With the festive season fast approaching, new research has revealed that 2022 could be our driest Christmas yet, with two-fifths of people (40 per cent) planning to cut back on the amount of alcohol they drink.
This is a trend most prevalent amongst Gen Z, with a fifth (20 per cent) planning to cut alcohol out entirely for their festive celebrations this year.
The research from SodaStream has revealed that looking after our health is a top priority for most of us this December, with 40 per cent agreeing this is the reason for the slow flow of alcohol.
Furthermore, 38 per cent of people want to drink more mindfully this Christmas, whilst 33 per cent are aware of the cost of drinks and want to be more careful with their purse strings.
However, cutting back on alcohol doesn’t mean having to have a ‘flat’ Christmas, and to help make sure the season is as sparkling as ever, SodaStream has partnered with ‘The Cocktail Guy’ Rich Woods, to create a delicious ‘Fizz-tive Menu’ of tantalising low and no alcohol tantalising creations.
Rich Woods said, “Everyone should be able to enjoy a special drink this Christmas, whether it’s low alcohol or completely alcohol-free.
And when you have a SodaStream in your kitchen it’s so easy to create your very own exciting sparkling drinks, just the way you like them. I hope people enjoy my sparkling creations!”
Despite the best intentions to be healthier this year, these may get swept aside as over half (52 per cent) of those who drink alcohol admitted plans to stick to soft drinks at a party might fail.
It seems that a lack of exciting soft drink alternatives is a contributing factor, with the research revealing that ‘cocktail envy’ (38 per cent), a boring choice of soft drinks at a party (24 per cent), and not enough variety of mocktails available (21 per cent) keep glasses full of wine and lager at Christmas.
Just over a quarter (26 per cent) of people agree that there’s a ‘danger window’ – when they might get tempted to have an alcoholic drink at a party, and 43 per cent admit they are easily persuaded to ‘have another’ alcoholic drink.
In fact, a fifth (19 per cent) have deliberately ordered soft drinks that look alcoholic in the glass to try and mask it, and three in 10 people (30%) said that they’ve had someone ask them why they’re not drinking alcohol at a party.
Furthermore, nearly a fifth (17 per cent) of people plan on attending, as well as hosting (17 per cent), more social occasions this Christmas season compared to previous years.
And whilst, two-fifths (39 per cent) of people planning to host festive parties said that they would like to offer an exciting mocktail option for their guests, over half (51 per cent) are not confident they’d know how.
A third (32 per cent) are unsure how to make good mocktails, and nearly a fifth (17 per cent) think it would be too difficult to provide a variety of drinks; resulting in ‘boring’ non-alcoholic choices being served at parties, including tea and coffee (26 per cent), fizzy drinks (26 per cent) and orange juice (22 per cent).
Commenting on the research, Tiago Alves, Managing Director UK & IE of SodaStream said, “The festive season is back in full swing and it’s great to see that many people will be socialising more this December.
Whether you’re planning to cut back a little on alcohol, or would like to balance drinking with an exciting sparkling drink option, with SodaStream it’s easy to create a whole host of delicious drinks at the push of a button.
There really is something for everyone. We challenge anyone who isn’t confident of their mocktail-making skills to just give one of these recipes a try. You’ll have fun and impress your guests all at the same time.”
The Fizztive Drinks Menu
Warming and Wintry Whisky and Ginger
(Serve in a highball)
Ingredients:
- SodaStream Ginger Ale infused with cinnamon
- SodaStream sparkling water
- Scotch whisky (25ml only)
- Apple fan (to garnish)
- Ice
Method.
- In a small sealable tupperware container, measure two capfuls of the SodaStream Ginger Ale flavour and add two cinnamon sticks (broken)
- Seal and leave to infuse in the fridge for a minimum of 20 minutes. Ideally, leave for four hours for maximum flavour
- Carbonate tap water using your SodaStream
- Add a capful of the cinnamon-infused SodaStream Ginger Ale flavour to the sparkling water
- Add ice and the scotch whisky to the glass as well as the sparkling water infusion
- To garnish, thinly slice an apple and fan to add to the top of your glass
- Mix all ingredients with whisky in a glass and add apple garnish
Christmas Clementine Gin & Tonic
(Serve in a highball)
Ingredients:
- SodaStream Diet Tonic
- SodaStream sparkling water
- 25ml Clementine skin-infused gin (or if you prefer, non-alcoholic gin)
- Ice
Method:
- In a sealable tupperware container, add the zest of two to three clementines and pour over 100ml of gin (enough to make four drinks). Seal and leave to infuse in the fridge for a minimum of 20 minutes. Ideally, leave for two hours for maximum flavour
- Carbonate tap water using your SodaStream
- In a glass, add ice, 25ml of the infused gin and top with sparkling water.
- Garnish with clementine leaves.
*Note, the juice from the leftover clementine can be used in the Festive Aperol Spritz below, to minimise food waste.
Festive Aperol Spritz
(Serve in a wine glass)
Ingredients:
- 25ml Aperol
- Juice from x2 clementine
- SodaPress Co Kombucha – Passionfruit and Mandarin
- Approx 75 ml Prosecco
- SodaStream sparkling water
- Ice
Method:
- Carbonate tap water using your SodaStream and add a capful of the SodaPress Co Kombucha – Passionfruit and Mandarin flavour
- Fill a wine glass with ice and add the Aperol, clementine juice and prosecco.
- Top with SodaStream Kombucha sparkling water
- Top with fresh ice if needs be
White (Christmas) Sangria
(Serve in a wine glass)
Ingredients:
- 50ml non-alcoholic cider cordial infused with apples and blackberries
- SodaStream sparkling water
For the cordial:
- Pour non-alcoholic cider into a pan over medium heat. Add a handful of blackberries and half a sliced apple.
- Using the back of a spoon, squeeze the blackberries to encourage the infusion, whilst the cider reduces.
- Once the cider has reduced by half, allow it to cool and filter. Mix in 50% sugar until it’s dissolved.
Method:
- Half-fill your glass with ice and add a couple of blackberries and a couple of slices of apples. Top the rest with ice
- Add 50ml of the non-alcoholic cider cordial
- Carbonate tap water using your SodaStream and top your glass
- Garnish with a large mint sprig and a blackberry
Top 20 favourite Christmas party season cocktails according to adults who drink
- Mulled Wine
- Champagne Cocktail
- Buck’s Fizz
- Snowball
- Christmas Punch
- Christmas Margarita
- Eggnog
- Mulled Cider
- White Russian
- Christmas in Manhattan
- Peppermint Mojito
- Campari Spritz
- Spiced Negroni
- Hot Toddy
- Peppermint Martini
- Sloe Gin Fizz
- Cranberry Old Fashioned
- Holiday Sangria
- Boulevardia
- Poinsettia
The top 10 steps people will be making this Christmas season to stay healthy
- Getting enough sleep
- Relaxing on Christmas day and not letting little things bother them
- Walking where possible such as taking the stairs rather than the lift
- Eating more fruit and vegetables
- Drinking more water throughout the day
- Trying to cut down on sugar intake
- Eating less processed foods
- Drinking less alcohol
- Eating less meat
- Practising meditation and mindfulness