Now that your Roatan vacation has begun (or is soon about to begin!) you’ll be spending time relaxing in the warm sun.  Most of us instinctively remember to slather on the sunscreen, but fewer of us remember to stay hydrated.  It’s tempting to knock back a bunch of tropical alcoholic drinks to keep cool, but they do end up playing a role in your dehydration.  To ensure you get enough liquids in a tasty form, we’ve come up with a list of healthy mocktails to stay hydrated while visiting Roatan.

Alcohol-Free Sangria

Sangria’s main ingredients are red wine, orange juice, sugar and fruit.  It’s a refreshing low alcohol drink that’s become popular all around the world.  But there are two drawbacks that come with drinking alcoholic sangria in the sun.  First of all, the alcohol content, however low, will ultimately promote dehydration.  Sugar is also a diuretic which only exacerbates the fluid loss promoted by the heat and alcohol.  In this version, there’s no alcohol, no added sugar, but it has all the great flavor of a traditional sangria.  Instead of wine, start with a mix of grape juice, orange juice and a squeeze of lime juice.  Blend in a quarter cup of blueberries (substitute watermelon for blueberries which are not always available in Roatan), to give it added flavor, sweetness and color.  Add chunks of whatever fruits you have available and refrigerate for a couple of hours before stirring and serving.

Lemonade

Lemonade is a classic hot weather drink.  And we’re not talking about the British version which is basically just a fizzy soda pop.  This lemonade is made with 3 simple ingredients: real lemon juice, water and sweetener.  Traditionally lemonade has been made with a simple syrup made with sugar, but with advances in natural sweeteners such as stevia, you can actually make a sugar-free lemonade that tastes great and has no health concerns.  Although you can use bottled lemon juice, it’s always preferable to squeeze your own.  Combine eight cups of water, a half cup of lemon juice and the equivalent of a quarter teaspoon of pure stevia extract.  Dissolve the stevia in a bit of water before adding to the rest of the pitcher.  Pour over ice cubes and enjoy!

Virgin Pina Colada

Pina coladas sound complicated to make, but we’ve found a recipe that makes them quite easy to put together.  The two main ingredients are pineapple juice and cream of coconut.  You need to make sure it’s cream of coconut and not coconut cream – they’re different things.  Cream of coconut is a sweetened coconut milk that will give your pina colada its distinctive taste.  Simply combine one cup of cream of coconut with three quarters cup of pineapple juice and mix over ice.  You’ll have a tasty and refreshing drink that won’t give you a hangover.

Ginger Beer Mojito

Ginger beer is a spicy non-alcoholic drink that puts a whole new twist on the mojito.  Mojitos are traditionally made by macerating mint leaves and sugar in lime juice and topping with rum and soda water.  The strong taste of ginger beer can easily make up for the sugar and rum, so simply start with the muddled mint leaves and lime juice and fill the glass with chilled ginger beer.  Tasty and invigorating!

If you want to skip all the fuss of mixing and blending drinks, Roatan has plenty of one of the best ways to hydrate all around – the coconut. Sold on beaches everywhere, roadside stands or by just standing under a tree and waiting for one to fall from the sky.  There are plenty around L’Alize to enjoy, simply crack open and enjoy.