Like any other mom, I savor that precious glass of wine after a long day with the kids.  A cold chardonnay, yum!  Perfect beginning to a quiet evening.  And during the holidays, as you know, I love my cup of glogg or whatever other festive cocktail is the party drink.

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But here’s the thing, and it’s SO hard to admit.  Even after one glass of wine, and most definitely after two, I am so often just “dragging” the next day, feeling foggy and lacking the kind of energy I think I need to tackle the unforeseeable challenges of my day as a mom.

So one night in December, I was just delighted when my friend Pamela showed up with a syrup I had never even heard of: Elderflower syrup.  That night, we mixed it with seltzer and a hint of lime and as as our hubbies downed a few beers, we giddily sipped our elderflower mocktails– winking at each other with the knowledge that the following day we would feel as fresh as flowers.

What are your favorite refreshing drinks, be it a mocktail or just something simple?

And so we did!  I am now such a fan of Elderflower syrup that I am offering it to all of you as the perfect antidote to the over-indulgences of the holidays.  Many of the recipes I’ve seen use as much as a half a cup per drink, but I believe you can get by with just a wee bit to give your drink a nice punch of pizzazz without a lot of excess sugar.

Having done a bit of research, I’ve now since learned that Elderflower is said to remove toxins, help digestion and promote regularity (what a bonus!), help with respiratory ailments, and is rich in omegas and antioxidents.  Excellent!

So, if you’re willing to give this nonalcoholic drink recipe a shot, here is a very simple “mocktail” I’ve been drinking with which you can bring in the New Year.

Ingredients:

• 1/8 cup Elderflower syrup
• ¼ cup cranberry juice
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 cup seltzer
• Squeeze of lemon or lime – optional

Try this in the morning or at night and I promise you will feel great!

Even more simply, try just dropping some of your Elderflower syrup until a cold glass of seltzer and sipping that in lieu of a glass of white wine – not to sound boring, but I promise you’ll be more on your feet the next day.

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