Once upon a time, non-alcoholic co*cktails had a pretty ho-hum reputation. Club soda with lime, maybe a Shirley Temple—boring, sometimes awkwardly childish. Now, luckily, we're living in a heyday for alcohol-free options that are just as fun, sophisticated, and delicious as their boozy counterparts. Between the plethora on non-alcoholic wine, champagne, beer, and even ABV-free spirits, nowadays its easier than ever to avoid imbibing without feeling left out. And whether it's for your guests or yourself, it's always a good idea to add a fun and refreshing mocktail into the mix. Here are our favorite easy, delicious non-alcoholic recipes to serve up at your next event.
Spicy Watermelon Mint Agua Fresca
Ingredients
2 cups cold water
2 cups watermelon (rind removed), seeded and chopped
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp lime juice
.25 cup mint leaves
.5 jalapeño, roughly chopped
Ice cubes or crushed ice (optional)
Instructions
Combine all of the ingredients and puree until smooth. Pour mixture through a strainer into a pitcher, forcing through most of the pulp. Chill and serve.
Created by Claire Thomas of The Kitchy Kitchen
Mango Mule
Ingredients
4-5 slices of cucumber
1 oz honey syrup
1.5 oz mango puree
1.5 oz fresh lime juice
1.5 oz ginger beer
Ice
Instructions
Muddle cucumber and honey syrup in the bottom of a co*cktail shaker. Add the mango puree and lime juice and shake with ice vigorously. Strain into a copper mug. Top with ginger beer and stir.
By Danielle Walker of Against All Grain
Citrus Fizz
Ingredients
1.75 oz Seedlip Grove 42
.75 oz organic marmalade cordial*
Sparkling water, to top
Instructions
Combine Seedlip and cordial in a champagne flute and top with chilled sparkling water.
*Instructions for organic marmalade cordial: Mix 300g organic marmalade with 150 mL hot water, Fine strain and store in the fridge.
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Dry Cranberry Spitzer
Ingredients
1.5 oz Seedlip Grove 42
1 oz Monlin cranberry
1 oz Lime juice
2 dashes Orange bitters
Top off with Q Grapefruit soda
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients (except the Q Grapefruit) in a co*cktail shaker over ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into an iced Collins glass and top with Q Grapefruit. Stir well and garnish.
By Devin Burns ofOmni Hotels & Resorts
Virgin Cucumber Gimlet
Ingredients
1.5 oz club soda
4-5 slices of muddled cucumber
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz simple syrup
Instructions
Combine all ingredients and shake with ice. Serve in a rocks glass over crushed ice. Garnish with a rolled cucumber slice.
From Ocean Prime
Magic Apple
Ingredients
2 oz Ritual whiskey alternative
2 oz apple cider or apple juice
2 dashes bitters
Cinnamon stick
Apple slice
Instructions
Combine first three ingredients in a tall glass with ice. Stir until cold. Pour over fresh ice, garnish with cinnamon stick and apple slice, and serve.
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Shirley Ginger
Ingredients
4 cups Brooklyn Crafted Lemon Lime Ginger Beer
1 cup club soda
3 tbsp lime juice
.25 cup grenadine
Instructions
Stir ginger beer, club soda, lime juice, and grenadine in a pitcher. Pour into tall glasses with ice. Garnish with lime rounds and or maraschino cherries.
Hot Apple Cider
Ingredients
10 oz apple cider
1 tsp pumpkin butter
Instructions
Heat apple cider and stir in pumpkin butter. Garnish with star anise and cinnamon.
Created by Liana Oster of Dante in NYC.
Coconut, Cucumber, Lime, and Mint Cooler
Ingredients
4 cups of coconut water
2 cucumbers sliced very thinly
.5 cup of lime juice
.25 cup of sugar (optional)
.25 cup of chopped mint leaves
Instructions
Combine coconut water, cucumbers, lime juice, sugar and mint leaves. Let chill for 1 to 2 hours. Serve as cooler mocktails.
From Cornelia Guest of Cornelia Guest Events
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Vantage Point
Ingredients
2 oz ‘New London Light’
2 oz coffee (cold brew, decaffeinated or fresh)
.5 oz agave syrup
Orange peel to garnish
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a Boston shaker with plenty of ice. Shake for 15 seconds and strain into a tumbler over a large ice cube. Garnish with a twist of orange peel.
Virgin Watermelon Margarita
Ingredients
1 medium seedless watermelon, cut into chunks
.5 cup fresh lime juice
4 tsp agave
5 tbsp sparking water
Instructions
In a blender, puree enough watermelon chunks so that you have 4 cups of watermelon puree. Add lime juice and agave and mix again. Pour into 4 cups. Top with sparkling water.
From FoodDoneLight
Berry Burlesque
Ingredients
.5 oz lime juice
.5 oz honey syrup
1 oz black currant puree
4-6 mint leaves
Q Ginger Beer
Instructions
Combine and shake all ingredients except ginger beer in a shaker tin with ice, and then strain over fresh ice. Top with ginger beer.
By Daniel Marohnic, property mixologist at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas
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Lyre’s Dublin Double Irish Coffee
Ingredients
2.5 oz Lyre’s American Malt
4 oz hot brewed coffee
.25 oz premium maple syrup
3 oz whipped cream
Instructions
Combine maple syrup, American Malt, and a splash of hot coffee in an Irish Coffee mug. Stir to dissolve maple, add remaining ingredients and top with whipped cream. Serve with a grated orange zest garnish.
Lavender Lemonade
Ingredients
6 cups water
.5 cup honey
5 tbsp dried lavender
1 cup fresh lemon juice, strained
Instructions
Bring water and honey to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Gently crush the lavender in a mortar and pestle or in a bowl with a meat tenderizer. Add the crushed lavender to the pot then remove it from the heat. Cover, refrigerate, and steep for 2 hours. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve. Stir in the lemon juice and serve over ice.
Buy NowStriped Drinking Straws, $10 for 100
By Danielle Walker, founder of Against All Grain
Rose Fizz
Ingredients
1 egg white
1 tsp powdered sugar
.5 oz fresh lemon juice
Fentimans Rose Lemonade to top
Instructions
Dry shake all ingredients except lemonade. Add ice and shake vigorously until almost a foamy texture. Top with rose lemonade.
From Acre in Auburn, AL.
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Rosemary Blueberry Smash
Ingredients
7-8 blueberries
1 rosemary sprig, stripped
1 oz honey syrup
1 oz fresh lemon juice, strained
4 oz sparkling mineral water
Ice
Instructions
Gently muddle blueberries, rosemary leaves, and honey syrup in the bottom of a co*cktail shaker. Add lemon juice and shake, covered, with ice vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain through a mesh strainer into a tall glass of fresh ice. Top with sparkling water and stir to incorporate.
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By Danielle Walker of Against All Grain
Lemongrass Jasmine Iced Tea.
Ingredients
Muddle 4-5 pieces of cut lemon grass
.5 oz simple syrup
.5 oz lemon
4 oz jasmine tea
2 oz lychee juice
Instructions
Shake with ice. Double Strain into high ball glass. Add cubed ice. Top with crushed ice. Garnish with lemon grass.
From Hakkasan, New York City
Virgin Paloma
Ingredients
1.5 oz lime juice
1 oz grapefruit juice
1 oz agave syrup
Healthy pinch of sea salt
Instructions
Combine ingredients in a co*cktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain over ice into a Collins glass and top with soda.
From Toro, New York City
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Wildcat Cooler
Ingredients
1 cup blueberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 lemon, juiced
Water to taste
Instructions
Place the blueberries, sugar and water in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain the solids from the juice with a fine sieve and set the solids aside. Pack glass with crushed ice to the top. Pour 1 oz blueberry syrup in the glass. Pour lemon juice in the bottom of the glass, being mindful not to mix the ingredients. Fill the glass with water, slowly adding the water until full.
From The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, Tuscon, Arizona
Pineapple Ginger Beer
Ingredients
1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz ginger syrup*
Instructions
Combine ingredients in a tin and shake very quickly with cold ice. Strain into a frozen Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with crystallized ginger and a lemon wedge.
*Ginger syrup: Combine 1 liter fresh ginger juice – roughly chopped ginger root through a juicer and fine strain twice – with 675g superfine sugar; stir vigorously to combine.
From The Varnish, Los Angeles
Lauren Hubbard
Writer
Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and co*cktails.
