A Little Holiday Spirit: Mixing Up Merry Mocktails

Mocktails may be alcohol free, but when we're talking about Chamisa of Zirkus Design's puzzle, Merry Mocktails, there's plenty of spirit from one particular puzzler and her daughter!

We're highlighting one of our retailers right here on Vancouver Island, BC. Shirley, from Cultivate Garden in Parksville, had a great time experimenting with festive drinks inspired by Merry Mocktails alongside her adult daughter. We thought it would be fun to share their photos and their taste-test verdicts with you!

Hopefully, they'll inspire you to mix up a few festive mocktails of your own. And since the puzzle comes with a poster, you don't even have to finish assembling the 1000 pieces before you start planning your drinks!

Espresso Mocktini
Ingredients: espresso, eggnog, brown sugar, vanilla

First up, a little caffeine to get the festivities started. This one got a "not bad" from Shirley. We'll take that as a promising start. And while they skipped the traditional martini glass, that golden-brown rim is a lovely finishing touch, don't you think?

Candy Cane Cheers
Ingredients: Cream soda, peppermint extra, half + half, candy canes

Next is Candy Cane Cheers. We heard that a little peppermint goes a long way (note to self)! But look at how pretty their setting is for this drink, it sure looks yummy! Parksville, where Shirley's store is located, gets more snow than we do here in Victoria (and yes, we're a little envious). 

Santa's Sangria
Ingredients: Orange juice, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, apple juice, ginger ale

And last but not least, Santa's Sangria, which got a "quite good" rating from Shirley and her daughter. We have a feeling this one will make it around again for the holidays. This would probably be a good one to try putting pomegranate seeds into ice cube trays. Let us know if you try any twists!

When Shirley shared her story with us, we were so delighted. It's a lot of fun to see people connecting with a puzzle, especially when they're doing it with family.

Let us know if you have your own festive "Merry Mocktails" night with friends or family. We hope Shirley and her daughter have inspired you to mix up a little fun of your own!

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