Mocktails to Bring You Through Dry January

It was about this time last year that I set out on a weight loss journey resulting in a 40-pound weight loss that has me feeling healthier and happier. One of the big ways I cut out extra calories was by minimizing my alcohol intake. In fact, I posted a blog just about a year ago with some suggestions of how to make mocktails feel more fun and festive. A quick summary:

• Use fun glassware and accessories
• Use fancy garnishes (fruit, fresh herbs, artistic citrus peel)
• Intensify flavors with bitters and extracts
• Use flavored seltzers and ginger beer as a base
• Experiment, experiment, experiment!

I've posted mocktail recipes before (here and here), but this entry consolidates some of the easiest and adds a few more. I've tried to include mostly recipes that use a handful of basic ingredients, but there are a few special additions you may want to add to your mocktail pantry if you find a favorite recipe or want to get creative. Here's the basics you need to get started:

• Flavored seltzers (I like Polar brand, but Buble and Canada Dry also have a nice assortment of flavors)
• Basic: Plain, lime, cranberry-lime
• Nice but not necessary: black cherry, orange vanilla, toasted coconut, ginger mule, strawberry-watermelon
• Sodas (regular or diet)
• Basic: Ginger beer, ginger ale, lemon-lime (7-Up, Sprite, etc.)
• Nice but not necessary: cola, raspberry ginger ale, club soda
• Juices
• Basic: Apple juice (or cider), cranberry, white cranberry
• Nice but not necessary: white grape juice concentrate
• Garnishes
• Basic: limes, lemons, cranberries
• Nice but not necessary: Maraschino cherries, fresh ginger, fresh herbs (mint, rosemary, basil, thyme), strawberries, raspberries, apples, rock candy swizzle sticks, lime sherbet

• Flavorings
• Basic: orange bitters 
• Nice but not necessary: Cocoa bitters, cherry bitters, smoked chili bitters, vanilla extract, almond extract, grenadine

• Miscellaneous
• Basic: powdered sugar, ice cubes or crushed ice
• Nice but not necessary: honey, maple syrup, simple syrup (plain or infused), ice balls

• Equipment:
• Basic: cocktail shaker, paring knife, rocks/lowball (short) glasses, highball (tall) glasses, long spoon
• Nice but not necessary: Channel knife (like this one), martini/coupe glasses, champagne flutes, copper mugs, cocktail stones

Now, on to the recipes! Ingredients not included on the list of basics, above, are marked with an asterisk. I've also included some suggestions on variations on each recipe - but feel free to get creative with whatever ingredients you enjoy and have on hand!

Mockba Mule (takeoff of a Moscow Mule)

Ingredients: Ginger beer, powdered sugar (or simple syrup*), lime juice, seltzer (plain, lime, ginger mule*) or club soda*, lime wedge, fresh rosemary* (optional), fresh mint leaves* (optional), fresh ginger* (optional)

Equipment: Lowball glass, martini glass*, or copper mug*, chilled

How to: Fill glass or mug with ice, add 1/2 cup ginger beer, 1 tablespoon simple syrup or 1 teaspoon powdered sugar, 1 oz lime juice, and 2 oz seltzer or club soda and stir well.

Garnish: Lime wheel and/or rosemary, mint, or a thin slice of fresh ginger.

Pump it up: Add a splash of cranberry juice or use cranberry-lime seltzer and garnish with fresh cranberries.

Ginger-Lime Fizz

Ingredients: Ginger beer, lime juice, seltzer (plain, lime, or ginger mule*), lime wedge, fresh ginger* (optional)

Equipment: Lowball glass, chilled

How to: Fill glass or mug partway with ice, fill 3/4 with ginger beer, add a generous splash of seltzer and a tablespoon of lime juice, and stir well.

Garnish: Lime wedge or thin slice of fresh ginger.

Pump it up: Add a splash of cranberry juice or use cranberry-lime seltzer and garnish with fresh cranberries.

Mock Champagne

Ingredients: Ginger ale, white grape juice concentrate*, raspberries* (optional), strawberries* (optional)

Equipment: Champagne flute*, coupe*, or highball glass

How to: Fill flute or glass 3/4 full with ginger ale, then gently stir in a spoonful of white grape juice concentrate. 

Garnish: No garnish, or a fresh raspberry or strawberry or two.

Pump it up: Add orange juice for a mock mimosa or cranberry juice for a mock poinsettia. Or garnish with apple or pear wedges or a rock candy swizzle stick. 

French 74 (takeoff of a French 75)

Ingredients: Plain seltzer or club soda*, lemon juice, orange bitters, powdered sugar, rock candy swizzle stick* (optional)

Equipment: Cocktail shaker, champagne flute* or highball glass

How to: Fill shaker partway with ice and add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 dashes of orange bitters, and a teaspoon of powdered sugar and shake until well chilled. Pour into flute and top with seltzer or club soda.

Garnish: No garnish, or a rock candy swizzle stick (omit sugar if using swizzle stick). 

Pump it up: Try using ginger ale or flavored seltzer instead of plain seltzer, or garnish with fresh rosemary, basil, or mint. 

Cos-faux-politan

Ingredients: Cranberry juice, powdered sugar or simple syrup*, plain or lime seltzer, lime juice, lime wedge, cranberries

Equipment: Cocktail shaker, highball or martini* glass, chilled

How to: Fill shaker partway with ice and fill 3/4 full with cranberry juice, then add 1 teaspoon powdered sugar or a splash of simple syrup and a teaspoon of lime juice. Shake until well chilled and pour into a glass with ice and top with seltzer. 

Garnish: Cranberries and/or a wedge of lime. 

Pump it up: Use cranberry-infused simple syrup made by chopping up some fresh cranberries and boiling them with equal parts water and sugar for 30 minutes. Or moisten some fresh cranberries, roll in granulated sugar, and freeze for garnish. 

Cranberry Shrub

Ingredients: Cranberry juice; plain, lime, or cranberry-lime seltzer; lime wedge; lime sherbet*

Equipment: Cocktail shaker, champagne flute*, highball glass, or martini glass*

How to: Fill shaker partway with ice and fill 3/4 full with cranberry juice, then shake until well chilled and pour into a glass, then top with seltzer. 

Garnish: Small scoop of lime sherbet and a wedge of lime. 

Pump it up: Substitute raspberry ginger ale for the seltzer and use rainbow sherbet instead of lime, and garnish with fresh mint leaves. 

Nojito (takeoff of a mojito)

Ingredients: Fresh mint leaves*, lime wedges, 7-Up or Sprite

Equipment: Highball glass, long spoon

How to: In glass, muddle two lime wedges and a handful of mint leaves, then fill with ice and top with 7-Up or Sprite. 

Garnish: Mint leaves and/or a wedge of lime. 

Pump it up: Experiment with different herbs (basil, rosemary) and flavored seltzers (orange vanilla, toasted almond, black cherry), or add a dash of flavored bitters (cherry, walnut, smoked chili). 

Herbed/Garnished Seltzer

Ingredients: Plain or flavored seltzer, fresh herbs* (mint, rosemary, basil, thyme), lime or lemon wedges, flavored bitters

Equipment: Highball or lowball glass, chilled

How to: Fill glass with ice and pour seltzer over. Add a few dashes of bitters.

Garnish: Herb leaves and/or a wedge of lemon or lime. 

Pump it up: Experiment with various flavors and flavor combinations. Try adding a few slices of jalapeno and smoked chili bitters to plain seltzer; combine black cherry seltzer with cherry bitters and a maraschino cherry; try toasted coconut or orange vanilla seltzer with cocoa and orange bitters and a flamed twist of orange peel. 

Cherry Lime Rickey

Ingredients: Lime juice, cherry bitters* (or cherry juice* or grenadine*), plain seltzer or club soda*, lime wedges, maraschino cherries*

Equipment: Highball glass, chilled

How to: Add 2 tablespoons lime juice and 4 dashes cherry bitters (or 1 tablespoon cherry juice or 2 teaspoons grenadine) to chilled glass and stir to combine. Add ice and pour seltzer over. 

Garnish: Lime wedge and maraschino cherries. 

Pump it up: Try using black cherry, lime, cranberry-lime, or raspberry seltzer. 

Here are a few more that include some specialty ingredients not listed above, as well as some more involved preparations.

Virgin Margarita

Ingredients: Lime juice, lemon juice, tonic water, simple syrup (or maple syrup), pickle juice (or olive brine), coarse salt, lime wedge

Equipment: Cocktail shaker, highball or lowball glass, chilled

How to: Run lime wedge around edge of glass and dip in salt, then place in freezer. Fill a shaker with ice and add 1 ounce lime juice, 1/2 ounce lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon simple or maple syrup, and splash of pickle juice or olive brine, and shake until well chilled. Add ice to chilled glass and pour over. Top with tonic water.

Garnish: Lime wheel. 

Virgin Mary (takeoff on a Bloody Mary)

Ingredients: Tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, olive brine, Tabasco, celery salt, black pepper, Old Bay seasoning (optional), kosher salt, celery stalk, green olive (optional), lemon wedge (optional), cocktail onion (optional)

Equipment: Cocktail shaker, highball or lowball glass, chilled

How to: Chill 1/2 cup tomato juice. Moisten rim of glass with a little lemon juice and dip in a combination of Old Bay seasoning (or celery salt) and kosher salt and place in freezer. In a cocktail shaker (without ice), combine chilled tomato juice, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish, 1/4 teaspoon olive brine, dash Tabasco, pinch celery salt, and dash black pepper and shake well to combine. Strain into prepared glass. 

Garnish: Celery stalk and a skewer of desired garnishes (olive, lemon wedge, onion).  

Soda Plus

Ingredients: Any kind of regular or diet soda (root beer, cola, 7-Up/Sprite, orange soda, etc.), mint leaves, grenadine, lime juice, lime wedges, maraschino cherries

Equipment: Lowball or highball glass, chilled

How to: Fill glass halfway with ice. Rub rim of glass with a mint leaf. Add 8 oz soda, 1/2 ounce grenadine, and 1 tablespoon lime juice to glass and stir to combine. 

Garnish: Mint leaf, lime wedge, and maraschino cherry. 

Blueberry Basil Limeade

Ingredients: Fresh basil, sugar, lime juice, fresh blueberries, sparkling or still water

Equipment: Highball glass

How to: Make basil-infused simple syrup by boiling equal parts water and sugar with a generous handful of fresh basil leaves, allowing to steep for 30 minutes. Strain into a container and add a splash of lime juice, then cool and store in refrigerator for at least 4 hours until ready to use. Fill glass with ice and a few blueberries, then add 1 part syrup and 4 parts sparkling or still water. 

Garnish: Basil leaves.

Sparkling Ginger Lemonade

Ingredients: Sugar, fresh ginger, lemon juice, club soda or plain or lemon seltzer, lemon wedges

Equipment: Highball glass or Mason jar

How to: Make ginger-infused simple syrup by boiling equal parts water and sugar with a large handful of thinly sliced fresh ginger and allowing to steep for 30 minutes. Strain into a container and add a splash of lemon juice, then cool and store in refrigerator for at least 4 hours until ready to use. Fill glass with ice and add 1 part syrup and 4 parts club soda. 

Garnish: Lemon wedge, ginger slice (optional)

White Grape Punch

Ingredients: Fresh or frozen cranberries, mint leaves, white grape juice, lime or cranberry-lime seltzer, lime juice

Equipment: Highball glass, ice cube tray

How to: Add 2 mint leaves and a few cranberries to each cube of an ice cube tray. Fill with enough water to cover and freeze. In a large pitcher, combine 2 cups white grape juice, 3 cups seltzer, and 1/4 cup lime juice and chill.  

Garnish: Prepared ice cubes and additional mint leaves

Lenten Mocktails

Anyone who's read my blog more than a few times knows how much I enjoy my cocktails. I love my old favorites, I love trying new ones, I love finding creative variations on tried and true drinks. So when I was thinking of what I could give up for Lent, alcohol seemed like a reasonable choice: It's something I enjoy but don't need, something that I probably indulge in more than I should, something I'll really miss, and something that I'll consciously be aware of going without on a very regular basis.

So instead of the pre-dinner cocktail I enjoy multiple times a week, I'm planning on finding some non-alcoholic substitutes. But here's my problem with the vast majority of mocktails: they nearly always involve ingredients that I either don't like or don't have. I don't like like most fruits and I loathe citrus juice. I don't keep agave syrup or pomegranate puree or the blood of a unicorn on hand. But a little research and a little open-mindedness has led me to collect recipes for a whole list of mocktails that I'm willing to make and think I might even enjoy. Maybe you will, too!

Sleigh Driver

Although I don't like many kinds of fruit, pears and cranberries are good by me, and apple cider is always a winner. This warm cocktail really needs to be made in a large batch, but I think it would be nice to have on hand, and I don't think I'd mind drinking it for 4 or 5 days in a row. I think it might even be good served chilled instead of warm.

1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 2" piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
3 pears
2 quarts apple cider
1 lemon, sliced
1 tablespoon allspice
1 cup fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons vanilla

Combine water, sugar, ginger, and one of the pears (chopped into small pieces) in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Strain out solids and return to the pan. Chop up the remaining 2 pears and add to pan along with the cider, lemon, and allspice. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 15 minutes. Add cranberries and vanilla, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 more minutes. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and reheat in saucepan or microwave before serving.

Ginger Lime Mocktail

This martini-like mocktail gets added zip from seltzer. Doesn't a fizzy drink always feel more special? Feel free to adjust the amounts of all the ingredients to suit your personal preference, and experiment with different flavors of seltzer.

2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon zested fresh ginger
Generous splash of simple syrup (or a spoonful of confectioner's sugar)
8 oz. seltzer (lime or unflavored)

Combine all ingredients over ice and stir gently. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Pumpkin Pie Shooters

I love pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, never mind marshmallow fluff and graham crackers, so this one's a sure winner for me. And if you drink enough of them, it counts as a serving of vegetables, right?

3 tablespoons canned pumpkin
1/4 cup pumpkin spice flavored coffee creamer
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
marshmallow fluff and graham cracker crumbs (optional)

Dip the tops of 4 shot glasses into fluff and then into crumbs. Add remaining ingredients to a cocktail shaker over ice and shake HARD (or use an immersion blender). Strain into prepared glasses.

Milk Punch

Almost a brandy-less Brandy Alexander, this one sounds like a perfect relaxing treat right before bedtime. I'd try it with a pinch of cocoa for an even closer approximation.

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup milk

Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often, until mixture comes to a boil and sugar is completely dissolved. Allow to cool, then add vanilla and milk and stir vigorously until blended. Pour into 4 shot glasses and garnish with a dusting of nutmeg.

Not Toddy

There's nothing like a hot toddy on a night that's cold or that you have a cold. But a Not Toddy comes pretty close! Use your favorite kind of tea, herbal or not, and substitute any kind of sweetener from maple syrup to agave to stevia to plain old-fashioned white sugar.

8 teabags, any kind
4 quarts water
1 2" piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
4 cinnamon sticks
1/3 cup honey (or other sweetener)
2 lemons, sliced

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil then reduce heat and allow to simmer for several hours. Strain into a mug and serve with a thin lemon or ginger slice floating on top.

Virgin Mule

The key ingredient to a good Moscow Mule, whether it's alcoholic or not, is real ginger beer. Don't try to substitute ginger ale for this one. Try it with a shot of cranberry juice (or cranberry-lime seltzer) and a rosemary garnish for an extra-special feel.

1 oz. lime juice
1/2 cup ginger beer
1 tablespoon simple syrup
2 oz. seltzer (plain or lime) or club soda

Pour all ingredients into a glass (or a copper mug, if you're a traditionalist) with ice and stir well. Garnish with a thin slice of fresh ginger and a lime wedge.

Mock Champagne

You can substitute plain gingerale for champagne in any champagne cocktail recipe (mimosa, poinsettia, etc.), but if you add a spoonful or two of white grape juice concentrate, you can drink it straight up and hardly know the difference. Serve in a champagne flute and garnish with fresh raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, or apple or pear wedges. Or you can really splurge and drop a stick of rock candy into the glass.

Blue Shoe

This one is just fun, partly because of the name and partly because it's vivid electric blue. I suppose you could use different flavors of Hawaiian Punch to get different colors, but I don't think you'll find any as visually appealing as the Blue Shoe.

3 oz. Polar Blast Hawaiian Punch (or other brightly colored fruit drink)
2 oz. white cranberry juice
7-Up (or Sprite, or other lemon-lime soda)

Combine Punch and juice over ice in a cocktail shaker and shaker until well-chilled. Pour into a martini glass and top with 7-Up. Garnish with a cherry (or fresh cranberry!) or two, if desired.


Don't forget that presentation is half the fun, so be sure to serve these mocktails in a pretty glass and don't skimp on the garnish. A bit of fresh herbs, a bright red cherry, a twist of lemon or lime, a thin slice of pear or orange or ginger - be creative! And sip slowly to prolong the enjoyment. Slainte!

Elegant Mocktail Recipes

Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows that I love experimenting with (and sharing) new cocktail recipes. But it can be surprisingly fun to come up with interesting and different non-alcoholic drinks. Mocktails can be just as elegant and fun and cocktails - with the added benefit that they're often much lower-calorie and you never have to worry about how to get home after the party OR having a hangover the next morning, no matter how many of them you enjoy. Here are a few that don't require lots of exotic ingredients but still leave you feeling pampered and refreshed.

French 75 Mocktail

A French 75 cocktail is gin, lemon juice, and sugar, topped with champagne. To make a French 75 mocktail, add about 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and two dashes of orange bitters to a cocktail shaker full of ice. Shake until well chilled and pour into a champagne flute. Top with tonic water and garnish with a rock candy swizzle stick. If you don't want or don't have the swizzle stick, add a teaspoon of confectioners sugar to the shaker.

Moscow Mule Mocktail

A Moscow Mule is an easy choice for a mocktail, because its source of alcohol is vodka, which provides very little flavor. The taste comes from the ginger beer, lime juice, and sometimes mint leaves. For the non-alcoholic version, muddle a few mint leaves with some crushed ice and a splash of simple syrup in a tall glass (or even better, a traditional copper mug), then add a splash of apple juice (concentrate, if you have it, or just juice) and top with ginger beer. Garnish with a wedge of lime or a few mint leaves.

Mock Cosmopolitan

One of my favorite summer cocktails is a Cosmo - cranberry and lime with just a hint of sweetness. There are several easy ways to put together a mocktail version. If you want to get fancy (or if you plan to make this drink often), you can chop up some cranberries and boil them with water and sugar to make cranberry syrup. But it's just as easy to use plain cranberry juice and either simple syrup or confectioners sugar. Adding a little carbonation always makes a mocktail more festive, so I like to put the sweetened cranberry juice in a glass with ice and top it with either lime seltzer or plain seltzer and a squeeze of lime juice. Top with a few cranberries and/or a wedge of lime and you're good to go!

Mock Sangria

I'm not a big sangria fan, but it's such a go-to summer drink, especially at parties (since it's best mixed up ahead in a large batch) that I wanted to include a non-alcoholic version here. This recipe makes 10 servings. Combine 4 cups of white grape juice with 1/4 cup blueberries in a blender and blitz until smooth. Add one cup of orange juice and the juice of one lime. Fill a large jar or pitcher with ice and pour mixture into it, then add 3/4 cup blueberries and 2-3 cups of chopped fruit (oranges, apples, peaches, bananas, etc.). Let stand in refrigerator for several hours before drinking. If you prefer it sweeter, you can add some simple syrup or confectioners sugar.

Shirley Temple OR Roy Rogers

 

These classic kids' mocktails are simple and elegant: Rim a tall glass with colored sugar; add ice and 4 tablespoons grenadine, then top with ginger ale (for a Shirley Temple) or cola (for a Roy Rogers) and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Cranberry Shrub

When I was a kid, our family's "fancy" restaurant of choice served all diners a pre-dinner mocktail called a Cranberry Shrub. It was simply cranberry juice with a good splash of seltzer, topped with a small scoop of lime sherbet. It's still one of my favorite mocktails.

Mock Mojito

Fresh mint leaves are the key to both the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic version of the mojito. In a tall glass, muddle a couple of lime wedges and a handful of fresh mint leaves. Add crushed ice and top with Sprite (or club soda and a splash of simple syrup). Garnish with mint leaves and a wedge of lime.

Ginger Lime Fizz

Another ginger beer-based mocktail, this refreshing drink is simply ginger beer with a generous splash of seltzer and a tablespoon of lime juice added. Garnish with a lime wedge or a slice of ginger for extra zing.

Ginger Basil Limeade

This recipe is a bit more involved than most on this list, but it's worth it! Zest a lime until you have about 1 teaspoon of zest, then juice the lime and set juice aside. Peel a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger and cut into chunks. In a blender, combine the ginger, lime juice and zest, 1/4 cup water, 2 teaspoons of sugar (or simple syrup), and 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves. Blend until smooth. Dilute this concentrate with 8 cups of water and chill. Serve garnished with fresh basil and a salted rim.


Salud!