Karolien from Karola's Kitchen created this heartwarming and cosy non-alcoholic cocktail. 

Ingredients for the cranberry compote:

170g fresh cranberries + a few extra for garnish
1 tbsp one-for-one sugar substitute or white granulated sugar
3 aniseed stars + a few extra for garnish
2 cinnamon sticks
200 to 300ml water

Ingredients for 1 mocktail:

2 tbsp cranberry compote
2 tbsp NONA Spritz
100ml apple juice + some extra to make the glitter rim
3cm fresh ginger (approx. 1 tbsp when finely grated)
3 ice cubes
100ml sparkling water
Edible golden glitter (optional)

Method

For one cranberry compote
Put the cranberries, sugar substitute, cinnamon sticks, anise stars and 200ml of the water in a saucepan (with lid). Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, with the lid on the pan. Stir frequently. Add the remaining water if the compote seems to get too thick or threatens to burn.

Let the compote cool a bit and push it through a sieve. Then let it cool completely and store it in the refrigerator.

For one mocktail
Prepare 2 bowls for making the rim: fill one bowl with a thin layer of apple juice and the other with a thin layer of gold glitter. First dip the rim of the glass in the juice and drain well. Then dip the glass in the golden glitter. Set aside.

Put 2 tbsp of the cranberry compote, 2 tbsp of NONA Spritz, 100ml of apple juice and about 1/8 tsp of the glitter (use the glitter from on the dish, you'll have to throw it away anyway) in a goblet. Place a small strainer on the goblet and grate the ginger over it (with a fine grater). Push the juice out of the finely grated ginger as much as possible. (Use your fingers to squeeze out the fibers as completely as possible.) Shake the mixture briskly until the compote is completely dissolved.

Put 3 ice cubes in the glass and pour the apple-cranberry mixture over them. Continue filling the glass with sparkling water, to just below the golden rim. Top with a few cranberries and an anise star. Serve immediately.

Extra
You can prepare the cranberry-NONA-apple juice-ginger-glitter mixture perfectly in advance (even up to a day), for several mocktails together, in a large goblet. Store in the refrigerator and shake well before using. Finish your mocktails à la minute with sparkling water.

Recipe, styling and photography by Karolien Olaerts.