Refreshing drinks 1 / Verfrissende drankies 1

Pour your guests an ice-cold mocktail on a hot day. These recipes are all non-alcoholic and each one is unique and flavourful! Spoil everyone this season with a sparkling refresher!
Stylish and tasty!
Drinks don’t have to be overly sweet or alcoholic to be festive and elegant. Be creative with fruit, berries and even herbs that are in season. Chill all the elements in advance and prepare these drinks in some pretty glasses – a sure way to get lots of oohhs and aahhs around your table.
You may not realise that some mixers and alcohol can be quite high in sugar, so rather opt for one of these versions – they will be as delicious, just healthier. Enjoy some of these mocktails as a thirst quencher or ‘something special’ to drink at your summer table.
Colourful & ‘lekker’
The ingredients in each drink will determine its colour and flavour. There is a rainbow of options to choose from, ranging from green to pink, yellow, orange and even purple.
Try this Green tea, granadilla & ginger mocktail or the Apple, cucumber and mint on ice or the other four mocktails I shared in LiG Tydskrif, links below. Each recipe is enough for four glasses and can be successfully made in a large jug as well, except for the mango drink (we called it a No-quila sunrise) where the layering is part of the ‘look’. A jug full of beautiful elements looks so refreshing on a table and then everyone can fill up their own glass. Keep a long spoon on hand to prevent the ice and other elements from spilling or all the ‘lekker’ bits ending up in the first glass.
Cheers!!!
Die resepte is alles hier onder in AFRIKAANS ook, so blaai net ‘n bietjie verder af. Geniet dit! Daar is nog vier vonkeldrankies op my webwerf.
KLIK net op die skakels of gebruik die soekfunksie om die ander Verfrissende drankies 2 & Verfrissende drankies 3 te kry – daar is iets vir elke smaak.


Recipes (English)
Green tea, granadilla & ginger mocktail
Makes 4 glasses
The combination of green tea and granadilla is really amazing, even if it may sound a bit unusual.
Ingredients
2 bags plain green tea
4 thin slices fresh ginger, cut into strips
400 ml boiling water
2 x 200 ml tins ginger ale, chilled
crushed ice or small ice cubes
60 ml (¼ cup) granadilla pulp, plus extra for garnish or 2 fresh granadillas, halved
Method
- Place the tea bags and ginger in a large heat-resistant jug and pour boiling water over.
- Allow the tea to steep for a few minutes to infuse. Remove the tea bags and allow tea to cool down completely.
- Add the ginger ale. Pour spoonfuls of ice into glasses and divide the granadilla pulp between the glasses. Pour over the tea mixture and garnish each glass with a granadilla half or extra pulp. Serve immediately.
For an extra kick: add a shot or a dash of vodka or gin to each glass.
Apple, cucumber and mint on ice (Apple mojito mocktail)
Makes 4 glasses
Mojito, the well-known Cuban drink, was the inspiration for this drink. If you’d like, you can use soda water for a less sweet version.
Ingredients
500 ml (2 cups) apple juice
1 pink or red apple, in the skin
4-6 large sprigs fresh mint, leaves removed and roughly torn
2-4 strips lime rind, made with a vegetable peeler and then chopped finer
12-16 cucumber ribbons, made with a vegetable peeler (use about a ¼ cucumber in length)
crushed ice or small ice cubes
2 x 200 ml tins soda water or tonic water, chilled
extra finely grated lime rind and wedges
extra mint for garnish
Method
- Pour the apple juice into a small saucepan. Simmer over a medium to low heat for 12-15 minutes, or until it has reduced by half – there should be about 80-100 ml liquid left. Set aside to cool.
- Cut a quarter of the apple into thin strips. Mix the apple with the mint leaves, lime rind and half of the cucumber ribbons.
- Spoon this mixture into a pestle and mortar and crush until mulled – you will smell the fragrant aromas of the ingredients. Alternatively, blend in a jug with a stick blender to form a coarse mixture – use a quicker pulse action so that it doesn’t become a watery mixture.
- Spoon crushed ice into glasses and garnish each glass on the inside, with 1 or 2 of the remaining cucumber ribbons, lightly pressing them against the inside of each glass.
- Spoon the mulled apple mixture on the ice and pour the reduced apple juice over. Top each glass with soda water or tonic water.
- Cut the remaining apple into slices and place some in each glass. Garnish each drink with more lime rind, wedges and mint leaves. Serve immediately.
For an extra kick: add a shot or a dash of white rum, vodka or gin.
Resepte (Afrikaans)
Groentee, grenadella & gemmer borreldrankie
Genoeg vir 4 glase
Die kombinasie van groentee en grenadella is regtig besonders, al klink dit dalk vir jou effens vreemd.
Bestandele
2 sakkies gewone groentee
4 dun skyfies vars gemmer, in repies gesny
400 ml kookwater
2 x 200 ml blikkies gemmerlim, verkoel
gebreekte ys of klein ysblokkies
60 ml (¼ k) grenadellapulp, plus ekstra vir garnering, of nog 2 vars grenadellas, gehalveer
Metode
- Plaas die teesakkies en gemmer in ’n groot hittebestaande beker en skink die kookwater oor.
- Laat die tee vir ’n paar minute trek, haal die teesakkies uit en laat die tee heeltemal afkoel.
- Roer die gemmerlim by. Skep lepelsvol ys in die glase en verdeel die grenadellapulp tussen die glase. Skink die teemengsel oor en garneer elke glas met ’n halwe grenadella of ekstra pulp. Sit dadelik voor.
Vir ’n bietjie skop: meng ’n sopie of skeut vodka of gin (jenewer) vir elkeen by.
Appel, komkommer & kruisement op ys
Genoeg vir 4 glase
Die bekende Kubaanse drankie, mojito was die inspirasie vir dié geurkombinasie. Gebruik sodawater vir ’n minder soet weergawe, as jy dit verkies.
Bestandele
500 ml (2 k) helder appelsap
1 pienk of rooi appel, in die skil
4-6 groot takkies vars kruisement, blare afgetrek en grof geskeur
2-4 repe lemmetjieskil, met ’n groenteskiller gemaak en dan fyner gekap
12-16 komkommerlinte, ook met ’n groenteskiller gemaak (gebruik ongeveer ’n ¼ komkommer se lengte)
gebreekte ys of klein ysblokkies
2 x 200 ml blikkies sodawater of tonikum, verkoel
ekstra fyngerasperde lemmetjieskil en -wiggies
kruisement vir garnering
Metode
- Skink die appelsap in ’n klein kastrolletjie en prut oor lae hitte vir 12-15 minute of tot dit met die helfte ingedamp het – daar moet ongeveer 80-100 ml oorbly. Laat effens afkoel.
- Sny ’n kwart van die appel in dun repies. Meng dit met die kruisementblare, lemmetjieskil en helfte van die komkommerlinte.
- Skep die mengsel in ’n vysel en maak alles met die stamper fyn – dit sal ’n heerlike aromatiese geur hê. Of meng in ’n beker met ’n stokmenger om dit net grof te kap – gebruik ’n vinnige pols-aksie sodat dit nie tot ’n loperige mengsel verpulp word nie.
- Skep ys in glase en garneer elke glas aan die binnekant met 1 of 2 orige komkommerlinte, deur dit teen die binnekant van die glas vas te druk.
- Skep die fyngemaakte appelmengsel op die ys, skink die ingedampte appelsap oor en vul die glase met sodawater of tonikum op.
- Sny die orige appel in skyfies en plaas ’n paar in elke glas. Garneer elke glas met nog lemmetjieskil, -wiggies en kruisementblare. Sit dadelik voor.
Vir ’n bietjie skop: skink vir elkeen ’n sopie of skeut wit rum, vodka of gin by.


These recipes were developed for the Summer issue of LiG Tydskrif, 2024-2025.
Images by Adel Ferreira Photography.
Onthou my assebleif ook as jy die met alkohol gaan beskryf.