These 25 Mocktail Recipes Are Tasty as Hell (and Won't Leave You Hungover)
You need an espresso no-tini in your life, trust.
It's 2024 now, so let's just get something out of the way: There are a million and a half reasons why someone might want to—or need to—abstain from drinking alcohol. The booze-free movement is booming these days (in fact, a 2020 study found that Gen Z might be the soberest generation in recent history), as many young people (hi, that's probably you!) are choosing to stay sober for physical or mental health reasons, to save money, to prevent bad decision-making, and so. much. more.
No matter why, or how long you're planning on going without alcohol (I see you, Dry January participants!), you should know that a mocktail is always a good idea. Full stop. A well-crafted non-alcoholic cocktail lets you engage in the ritual of sipping on something tasty while having a fun glass in your hand (chic glassware is always recommended, FWIW), without any of the icky aftereffects that can come with boozy bevs. Want one? Thought so.
Scroll down to find 25 mocktail recipes so good you'll wish you tried them earlier. And believe me when I say there's a drink on this list for every taste bud—from an espresso no-tini to a N/Agroni (yes, that's a non-alcoholic negroni, any further questions?) and everything in between. If you think you're gonna miss the booze, prepare to be pleasantly surprised...🥂.
Espresso No-Tini
Combine 2 oz. Lyre’s Agave Blanco, 1 oz. cold espresso, and ½ oz. agave syrup in a shaker. Shake and double strain into a Nick and Nora glass or martini coupe.
Recipe by Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse.
Tonic Rickey
Combine ½ oz. simple syrup and ½ oz. fresh lime juice in a glass with ice and stir. Slowly add 1½ oz. tonic water and 1½ oz. seltzer. Top with 3 dashes Angostura bitters. Don't stir. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and/or a slice of lime.
Recipe by The Cocktail Snob.
Kiki's Felicità
Add ½ oz. blue spirulina seaweed syrup, 1 oz. coconut water, ½ oz. aloe (with pulp), 1 oz. pear or ginger white tea, and ½ pinch of Himalayan salt into a shaker tin. Quick shake with ice. Decant into double old-fashioned glass with a large ice cube. Top with 2 oz. Q Mixers Elderflower Tonic. Garnish with nori seaweed stars (which you can make by taking a star-shaped hole punch to a nori sheet).
For the seaweed syrup: Mix 5 oz. of simple syrup with ½ tbsp. of spirulina powder.
Recipe by Joshua Lucas, director of the beverage program at Kiki's La Quinta.
Cherry Lime Delight
Add 2 oz. tart cherry juice, ½ oz. lime juice, and ½ can Olipop cherry vanilla soda in a glass. Mix well. Add crushed ice to the glass and gently stir to combine the ingredients. Garnish with dehydrated lime or lime wheel and cherries.
Recipe by Olipop.
Elderflower Collins
Add 1½ oz. Ritual Zero Proof gin and 1½ oz. Bittermilk No.2 in a Collins glass. Add ice. Top with club soda and stir quickly for three seconds. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel.
Recipe by Four Brothers Restaurant at Omni La Mansión del Rio.
Spiced Cran Mocktail
In a shaker, mix 2 oz. cranberry juice, ¼ oz. lime juice, and ½ oz. cinnamon maple syrup. Shake with ice. Rim your glass with brown sugar and pour in the contents of the shaker. Top off with 3 oz. of Chai Cranberry Aura Bora, then garnish with sugared cranberries, rosemary, and star anise.
Recipe by Aura Bora.
Prickly Pear Punch
Fill a glass with ice, about halfway. Add 1 cup CELSIUS Sparkling Oasis Vibe to the glass. Add in a dash of prickly pear syrup, roughly 2 tbsp, and stir until well combined. Slice one lime into quarters. Add lime slice to mocktail for garnish, either with toothpick, along the rim, or right in the drink.
Recipe by CELSIUS.
Ludlow Highball
Combine 4 oz. chilled Proteau Ludlow Red and 4 oz. chilled sparkling water in an ice-filled highball glass. Stir gently to combine and garnish with blackberries and rosemary.
Recipe by Proteau.
Lyre’s Old Fashioned
Mix 1 oz. Lyre's American Malt (non-alcoholic bourbon), ¼ oz. simple syrup, and 2 dashes aromatic bitters in a rocks glass filled with ice. Stir briefly and garnish with an orange slice.
Recipe by Lyre’s.
Kin Citron
Add ice to a rocks glass. Pour in 2 oz. Kin High Rhode, 5 dashes citrus bitters, and 1 oz. grapefruit soda, and stir for 30 seconds. Top with sparkling water and garnish with a fresh orange slice.
Recipe by Kin Euphorics.
Turn Up the Beet
In a rocks glass filled with ice, stir together 2 oz. of beet juice and ¾ oz. lemon juice. Top with Red Bull.
Recipe by Red Bull.
Hot Toddy
In a heat-proof toddy glass or mug, combine 1¾ oz. Seedlip Grove 42 non-alcoholic spirit, 1 bar spoon coconut sugar, and 4 oz. hot Assam tea. Stir gently and garnish with ginger peel.
Recipe by Seedlip.
Sparkling Mocktail Bomb
Combine 4 oz. pomegranate juice, 4 oz. mango juice, and 2 oz. lemon juice in a cup or mixing glass. Stir to combine. Pour into sphere ice mold (this one works!) and freeze for at least two hours. Place frozen sphere in glass. Top with ginger beer.
Note: If you don’t have these particular juices on hand, you can use what you have at home. Any juice or combination of juices will work!
Recipe by The Cocktail Snob.
N/Agroni
Pour 2 oz. of San Pellegrino Sanbitter and 1 oz. of San Pellegrino Chinotto (both available at Italian specialty stores) into a rocks glass. Add a large cube of ice, and garnish with an orange twist.
Recipe from Spice Finch.
Mr. Howard
Add 1¾ oz. Seedlip Spice 94 non-alcoholic spirit, 2 tbsp. grapefruit juice, 1¼ tbsp. lemon juice, and 1 tbsp. simple syrup to a shaker with ice. Shake for 30 seconds, double-strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with star anise.
Recipe from Seedlip.
Blueberry Julep
In a large glass, muddle ¼ cup blueberries, 6 mint leaves, half a lime (cut into wedges), and 1 tsp. sugar. Transfer to a tumbler or mug, and add crushed ice and 7 oz. ginger beer. Garnish with a sprig of mint and lime wedge.
Recipe from Dry: Delicious Handcrafted Cocktails and Other Clever Concoctions—Seasonal. Refreshing. Alcohol-Free. by Clare Liardet. © Transworld Publishers, 2017, 2018. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment.
Peachy Bellini
Combine 2 oz. Extra Peach soda (from United Sodas of America), 2 oz. peach purée, and 2 oz. sparkling water in a glass of your choice. Garnish with a peach slice.
Recipe by United Sodas of America.
Thoroughbred
Fill a tumbler with ice, and add 1¾ oz. Seedlip Grove 42 non-alcoholic spirit. Top with ginger beer, and garnish with a lime wheel.
Recipe from Seedlip.
Lychee Spritz
In a shaker with ice, shake together 1 oz. lemon juice, 1 oz. simple syrup, and 2 oz. lychee syrup (from a can of lychees). Strain into a glass with ice, top with grapefruit-flavored sparkling water, and garnish with a lychee.
Recipe from Miguel de Leon, Pinch Chinese sommelier.
Pippilotta Smash
In a shaker with ice, shake together 1½ oz. grapefruit juice, ¾ oz. lime juice, 1 oz. simple syrup, and a sprig of mint. Strain into a glass with crushed ice, and garnish with a fresh mint sprig.
Recipe from Jun Hyung Kwon, head bartender at Atomix.
Hailey Eber was the longtime Food Editor at the New York Post. She’s now a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, where she enjoys tacos, mezcal, and not having to walk places in the snow.
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