alcohol-free frozen citrus margarita slush, an AIP-friendly mocktail for elimination-phase celebrations

There is a specific kind of awkward in standing at a party holding a plain glass of water while everyone around you has something in a real glass. This slush gives you something else to hold: cold, a little tart, and entirely yours to drink without a second thought.

Lime, orange, and grapefruit juice make up most of it, blended with ice until it turns slushy rather than poured over cubes. Between the lime, the orange, and the grapefruit, a full glass puts a meaningful amount of vitamin C into your day, the nutrient your body relies on for collagen and for its everyday tissue repair, and honey rounds out the sharp edges of 3 different juices at once.

This is a party drink, not a daily one. The honey and the natural fruit sugars add up fast across a full pitcher, so let it live at the celebration and stay out of the Tuesday-morning routine.

Blend it right before you serve it so it is still slushy when it hits the glass, rest a lime wedge on the rim, and hand it to yourself like it matters. It does.

Ingredients

• 4 cups ice
• 2 cups lime juice
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 cup grapefruit juice
• 1 cup sparkling water
• 1/4 cup honey, or to taste
• 1 small lime, cut into 8 wedges, for garnish

Method

Add the ice, lime juice, orange juice, grapefruit juice, sparkling water, and honey to a blender. Leave the lime wedges aside.

Blend on an ice-crush setting until the mixture turns slushy and even. Taste and add a little more honey if you want it sweeter.

Pour right away, while it is still frozen and slushy, and rest a lime wedge on the rim of each glass. Serve immediately.

Punch variation

If you would rather skip the blender, stir the three juices, the sparkling water, and the honey together in a pitcher and serve over ice as a citrus punch. It is less of a slush and more of a long, cold drink, and it scales easily for a crowd.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*