I bet you thought I was going to write about Imposter Syndrome or maybe you thought I would be talking about social media and how so much of what we see come off as perfect lives while never seeing the not so perfect stuff behind the pretty pictures. Perhaps you thought I would be apologizing for some deep dark secret I've been keeping from you? Good thing there's no money on the table because, it's none of those.
I'm actually writing about Faux Cocktails, also known as Mock-tails. I didn't want to use that term because, well, it's been used, a lot, and just because there's no alcohol in the drink doesn't mean it's not a real drink does it? A Mock-tail is actually described as a virgin or non-alcoholic cocktail comprised of juices, herbs and soda water. A drink-purest may even say that it is disrespectful to the ingredients to call them mock or faux just because the alcohol has been left out. Is it even possible to disrespect a stalk of celery or a pimento olive?
Anywayyyy, in the summer of 2020, when the world was still in the throes of the pandemic and most of us were unsure of what to do with ourselves, I got busy developing an ebook comprised of eight healthy faux cocktails called TAKE 10 TUESDAYS. Every Tuesday I set up my kitchen island with my ingredients, my video, my ring light and a fun or funky apron and I invented a faux cocktail live and in colour on Facebook in about 10 minutes.
These cocktails are super healthy, easy to make with ingredients that you usually have in your fridge and pantry and they taste delicious. The only difference from most other faux cocktails is the addition of an Arbonne Supplement like a Skin Elixir, an Energy Fizz Stick or a MindHealth (more on those later). I wanted to be able to invent a drink that not only provided natural ingredients that taste great but also provide a boost of essential nutrition and still give you all the feels, like lounging by the pool while the children yell Marco - Polo, regaling fellow golfers on the 19th hole about your exceptional putting or relaxing on the deck under a cooling fan with a good book and a chilled drink.
So many of us have been adopting really healthy habits and we are much more aware of the negative and possible longterm effects of alcohol and sugar consumption. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy a lovely Aperol spritz or a glass of Prosecco as much as anyone but, I know that I can also enjoy a really great drink that feels and tastes just like a cocktail without the worry of how it might affect my health. Many years ago I drank soda, or pop, or soda pop, it has a few handles. When I was in grade school there was a company called the Poppe Shoppe and surprisingly, it still exists today. Oh boy, my siblings and I just loved the Poppe Shoppe. We got to pick out our favourite flavours from orange crush to cream soda to grape and everything in between. Mine was orange crush, then coke, then root beer. Later, I changed loyalties to A&W Root Beer because you just couldn’t beat that frosty mug full of root beer served on a drive-in tray with onion rings and a Mama Burger. Pop Shoppe pop came in glass bottles and red plastic crates. It was one of the highlights of our week when Mom or Dad came home carrying in that box full of colourful, tinkling bottles filled with sugary deliciousness! Drinking pop was a treat and eventually it became the norm for me and I drank a lot of it. Do you remember root beer and orange crush floats with vanilla ice cream?...sooooo good!
As an adult Pepsi was my go-to beverage. It was my drink of choice ahead of all other drinks, including coffee. I loved the taste, the sugar, the bubbles, the hit of caffeine. Coke was too syrupy, clear pop just didn't do it for me and ginger ale was the upset stomach drink. Pepsi hit just right...and I was addicted. I didn't go for the sugar-free stuff either. Any kind of artificial sweetener left a horrible taste in my mouth and I thought, how could something that tastes this bad be good for me? Fast forward about twenty years only to be proven correct, artificial sweeteners are toxic and ultimately, soda pop is just plain unhealthy as are any empty, sugary beverages. After decades of drinking pop and eating sugar, my body was staging a revolt as it started to balloon outwardly and inwardly I suffered from a number of health issues. Make no mistake, the saying "we are what we eat" and "food is medicine" is truth!
Today, I don't buy pop, bottled energy drinks or bottled or canned sugary drinks. I drink water and I use a Soda Stream to make carbonated water. I flavour my water with real food like berries and lemons, limes, cucumbers, watermelon, mint, honey, the list is quite extensive, and I drink an *Arbonne Energy Fizz Stick, a Skin Elixir, a MindHealth and a GutHealth almost every day.
I love that I don't use single use plastic bottles and I know exactly what goes into my beverage. If you were to compare two of the most popular flavoured energy drinks, Gatorade and Powerade with something like Arbonne's Energy Fizz Drink you may be very surprised at how unhealthy Gatorade and Powerade actually are. They are FULL of sugar, sodium, artificial colouring and of course come in plastic bottles that are polluting the planet. Energy Fizz sticks along with Mind Health, Skin Elixir and Gut Health come in a stick packages that are recyclable. The Fizz contains enough powder for a litre of water, it only has 2gms of sustainably sourced organic cane sugar, which may actually have some benefits as it is alkaline to the body, has vitamins and minerals and may help lower cholesterol. None of these products contain anything artificial, they are vegan and they taste terrific.
Fizz is designed to help temporarily relieve fatigue, promote alertness, enhance cognitive performance and it's a great coffee replacement if you are trying to take coffee out of the line up. Coffee is not for everyone but, if you like or need a caffeine hit, Fizz has Green tea and Guarana that is naturally derived and provides 55mg of caffeine so it's perfect for that morning wake up call or afternoon pick me up.
Our MindHealth is made for brain health with sunflower seed-derived Phosphatidylserine that supports your cell function, Coenzyme Q10, Vitamin B12 and it tastes amazing, cherry and lime together, who knew? Skin Elixir is for help in supporting collagen formation plus help the health of your bones, nails and hair and our GutHealth is the microbiome that balances the good bacteria and kicks out the bad. Please keep in mind, you do not have to add any Arbonne Supplements to the faux cocktail mix, but, if you are interested in upping your nutrition game they are an excellent way to do just that.
It's almost funny to name a drink a faux cocktail because really, there's nothing faux about them! It's real water, real fruit, real herbs, real juice, (which does have some real sugar but for faux cocktails the amounts are minimal) and real beneficial supplements, faux real!! Another great thing about faux cocktails is they are make ahead or by the glass so there is no stress if you are hosting a party and want to have non-alcoholic drink options. Make sure your drinks are covered and refrigerated and if you make a pitcher don't add the bubbly water until just before you are ready to serve. You don't want the bubbles to dissipate too soon. I might also suggest if you are making them ahead, crush or muddle your herbs and leave them for a few minutes before adding the rest of your ingredients, just to make sure they release all of their natural oils and goodness.
NOTE: If you are serving children please do not use the Arbonne products until you have checked with your medical professional. In fact, always check with your medical professional for yourself and your family if you are unsure of any ingredients. Arbonne has MEET THE PRODUCT information sheets that are available on my website: www.christinehayden.arbonne.com. with every product you purchase so you can print those up and take them to your Medical appointment for discussion.
I can't faux the life of me think of anything that isn't good about a faux cocktail. They really are such a great option and you can pump them up nutritionally in whatever inventive way is right for you. Making your own drinks, just like cooking your own food, means you get to control the ingredients, something we can't do when it's already bottled or packaged. Give them a try and I'm positive you won't faux-get about making them again!
That's all. I promise, no fauxing around! Alright, I think it's time to make myself a faux cocktail and relax. Cheers!
Love Kiki
xoxo
"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." -- Charles Caleb Colton
This is my TAKE 10 TUESDAYS Faux Cocktails Recipes Ebook. Subscribe to my KONNECT KLUB and I’ll shoot one off to you as a thank you!
*Re: Arbonne Products: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases.
*Re: Arbonne Products: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases.
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