Festive Kombucha Mocktails to Bring Cheer to Your Office This Season
Pour it up, pour it up.
Ah, the holidays. When the days get shorter, the weather gets chillier, and the festivities get merrier. Just because you’re still in the office doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be basking in the holiday cheer. Our suggestion? Mix things up with some office-friendly Health-Ade mocktails.
Not only will you raise spirits, you’ll quickly become the office favorite without spending hours baking. So you can get happy while getting your shit squared away before that well deserved PTO.
We also highly recommend Christmas sweaters for enhanced joy.
Here are some recipes you can make with Health-ade’s seasonal Holiday Cheers Kombucha to get lit:
HOLIDAY CHEERS ICED COCOA MOCKTAIL
Original recipe from Ashley Cuoco of Cuoco Contento
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
12 oz Holiday Cheers Health-Ade Kombucha, chilled
8 oz cold brew coffee, chilled
20 oz hazelnut milk, chilled
6 oz crushed ice
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cocoa powder
6 drops chocolate bitters
2 tsp honey plus more for coating rim
2 oz finely shaved chocolate, for coating rim
4 dark chocolate squares, cut into triangles, for garnish
Directions
In a high-powered blender, combine kombucha, coffee, hazelnut milk, crushed ice, cinnamon, cocoa powder, bitters and honey. Blend on high speed for 1 minute, until well combined and frosty.
Take a dab of honey and gently coat rims of chilled glasses. Dip into shaved chocolate and swirl to evenly coat.
Divide drink evenly between glasses and garnish with chocolate triangle and a dash of cinnamon. Cheers!
Note: kombucha and coffee/hazelnut milk will naturally separate. Keep a spoon handy to stir while enjoyed.
HOLIDAY CHEERS SPICED POMEGRANATE KOMBUCHA FLOAT
Original Recipe from Marguerita La Fiura of Warm & Rosy
Serves 2
Ingredients
Spiced pomegranate syrup, chilled — recipe below
Vanilla ice cream of choice (we used Luna & Larry’s Organic Coconut Bliss, Naked Coconut)
1 bottle Holiday Cheers Health-Ade kombucha, chilled Ground cinnamon
Instructions
Pour 1/4 cup pomegranate syrup into each glass.
Top with 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream.
Slowly fill glasses with kombucha.
Dust with cinnamon and enjoy immediately. Cheers!
Spiced Pomegranate SyrupIngredients
2 cups 100% pomegranate juice
1 tbsp coconut sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
6 cardamom pods
1 inch strip of orange peel
1/2 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled
Instructions
Place all ingredients in medium-size saucepan set over medium heat.
Cook, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved - about 3 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. The syrup should be reduced by about half and very lightly coat the back of a spoon.
Strain pomegranate syrup and set aside to cool a bit. Once cooled, transfer to refrigerator to chill.
HOLIDAY CHEERS SANGRIA MOCKTAIL
Original recipe from Ashley Cuoco of Cuoco Contento
Servings: 10-12 | Active time: 15 minutes; Total time: 1 Hour 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 granny smith apple, thinly sliced
1 Braeburn apple, thinly sliced
1 pear, sliced
½ cup pomegranate seeds
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 bottles (1 pint each) Health-Ade Holiday Cheers
4 cups pomegranate juice
4 cups ginger ale
¼ cup simple syrup
10 oz frozen cranberries plus more for skewering
1/2 cup sugar for coating cranberries and rosemary
Recipe:
Combine apples, pear, pomegranate seeds and 2 sprigs rosemary in a large punch bowl. Pour in Health-Ade Holiday Cheers, ginger ale and pomegranate juice. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
To serve, add frozen cranberries. Ladle sangria into glasses (get some of that good fruit in there!)
Cut the remaining rosemary sprigs into 3” pieces. Dip each sprig into simple syrup and roll in sugar to coat. Dip extra cranberries into simple syrup and roll in sugar to coat. Skewer 3-4 cranberries per drink and rest on top of each glass.
Garnish drinks with sugared cranberries and rosemary; serve cold.
Like what you see? Our friends at Health-Ade are sharing a recipe book full of recipes from kombucha-infused body scrubs to kombucha doughnuts! CLICK HERE to enter to win!
MORE ON THE BLOG
Office Inspiration: Kristi Kohut @ Lulu + Georgia
We've got some seriously incredible sponsors lined up for Create + Cultivate in Chicago. If you're lucky enough to be in attendance, you'll find them in your gift bags (the VIP gift bag is worth the cost of admission alone), on the conference floor, and in the coming weeks, we'll highlight a few of our favorites right here on the C+C blog. Because sharing is caring and they're too awesome not share.
First up: Lulu & Georgia, the lifestyle boutique of our dreams.
Artwork by Kristi Kohut, prints available via Lulu + Georgia
We've got some seriously incredible sponsors lined up for Create + Cultivate in Chicago. If you're lucky enough to be in attendance, you'll find them filling up your gift bags (the VIP gift bag is worth the cost of admission alone!), on the conference floor, and in the coming weeks, we'll highlight a few of our favorites right here on the C+C blog. Because sharing is caring and they're too awesome not to.
First up: Lulu & Georgia, the lifestyle boutique of our dreams. They stock everything from furniture to trinkets, all of which you'll see around the conference (plus, you can shop the on-site pop-up!), in addition to some amazing artwork prints from talented female artist including our very own #createcultivateCHI keynote speaker, Garance Doré. We recently discovered (and promptly fell in love with) the work of the Chicago-based mixed-media artist and designer Kristi Kohut (above). Her work is a perfect representation of our brains right now: a little bit of organized chaos and a whole lot of color. Each piece is like a high energy Rorschach test that would be perfect to hang in your office. Color therapy at its best.
Get one of Kristi's prints for under $100 at Lulu + Georgia (alongside Garance's prints and a whole host of other amazing artists) and see them in-person at our Lulu + Georgia pop-up at the Chicago conference!
Celadon & Celery's Desktop Floral Faves to Hit Refresh
Whether you're in a cubicle or a sunny loft space with an open floor plan, bringing in some choice plant-life is the ultimate in functional decorating—and a little extra O2 goes a long way in creating a more relaxing, peaceful workspace. We asked Bess Wyrick, founder of Celadon & Celery, and the mastermind behind many of Create & Cultivates floral arrangements, to round up a few beautiful houseplants that are easy to care for (green thumb or not), and effective at increasing oxygen and clearing out toxins for a little breathing room.
Photography by EDGE Studios/Sean Kilgore-Han
Whether you're in a cubicle, corner office, or a sunny loft space with an open floor plan, bringing in some choice plant-life is the ultimate in functional decorating. Some well-placed greenery can not only brighten up a space with a little color, but they can also purify the air around you—and a little extra O2 goes a long way in creating a more relaxing, peaceful workspace. We know that spending time in nature is linked to reduced stress levels, so we've asked Bess Wyrick, founder of Celadon & Celery, and the mastermind behind many of Create & Cultivate's floral arrangements, to round up a few beautiful houseplants that are easy to care for (green thumb or not), and effective at increasing oxygen and clearing out toxins for a little breathing room.
1. Magnolias
(above, center) Fresh magnolias are total stunners in a vase (or even an empty coke bottle) at your desk. They'll brown and wilt quickly if not kept in water, and will only last a couple days, but since they're in season, you can easily pick one on a lunchtime walk (they're especially easy to find blooming around trees in Los Angeles) and impress everyone in the office with a fancier bloom.
2. Philodendron
The heart-shaped philodendron is a popular plant choice for indoor areas, as they're easy to care for (they're just fine in low-medium light), smell divine, and make you feel like a queen. Like the English Ivy, they are particularly good at absorbing airborne toxins and formaldehyde. Pick them up at your local nursery or get a starter plant for under $5 on Amazon.
"Cubicle or open floorplan—a little extra O2 can go a long way."
3. Cacti + Succulents
(above, left) Desert plant-life is having a major moment. You'd be hard-pressed to scroll through any California-girls Instagram feed without spotting some cacti—they're even Create + Cultivate's unofficial mascot (here's proof). These low-maintenance plants are a powerful toxin eliminator and air purifier, and they're one of the easiest plants to grow, as they thrive even in dim lighting and cooler climates, and as you know, they won't require too much water. You can get 20 gorgeous succulents in 2" pots for under $25 and pass them around the office. Everyone will love you.
4. Ruby Ball Cactus
(above, right) We hate to play favorites, but we love the Gymnocalycium Cultivar—sometimes called Ruby Ball cactus or Moon cactus—it's actually two cacti in one. A pure red cactus seedling lacks the ability to produce chlorophyll and will die unless it is grafted onto a green one. The green feeds its mutant-mate sugar molecules produced from water and carbon dioxide. Once established, the two parts grow together so you can't even see the seam. These cacti typically live only a few years and do not grow appreciably, making them ideal for small spaces, and apartment dwellers.
For a breath of fresh air and some truly epic floral-porn, follow Bess and Celadon & Celery on Instagram @celadoncelery.
Not your average flower child, bicoastal designer-slash-stylist-slash-floral goddess Bess Wyrick is a force to be reckoned with. Founder of Celadon & Celery, a NYC and LA-based event and floral design company, she’s a style guru with an affinity for peony tattoos and rich life stories that run deep. An adopted child from a family of eight siblings, Wyrick straddles the earthy and the ethereal, exploring the continents (she’s frolicked through flower fields on every single one) and spending mornings with her fiancé and feline friends in the serenity of her new Culver City studio. Follow Bess @celadoncelery.