Question: What is a Mocktail?
Answer: All the pizazz of a mixed drink with none of the alcohol!
Though some folks are under the impression that a party isn’t really a party unless booze is involved, the truth is, you can have fun (and look sophisticated) quenching your thirst while still keeping the beverages appropriate “for all ages.” Here are 10 easy mocktail recipes to try at your next special event, be it a birthday party, a high school graduation, or a holiday bash!
Shirley Temple Mocktail
This is one of the most famous mocktail recipes—so much so that it’s usually one of the first things to come to mind when people hear the word “mocktail.” And after giving it a taste, you’ll probably understand its wide appeal!
- 1 oz. grenadine
- 8 oz. lemon-lime soda (e.g., 7UP, Sprite) or ginger ale.
- Maraschino cherries, for garnish
Put a few ice cubes into your favorite tall or fancy glass, then pour the grenadine over the ice. Add the lemon-lime soda, and drop in a cherry (or two, or three!). Note that you can adjust the grenadine-soda ratio to taste.
Ginger Ale Mocktail
If you love Moscow Mules—and really, who doesn’t?—but can’t have alcohol for one reason or another (health concerns, designated driver status, etc.), here’s a neat alternative. Using ginger ale instead of ginger beer tends to create a sweeter, more mellow taste, though if you genuinely LIKE the “kick” of ginger beer, go ahead and use that in the place of ginger ale. Just be sure that you drink this mocktail out of a copper cup. That part’s absolutely essential, whether the beverage contains vodka or not!
- 6 oz. ginger ale or ginger beer (or 1 oz. of our Moscow Mule Ginger Syrup mixed with 6 oz. seltzer)
- 2 oz. sparkling water or club soda (or 3 oz., if you’re using syrup and seltzer instead of ginger beer)
- ½ oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
- Crushed ice
- Lime wedge or slice, for garnish
Place the ice in a 100% copper mug (preferably one made by Moscow Copper Co.). Once the mug is nice and cold, pour in the sparkling water or club soda. Add the lime juice, then top with the ginger ale/beer. Garnish with the lime wedge or slice.
Pornstar Martini Mocktail
Note: if you’ll be serving this one to young kids, you might want to call it by a different name. Maybe “Movie Star Martini Mocktail?” Or even just “Passion Fruit Martini Mocktail?” Be creative, folks!
- 1½ fresh passion fruits
- ½ oz. vanilla syrup
- ½ oz. lime juice
- 2½ oz. tropical fruit juice
- Ice (to be used in a martini shaker)
- Sparkling water or apple juice, to top off the glass
Cut the whole passion fruit into two halves and remove the seeds. Add the flesh of the fruit, plus the lime juice, syrup, and fruit juice, into a martini shaker and shake vigorously with ice. Double-strain the mixture into a martini glass. Add sparkling water or apple juice—either to taste, or enough to fill the cup. Remove the seeds from the remaining passion fruit half and float it in the glass to serve as a garnish.
Sex on the Beach Mocktail
Once again: you might want to change the name of this one if you’ll be serving it to youngsters. Maybe “Kiss on the Beach” or “Fun on the Beach”? Teenagers will probably see through the charade, but at least you won’t be accused of corrupting innocent minds!
- 3 oz. cranberry juice
- 3 oz. orange juice
- 2 oz. peach nectar
- Ice (optional)
- Maraschino cherry or orange wedge, for garnish (optional)
Grab your favorite hurricane glass. Add ice if desired, and then pour in the juices and nectar. Stir well with a mixing spoon. Garnish with a maraschino cherry, orange wedge, and/or paper cocktail parasol.
Mojito Mocktail
Here’s the good news: regardless of the specific recipe, the vast majority of the ingredients in a typical mojito are non-alcoholic, anyway. Thus, brewing a “virgin” version of the drink isn’t terribly difficult.
- 10-15 fresh mint leaves
- 1 tsp. raw sugar
- 1 oz. fresh lime juice
- ½ oz. simple syrup
- 4 oz. plain sparkling water, lime-infused sparkling water, or ginger ale
- Crushed ice
- Lime wedge or slice, for garnish
Put the mint leaves in a tall glass or copper mug, add the sugar, lime juice, and simple syrup, and muddle them all together for at least a minute. Add the crushed ice, and then stir in the sparkling water or ginger ale. Garnish with a lime wedge or slice.
Mocktail Margarita (On the Rocks)
Young people often have trouble resisting the siren song of margarita salt or sugar on the rim of a cocktail glass; many adults have fond childhood memories of sneaking a finger-scraping (or a full-blown lick) of the stuff off of a parent’s beverage just to get a taste of it! For this reason, you may be able to get away with serving pre-made limeade from the grocery store in a salt or sugar-rimmed glass and calling it a “mockarita.” If that feels like a cop-out, though, then give THIS slightly more full-bodied recipe a try:
- 6 oz. pre-made limeade
- 3 oz. pulp-free orange juice
- 1 oz. lemon juice
- 1 oz. lime juice
- Margarita salt (or sugar) for the glass rim
- Ice (to be used in a shaker)
- Lime wedge
Pour a small amount of margarita salt or sugar into a dish, wet the rim of a margarita (or tall) glass with the lime wedge, and dip the glass into the salt/sugar to line it. In a cocktail shaker, combine the limeade, orange juice, lemon juice, and lime juice, and shake with plenty of ice until chilled. Pour the mixture into the salt/sugar-lined glass and add more ice, if desired. Garnish with the lime wedge.
Piña Colada Mocktail
Warning: you absolutely MUST resist the urge to sing “Escape” by Rupert Holmes (AKA “The Piña Colada Song”) while making or serving this mocktail. It’s all fun and games until this notorious earworm is stuck in everyone’s head and your guests all want to murder you for doing that to them!
- 7 oz. pineapple juice
- 2 oz. coconut cream
- 4-8 oz. crushed ice
- Pineapple wedge and/or maraschino cherry, for garnish
Dump all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a fancy glass and garnish with a pineapple wedge, cherry, and/or paper cocktail parasol. Serve with a straw.
Strawberry Colada Mocktail
This strawberry mocktail is similar to the previous one on our list. However, it’s a bit more sweet than it is tart—and it’s also a pretty pink color!
- 7 strawberries (fresh or frozen)
- 5 oz. pineapple juice
- 1½ oz. coconut cream
- 4-8 oz. crushed ice
- Pineapple wedge or additional strawberry slice, for garnish.
Dump all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a fancy glass and garnish with a pineapple wedge, strawberry slice, and/or paper cocktail parasol. Serve with a straw.
Pineapple Spritzer
Contrary to popular belief, virgin piña coladas are not the only pineapple mocktails out there! These are a great alternative for folks who aren’t too fond of coconut (or drinks with a creamy texture):
- 4 oz. pineapple juice
- 4 oz. lemon-flavored sparkling water
- 1 oz. simple syrup
- Pineapple wedge and/or maraschino cherry, for garnish
Pour the juice, water, and syrup into a tall glass, stir until well-blended, and then add ice cubes. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and/or cherry.
Sangria Mocktail
Important note: all of the recipes we’ve mentioned so far have been for single serving mocktail drinks, but THIS recipe will yield 8 cups of sangria punch. Why? Because sangria is one of those beverages that typically tastes better when you brew a large batch, as doing so allows several bold flavors to really mingle. Plus, there’s something pretty and festive about a big pitcher of sangria perched at the center of a table!
- 1 lemon, sliced, with peel
- 1 lime, sliced, with peel
- 1 orange, sliced, with peel
- 1 cored apple, sliced, with peel
- 3 cups grape juice
- 6 oz. apple juice
- 6 oz. orange juice
- 1 oz. lemon juice
- 2-3 cups sparkling water or lemon-lime soda.
After double-checking the fruit slices for seeds and other unappetizing bits, dump the lot into a large glass pitcher. Pour in the fruit juices and mix gently (but thoroughly). Refrigerate for at least one hour, but preferably for four to six hours. Add the sparkling water or soda (to taste) prior to serving and mix well. Pour into a tall glass and add ice, if desired.
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We hope you’ve been inspired by this crash course on mocktail recipes! The simple truth is that mocktails can be enjoyed by people of all ages and from all walks of life. While they’re great fun for kids who want to try a “grown-up” beverage in a fancy mug, they’re also tasty and refreshing for adults. The next time you host a get-together (or plan a special dinner for a special someone), give these drinks a try—you may be surprised at just how little you miss the booze!
