Lemon-Blueberry Kombucha Mocktail and the Evening Drink
This Lemon-Blueberry Kombucha Mocktail is the perfect drink for when you want something fun to sip minus the alcohol.
This post was inspired by this month’s Recipe Redux Challenge: Probiotic Cocktails and Gut-Health Mocktails. Check out all the other great recipes in the link below.
The Evening Drink
I love to sip on a glass of wine in the evenings as I cook dinner. And when I do, I’m pretty disciplined about making it just one 5-ounce serving. (Yes, I actually sometimes take out a measuring cup to make sure I’m not overpouring! Such a dietitian!)
Unless it’s a celebration, I tend to stick with just one drink, anything more and I risk stomach upset and interrupted sleep. I also try to be mindful of not having a drink every night, but rather keeping it to 2-4 nights of the week. In my opinion, this is not only a healthy habit, but it also makes it more special when you do have a drink. Additionally, it sends a message to my kids that you don’t need “a drink” every day.
Kombucha Mocktail Time
So how do I signal that shift from working to making dinner and relaxing come evening? I often put on some music and pour chilled sparkling water into a nice glass. Lately, I’ve also gotten into the habit of treating myself to gut-healthy Kombucha.
Kombucha is a fermented beverage made from black or green tea. This fermentation makes it a natural source of probiotics, live bacteria that are good for your gut and overall health. (Read more about probiotic foods and drinks here).
Kombucha is naturally bubbly, which is a plus for people like me who love fizzy drinks. And while it does contain some alcohol, it’s only around 0.5%. You could make your own, but I haven’t gotten there yet and instead opt to choose from the array available at our local grocery store.
My favorite flavor is ginger. I love the taste and the fact that it provides a double-dose of gut-health in the form of both ginger and probiotics.
Gut-Healthy Hydration
Kombucha is incredibly satisfying straight-up, but it goes further and is even more fun when you mix it with a little sparkling water and add some fresh fruit.
You could make this drink with any flavor and brand of Kombucha that you like. For this Lemon-Blueberry Kombucha Mocktail recipe, I used GT’s Original Kombucha and paired it with mint from a patio plant, antioxidant-packed organic blueberries, fresh lemon, and lemon-flavored seltzer water.
While this is a perfect drink for those days when you don’t want a drink, I also find that even on the nights that I do have a glass of wine or beer, starting off with something sparkling and hydrating helps me feel better all evening and night and sip my drink more slowly (because I’m already hydrated!).
- Ice cubes
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice and 2 thin slices of lemon (from 1 lemon)
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- 6 mint leaves
- 1 bottle GT's original kombucha (or your brand and flavor of choice)
- 1 can or bottle of lemon-flavored seltzer or sparkling water
- Place ice cubes into 2 glasses. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to each. Next, add the blueberries and mint leaves.
- Fill half of the cup with kombucha and then add seltzer water to the top.
- Garnish with lemon rounds and a paper or glass straw. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply