds to a large bowl, then add the egg yolks and sugar syrup and mix with an electric whisk until you have a pale mixture. Pour in the milk and cream, then beat to combine

2. Strain the mixture into a large jug. Set aside in the fridge

For the rest of the cocktail:

1. To assemble, add 15ml of lime juice to a glass filled with ice, then follow with 50ml of the eggnog mixture (or the blended vanilla ice cream) then 50ml of the sparkling lemonade. Stir to mix

2. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and enjoy!