Mocktails and alcohol-free drinks
Good mocktails are built like cocktails: something sour, something sweet, something bitter or spicy, and plenty of ice. These are the ones we keep coming back to.
Alcohol-free spirits and sparkling wines have got much better in the last few years, and the recipes say where one is worth buying.
28 recipes · page 1 of 2
Alcohol-free espresso martini
Alcohol-free gin and tonic
Alcohol-free mulled apple
Alcohol-free Negroni spritz
Alcohol-free passion fruit martini
Apple, ginger and cinnamon fizz
Arnold Palmer
Cranberry and rosemary fizz
Cucumber and mint cooler
Elderflower spritz
Ginger and lime cooler
Hot lemon, honey and ginger
Hot spiced cranberry
Pomegranate sparkler
Raspberry lemonade
Shirley Temple
What makes a mocktail work without alcohol
Alcohol gives a drink bite and body, so a mocktail has to find them elsewhere. Strong black tea adds tannin, as in the Arnold Palmer. Ginger beer gives heat. Tomato juice gives savoury depth, and a pinch of salt makes sweet and sour flavours brighter, which is why it appears in ginger and lime drinks.
Fizz and cold matter more than usual. Use fresh juice, chill the mixers and fill the glass with ice. Soda water stops a drink tasting like squash, and a garnish with a strong smell makes the first sip more interesting.
Mocktail styles to try
Long, fizzy drinks are the easiest place to start. The Virgin Mojito is 10 mint leaves, 25 ml lime juice and 15 ml sugar syrup over crushed ice, topped with soda water. The Shirley Temple is the classic sweet one, made with ginger ale, grenadine and lime.
For something more grown-up, try a spritz such as the elderflower spritz, a savoury Virgin Mary, or an alcohol-free passion fruit martini. In cold weather, hot lemon, honey and ginger or mulled apple give you a warm alternative to mulled wine.
Alcohol-free spirits and sparkling wine
You can make most mocktails with juice, soda and syrup, but some drinks benefit from alcohol-free spirits, aperitifs and sparkling wine. The alcohol-free gin and tonic, the Negroni spritz and the Virgin Bellini all use them. These products are lighter than the real thing, so use dry tonic and chill everything first.
Labels such as alcohol-free and low alcohol can still allow a trace of alcohol, and the UK limits for each wording have been under review. If you need to avoid alcohol completely, check the ABV on the bottle.
Making mocktails for a party
Choose drinks that can be made in a jug. The Virgin sangria serves four: cranberry, orange and lemon juice with diced apple and orange, chilled for at least an hour and topped with soda water and ice. Add frozen berries in place of some ice, and they keep the jug cold without diluting it.
Raspberry lemonade also works as a jug: crush 300 g raspberries with 100 ml sugar syrup, add 150 ml lemon juice and 500 ml cold water, and chill. Serve alcohol-free drinks in the same glasses as the cocktails, so everyone has a proper drink.
Questions people ask
What is a mocktail?
A mocktail is a drink that is made like a cocktail but without alcohol. It may also be called an alcohol-free cocktail or a virgin cocktail. Good ones balance sweet, sour and bitter flavours and are served cold with ice, in a proper glass with a garnish.
What is the easiest mocktail to make at home?
The Shirley Temple is one of the easiest. It takes two minutes: ice, 15 ml grenadine, 10 ml lime juice and 150 ml ginger ale. Pour the ginger ale slowly and stir once so the colour shades from red to orange.
What is the difference between alcohol-free and low alcohol in the UK?
Labels such as alcohol-free and low alcohol can still allow a trace of alcohol, and the UK limits for each wording have been under review. If you must avoid alcohol entirely, check the exact ABV on the label.
What can I use instead of spirits in a mocktail?
You can use an alcohol-free spirit, but you do not need to. Fruit juice, strong tea, ginger beer, tonic, soda water and syrups all give a mocktail structure. Use fresh citrus and plenty of ice, and add a pinch of salt if a sweet drink tastes flat.
What is a Virgin Mary?
A Virgin Mary is a Bloody Mary without the vodka. It is made with tomato juice, lemon, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt and pepper, and the seasoning carries the drink. The origin of the original Bloody Mary is disputed, so no one can say who invented it.
How do I stop a mocktail tasting like juice?
Add something sharp or bitter and some fizz. Fresh lemon or lime juice, soda water, strong tea or an alcohol-free bitter aperitif all cut through sweetness. Use less syrup than you expect, taste as you go, and serve the drink very cold.