Nothing says summer like ripe peaches, which just happen to be a delicious if less-common foundation for a variety of refreshing drinks. Peach nectar has a heft that makes it more satiating than many juices—and therefore ideal for non-alcoholic libations.
Of course, while some alcoholics enjoy mocktails, others find them somewhere on the do-not-want spectrum between triggering and pointless. I personally fall into the former camp, mainly because I can’t seem to go 30 seconds at a social event without putting something in my mouth. So if you’re not a fan, feel free to move along rather than lecturing me as to why mocktails are problematic for your particular sober lifestyle. You don’t need to drink them. You do you. I do delicious.
Peach drinks seem to demand accompaniment by plenty of sunshine and greenery. The recipes below are perfect for those backyard brunches with your girlfriends where you all talk about going to hike Runyon after but are ultimately too full of waffles to budge.
1. Virgin Peach Bellini
Bellinis could be considered the shier, sweeter little sister of mimosas. But they are so much better, and more importantly they lose less in the translation to virginity. Don’t limit this drink to the am hours. It’s sweet enough for dessert.
¼ cup peach nectar
½ cup sparkling white grape juice
Optional: garnish with a peach slice and/or sugared rim
Mix the peach nectar and white grape juice and pour into a champagne flute. Do not add ice. Do not collect $200. If you don’t have a champagne flute because you sold all your triggering glassware in a yard sale when you got sober, you can use any glass you want. But did you know the flute’s narrow shape actually keeps fizzy drinks bubbling longer?
Variations: Use club soda instead of sparkling grape juice to cut down on sugar.
2. Fuzzless Navel
Taste-wise, I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is an improvement on the original Fuzzy Navel, which combines peach schnapps and OJ. In the non-alcoholic version, actual peach nectar brings a heavenly smooth texture to the table.
2 oz peach nectar
6 oz orange juice
Splash of grenadine
Orange slice for garnish
Fill a glass with ice. Mix the peach and orange juices well and pour over the ice. Add grenadine for colorful tang. Yep, it’s that easy!
Variations: For a sparkling version of this that also has less sugar, sub out half the OJ for 3 oz of orange seltzer water.
3. Ginger Peach Fauxjito
If you’re skeptical about combining ginger, peach and mint, be prepared to be proven wrong. This recipe (which I discovered on Just Putzing) makes two servings, so it’s is a good one for hosting a guest. But if you’re determined to only make one, there are worse things than half a bottle of leftover ginger beer.
1 peach, sliced (or 1/3 cup peach nectar if you’re lazy)
2-3 pieces candied ginger, chopped
8-10 mint leaves
Lime juice (3 limes worth or 1/3 cup, again if you’re lazy )
1 ginger beer, chilled
Divide all the ingredients except for the ice and the ginger beer into two glasses. With a spoon (or a muddler, if you’re fancy like that), mash the peach slices and mint leaves around to release their flavors. Add ice. Then add ginger beer on top. Perfection.
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