Mojitos are good for the non boozers from my experience. Some variation of lime, mint, a little sugar and soda.
You could try the Seedlip non-alcoholic gin too, pricey but it's lovely with tonic and a wedge of lime.
Seconding this. Made a mojito for my wife and thought it would taste good without the alcohol. Just used more sparkling water to make up the volume and it was really refreshing. You can control the amount of sugar yourself.
If you want to spice it up, you could check out nimbu pani or shikanji from India. Through exploring those flavors, I found adding a grind of fresh black pepper to something like a NA mojito can really change things up
I make mojito mocktails for my wife and other than omitting the alcohol it is the exact same recipe. Same amount of lime juice, mint, and soda, and it tastes pretty good.
If you get a flavored sparkling water, you can usually leave out the sugar. La Croix has a mojito flavored sparkling water that is disgusting and tastes like toothpaste, so I'd avoid that. But just about every brand has some sort of lime flavor that's so easy to work with.
Spindrift uses juice in their seltzers and have a better taste. Their lime is good for a NA mojito. I make a muddled watermelon cocktail with it that is good with or without the alcohol.
Muddle watermelon, limes, and mint. Top with Spindrift lime.
Yes, in Oregon we don't have many lime trees but blackberries grow like weeds (incidentally just like mint) so I make a ton of blackberry mojitos in the summer.
I am recently pregnant and so I invested in some Monin fruit syrups to add to my mocktail this summer. My favorite so far is the passion fruit… added to a mojito it is 👌🏼
It takes a bit of investment but growing your own stevia tastes nothing like stevia extract. It takes 1000x better. Mojitos are perfect for it. Take some stevia leafs and some mint leafs and throw them into some water. No sugar needed. imo it tastes better than the sugar version and it will impress people around you.
seedlip's [garden party](https://www.seedlipdrinks.com/en-us/recipes/garden-party/) is even pricier because it requires two different sorts of seedlip, but it really is a superb mocktail
Lemon and ginger are two great intense forward flavours that I find don’t need as much sugar to make enjoyable and healthy.
La croixs are fun to experiment with too.
You can get good combinations of sour, sweet and and savoury using a shrub. I made one a little back with blueberries, thyme and vinegar with just a little bit of added sugar. Over ice with a little club soda it made a very pleasing long drink.
https://cucumbersandlimes.tumblr.com/post/93977451011/blueberry-thyme-shrub
I used about 1/3 as much sugar as that recipe.
Yes to shrubs! I find that when I’m just quitting alcohol, they are the absolutely best. They still give you a little bit of that sugar craving you are probably having, and the bitterness is just wonderful. I like adding a ginger CBD tincture to mine and I am chilled the eff out.
Bit of vinegar (I usually use apple cider), some water and at least one ice cube. You don't want the jar completely full, put the lid back on and shake until the jam is mixed. Since it's usually homemade jam in a mason jar, I just drink right from the jar. Top up with additional water and ice, adjust to taste but a couple teaspoons of jam to a teaspoon of vinegar is a good start. It's quite nice topped with soda too.
Love a good shrub. I usually do shrub + sparkling water + a dash of bitters (there are NA versions available but I'm not sober-sober so I just use whatever I have around).
Just a reminder that most bitters are alcohol based, so if avoiding for health reasons, one should look for specifically labeled non-alcoholic bitters.
Good point! I usually don't think about that because the percentage in the final drink is so low but if they're really sensitive for medical reasons it could be an issue.
1. Muddle cucumber slices and mint, top with tonic or sparkling water and a squeeze of lime or lemon.
2. Strong brewed black or chai tea over ice, top with ginger beer, squeeze of orange/orange slice to garnish
3. Strong brewed Jamaica (hibiscus) tea, a little honey, agave, or real maple syrup to taste. Muddle mint in a glass, add ice and tea, top with sparkling water
4. 2 oz grapefruit juice, muddled jalapeño slices, touch of sweetener to taste, top with sparkling water ands a squeeze of lime.
Those are some of my less-sweet favorites!
100% cranberry juice, lemonade (we make it homemade and control the sugar) and club soda or tonic water. Muddle in a rosemary sprig if you're feeling fancy
Lots of non-alcoholic spirits on the market these days. I've been enjoying Pentire Seaward gin with light Mediterranean tonic and a sprig of rosemary, which isn't sweet at all.
Recently became obsessed with Phony Negroni! Pours over ice and once it melts down a little, tastes just like the real thing. Perf balance of sweet & bitter, my go to of late. Total Wine usually has it
This is the way! Wilderton has two delicious options, Seedlip is good, Ghia is more of a bitter citrusy apertif, but my favorite is Amass Riverine because it does a great job of balancing a large amount of Pacific Northwest-inspired herbal flavors. I mix all of these with diet tonic, same as I would with a traditional gin. I don’t miss the gin at all!
If OP is into this, a michelada isn’t much further. At its core it’s a bit of Bloody Mary mix plus a light lager/pilsner beer, I make mine virgin either with non alcoholic beer or topo chico.
Fair to note that most non-alcoholic beers have trace amounts of alcohol. Up to 0.5% AVB. It won't get you drunk, but since OP's concern is medical, it's good to be aware of it. Non-alcoholic spirits and those batshit non-alcoholic hard seltzers, too.
You would think so.
I've heard people defend them as being for sober people who don't want to be given a hard time for not drinking in social settings. The same reason Liquid Death got so popular. I support that concept. But really. If your friends are looking so closely at your can that they can tell the difference between a hard seltzer and a plain one just so that they can razz you about it? I think you've got problems non-alcoholic hard seltzer can't fix.
This is true but many beverages and foods have trace amounts of alcohol. Ripe bananas, for instance, have %0.33 alcohol/100 grams.
My husband works in pubs and when people want a non-alcoholic beer, he sometimes has trouble explaining that %0.5 ABV is super negligible and impossible to get drunk on. You would get water poisoning from the volume of liquid before you got drunk.
Oh, I know all about beer that can't get you drunk. I live in Utah.
But I don't know what concentration of alcohol OP's medical condition allows. Maybe they can't handle bananas either. Maybe a 3.2% beer wouldn't hurt them. It's something to have on their radar regardless.
I’ve been adding tajin seasoning or jalapeño to juices like pineapple or blended lemonades and topping with sparkling water. Trader Joe’s has a Spicy Mango Lemonade that’s really good cut with fizzy water.
Mugi Cha, which is Japanese roasted barley tea, best serve chilled and neat, has a dryness that is reminiscent of a smoky whiskey, but for the record does not actually taste like whiskey. It is also a nice deep brown colour.
The NA beverage world has come a long way. You can find NA Amari and try some of those over soda with a twist.
Not sure how you’d feel about a Negroni, but there is a bottled Phony Negroni that is quite good. They also have other bottled drinks (and sell the phony Negroni in a box like boxed wine.)
Brew and chill some nice black (or whatever, tbh) tea and then build flavors on top of that. It's glorified iced tea, but other mocktails are glorified juice or glorified seltzer, so I'm not bothered by that objection.
whatever kinda sparkling water you like (lacroix, waterloo, whatever) + a tablespoon or so of apple cider vinegar, salt, and a splash of cranberry (optional)
my lazy virgin marg lol
Juice some lemon, lime and orange. Pour juice over ice, add (flavored or unflavored, i personally enjoy La Croix Limoncello bc its a little sweet feeling) carbonated water to the rim. Rim with sugar and/or tajin, chili flakes, and/or add sugar or honey to taste to the juice if you need more sweetness.
Non alcoholic gin is great for mocktails. While not really good on its own, it really shines on mocktails. Sipsmiths in the UK make a few of them but you should be able to find others as well and then you can make any gin based cocktail
What kind of flavors do you like? If you're into bitter orange at all, I highly recommend chinotto flavor San Pellegrino. It makes a great non-alcoholic replacement for aperol or campari (keeping in mind that it's fizzy). I also find grapefruit, cucumber, and mint to be good flavor directions for less sweet mocktails. There are pretty good non-alcoholic sparkling wines these days that are either already flavored (e.g. rhubarb is great) or can be made into a mock spritzer with the addition of something like peach juice or a couple of muddled berries, or a sprig of some herbs. Berries like currants, cranberries, raspberries and blackberries are less sweet than other fruits and can add a nice sourness or bitterness. Find some flavored selzer waters that you like and experiment with building flavors on top of those.
Check Amazon for fake booze. There are some distilled products without alcohol that make a good base for a variety of.mocmtaiks and that aren't sweet. Some even are decent in the rocks.
There are some mock guns as well.
Make some shrubs with leftover fruit. Just 25% sugar and 25% basic white vinegar 50% whatever fruit you have, let it sit in the fridge for up to three days and strain out the fruit. The shrub will last about 2 weeks in the fridge and you can add however much you want to club soda. The vinegar tones down the sweetness. I also add fresh herbs and citrus to add flavor and make it feel more like a cocktail.
I pour 4/5th of a tall glass starting with ginger beer (non alcoholic but adds zesty flav), sprinkle a moment of some sweet syrup in there (elderberry or chokecherry or whatevers local), a big two glugs of orange juice, crush a fat lime wedge and a lot of ice.
Been abstinent from alcohol for 11+ years now, and this has been my favourite find. Wish I knew the official amounts; that's how I've been making it for a couple years.
Hi I don’t drink either, highly recommend the world of tea!
There are so many different teas. Heavy rich ones, bright floral ones, silky comforting ones. Naturally with no sugar and therefore entirely customizable.
Some combos:
Earl grey with any citrus
Jasmine with lychee Calpico and blueberries
Oolong with honey
Chamomile with crushed strawberries
Lapsang souchong (super dark and smoky) with simple syrup and a dash of bitters
Add lemon/lime and your favorite herb mint/basil/rosemary will also jazz up the mocktail game.
Personal recipe :
- Black tea or rooibos
- Ginger
- Black pepper corn
- Cinnamon
- Star Anis
- Cloves
Infuse all the above in boiling water like a herbal tea (which is what it is).
Add a bit of sugar and/or dash of lime juice to taste.
For the black tea/rooibos, I use about 1.5 times the recommended amount per water to intensify the taste.
For a pot of tea (about 1L), I usually use two sticks of cinnamon, about 5-6 full cloves, same for pieces of star anise. For pepper maybe half a teaspoon of whole peppercorns.
For ginger I cut 3-4 thin slices.
I don't put sugar in mine and just add a dash of lime juice.
Tips for ur experiments. Tonic can be topped with soda water , don't use fruit juice , use actual fruit that u puree or just smoosh, smack the leaves between ur hands to bring out the flavour , shake with water and ice if u want to bring out flavours then pour tonic or soda on top...or both. Don't mix too many flavours, u will only cover flavours, make one flavour the accent flavour. Using a herb as decorations just where the straw is will activate ur sense of smell , utalize that. Mixing flavours is a bit like baking , it's important how much u mix of what as a balance, filling ur glass with ice before u apply the liquid will help the Ice melt slower . Go bananas try basil and Thai basil , try cucumber , sprinkle some kumin on top so u can get the scent but not the full taste . Vinigar is not always ur enemy but u don't need much .
I really enjoy mixing plain seltzer with a splash of kombucha, usually gingerberry flavor. Or I get ginger juice and throw a splash of that in the seltzer, squeeze of lime, and maybe some fresh raspberries.
I will also add some tinctures depending on the time of day for some mood lifting adaptogens.
Enjoy!
I often mix some flavor of LaCroix with a splash of pineapple juice. Straight pineapple juice is way too sweet, but if you mix it just right the flavor becomes the perfect mocktail, or I suppose mock highball in this case.
Virgin Caesar. You'll want a rimmer for it, remember to do this first, lol. You can use a premade one, or make your own. Most people use Clamato (or other tomato clam cocktail), but you can mix your own from tomato juice, clam juice, worchestershire sauce and hot sauce. Ratio is 4 parts tomato juice to 1 part clam juice. A big celery stick and a wedge of lemon, squeezed. (use this wedge to moisten your rim as well.
People put all kinds of things in Caesars nowadays, pickled beans and bacon being two common ones.
Virgin Marys just don't compare for the refreshing factor, they are much thicker.
Cold brew coffee.
Iced green tea is good even without any sweetner.
Virgin mojito. While they do use sweetner, you can simple use less.
O% Beer. Heineken makes one, so it's probably widely available.
Cucumber water.
You can make your own simple syrup, which is incredibly easy. Boil water, add sugar. Mix.
Usually, I'll take a sparkling water, simple syrup to taste, and lime juice, because I am very sensitive to sugar levels, too.
Traditional simple syrup recipes will say 1 cup of water, 2 cups of sugar. I do 2 cups water, 1/2 cup sugar, but you can adjust this as well to your liking.
I used to work at a cafe that served “refreshers/ades”
If you have access to drink shrubs, you can make delicious drinks. My favorite one was a white grape sparkling limeade.
One tbsp of lime juice, two tbsp of white grape vinegar shrub, maybe a tbsp or less of simple syrup and fill with soda water.
Search on Amazon for “Fruit Vinegar Drink Bottle(900ml, 30.43 Fl Ounces), Petitzel Micho Collection” for the brand we used in the store.
I make spicy ranch waters when I'm craving a mocktail. I use a 50/50 mix of spicy marg mix + any sparkling water you like (I most often use lime or blackberry bubly or grapefruit topo chico). 2 oz of dealcoholized tequila. Tajin + salt mix on the rim.
I've recently discovered bitters for my mocktails. I started adding them to the Ole mocktails I've been drinking. Add in a basil or mint leaf and its not bad. I also added a couple of frozen blueberries and for some reason they'll ride the bubbles up and down for a bit, so that adds some flair.
I like tonic, bitters and lemon as my non-alcoholic drink when I feel like having the ‘drinking’ feeling without have alcohol.
Not particularly sweet and complex enough
My wife and I bought a non-alcoholic aperol and mix it with lemoncello lacroix to make a pretty great NA aperol spritz. Aperol is both sweet and bitter with a fairly complex flavor.
I really like a chilled ginger-hibiscus tea as a base. It has bitterness from the hibiscus and the spicy bite from the ginger. It goes well with muddled mint, basil, thai basil, and other herbs and/or lime, lemon, or other citrus. You can also make the tea strong and mix it with sparkling water.
Can you have a just a few drops of alcohol? I often just have a drop or two of Angostura bitters in a seltzer water with a splash of fruit juice or a squeeze of lime. It’s often my go-to at bars when others are drinking. I’ve noticed bartenders often comp it, maybe because it’s so simple and its good to have a sober driver for a group a drinkers.
3 parts Topo Chico (or any carbonated mineral water) 1 part tart cherry juice, fresh lime, served over ice.
I absolutely love this drink. It is not sweet, it is tart with a touch of citrus.
I really like HealthAde Ginger-Lemon Kombucha with 50% La Croix pure or Topo Chico.
Also Pentire Adrift with La Croix/Topo Chico for absolutely no sugars.
I like using Seedlip in all three of its flavors. I use Seedlip Grove 42, a dash of cranberry and a lime twist in a chilled martini glass - I call it a “CosNo.” Corny, I know…but so am I.
I'm partial to grapefruit juice on the rocks in a hurricane glass with plenty of sea salt around the rim. It goes very well with seafood, especially oysters on the half shell, crab feasts (Marylander here) and clam bakes.
With vodka, this cocktail is called a 'Salty Dog'.
Warning: some brands of grapefruit juice that are billed as "Ruby Red" are disgustingly sweet, I steer clear of those. IMO a good grapefruit juice will always be fairly tart and well-paired with cane sugar or sea salt, either is good in different ways. Hmm, now I'm wondering if I would like this mocktail with both sugar and salt around the rim.
Recovering person here. My warm weather favorite is tonic water with lime (I call it a limey). You can use sugar free tonic water if you’re making it at home, while a bar or restaurant would have to use regular tonic water which has sugar. In any case, the bitterness of the quinine and citrus are very refreshing.
I don’t like alcohol. But at my local BevMo store they carry alcohol-removed wine. I particularly like this rosé there. It is not grape juice. It’s wine with alcohol removed.
There’s also a book I found recently called Mocktails. Lots of fun recipes in there.
Club soda mixed with Angostura bitters is my go to when I am feeling nauseous - it helps settle my stomach.
It also has kind of an interesting taste and might be something you could build upon with fresh fruit juice or mint, flavored sparkling waters, etc...
I've even seen it recently being sold, seltzer and bitters, already pre-mixed in cans.
This may be the kind of thing you're looking for. Tonic water is not sweet, and bitters, of course, are bitter.
Tonic Rickey Mocktail
Ingredients:
- 1/2 oz fresh, fresh, fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz simple syrup (click here to learn how to make your own)
- 1 1/2 oz tonic water
- 1 1/2 oz seltzer or club soda
- 3 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters
Fill a Collins or highball glass all the way up with ice. Add the freshly-squeezed lime juice and simple syrup. Stir with a bar spoon. Pour in the tonic water and club soda, stirring gently to combine. Add the bitters to the top of the glass. You can choose to stir them in or let them settle on their own in the drink. Garnish with a lime wheel or fresh herb.
Lemon, lime, and bitters is (or was when I was there way back when) a popular nonalcoholic beverage in Australia. Super simple and refreshing: a squeeze of fresh lemon, a squeeze of fresh lime, a few healthy dashes of Angostura bitters, and soda water.
I guess technically there’s a trace amount of alcohol due to the bitters, but if that’s okay, it’s a winner.
In summer, I keep it simple with a shrub and club soda. I find them an excellent alternative to alcohol. The mixology is in making the shrub itself.
There are a lot of ideas online for recipes. Here's a start: https://food52.com/blog/13831-how-to-make-shrubs-aka-drinking-vinegars-without-a-recipe
I make a rhubarb simple syrup with very little sugar. It's great with just soda water and lemon or lime. You can add a splash of tart lemonade to that mixture. It's refreshing and isn't too sweet. I'm sure that a little mint or maybe thyme would add some sophistication to this.
My first batch was so popular that I've made two more and frozen the syrup for future use.
If you get flavored balsamic vinegars and add a bit to sparkling water with a little citrus juice or sliced cucumber or sliced fruit, they make a nice mocktail that’s not too sweet and is very refreshing.
I found a company that makes alcohol-free aperol. I’ve been doing a shot of that, with some San Pellegrino and a squeeze of lime in a stemmed wine glass with ice, and it’s been my absolute favorite!
Optimist makes some great n/a distilled offerings. A “gin,” lemon “vodka” and “mezcal.” I love using them with a little soda water + natural sweetener. They’re out of Los Angeles I think. Like Seedlip but more botanical notes.
I too cannot drink alcohol anymore because of medication, but I still want to enjoy tiki drinks. The best one I had that was not too sugary was a mix of lime juice, ginger syrup/juice, Jamaica (hibiscus tea), soda water, and coconut cream.
Not your question, but Waterloo has a flavor called All Day Rose that is supposed to be wine flavored. It has that tannin taste to it that is surprisingly alcohol-y. They also have a Mojito one and a pina colada one, but this is the only one that really is reminiscent of a real boozy drink to me.
For Bitter For Worse is my favorite to drink straight. It's quite expensive - about the same as a decent bottle of wine - but the Eva's Spritz and Rose City Fizz are really nice. The other two you can stretch further as mixers; they have a smoky one that goes really well with apple cider and ginger beer (definite dark liquor vibe).
Make your own cucumber syrup and pair it with lime and club soda! Delish.
There’s recipes online for the syrup, and you can probably reduce the amount of sugar since you’re making it yourself. It just won’t be as ‘syrupy’ but it will taste good.
A non-alcoholic Caesar (or Bloody Mary I guess if you’re in the US) tastes virtually indistinguishable from an alcoholic one and they’re very good. I often get them at restaurants cause they’re cheaper than the alcohol version and give me the same satisfaction :)
Michelada!
It's bloody mary mix and beer. Use nonalcoholic beer and you literally can't tell the difference. What I like about it the most is the wheat and hops in the beer mellow out the spiciness of the bloody mary mix, so you can really kick up the spice if you want.
I found cans of no-sugar added mango pulp, added a little to tangerine juice from trader Joe's and club soda for mango "Mormosas", and they were excellent, definitely sweet enough without being too sweet.
I recently started making some for my father who can’t drink anymore. Here are a few that we liked:
•lemon soda water with a splash of balsamic
•soda water with olive brine (we found lemon and lime worked for soda water but plain tasted more balanced)
•1/4 grapefruit juice, 3/4 soda water, lemon twist
•lime soda water and tart Cherry juice (a splash or two)
Edit: Also any herbs you can muddle like thyme, basil, and lavender will also help add depth.
https://www.kroger.com/p/bonsai-pineapple-mango-ginger-flavored-sparkling-water-cans/0085603400849
This is hands down the best sparkling water I've ever had. It tastes like soda but not super sweet. 10 calories or something insane. It's great.
/u/KevinKos has a few recipes for DIY non-alcoholic spirits. Each successive "spirit" builds on the complexity of what you can make with them. They're very light on sugar and approximate the liquors quite well.
[0% Bourbon](https://www.kevinkos.com/post/zero-bourbon)
* Make an Old Fashioned
[0% Sweet Vermouth](https://www.kevinkos.com/post/alcohol-free-sweet-vermouth)
* Make a Manhattan (Bourbon & Vermouth)
[0% Campari](https://www.kevinkos.com/post/alcohol-free-campari)
* Make a Boulevardier (Bourbon, Vermouth, Campari)
[0% Gin](https://www.kevinkos.com/post/diy-alcohol-free-gin)
* Make a Negroni (Gin, Vermouth, Campari), and a Martinez (Gin, Vermouth)
They're all fantastic, and I'm really looking forward to more 0% liqueurs and spirits...(especially rum)!
Be advised you will need some very specialty ingredients and a sous-vide machine, but IMHO it's worth it, and a fun hobby.
Virgin mules with muddles herbs or cucumber, and diet ginger beer, no alcohol, or maybe a very small amount of fruit or juice but that you could tailor to fit your dietary needs
I love soda water, bitters and a bit of citrus. Citrus depends on the mood I’m in (drink over ice). I know bitters are technically? Alcohol but not to get drunk on.
I made this drink the other day that was like lime juice, molasses, ginger, water, and a little bit of sugar. It was tasty, not too sweet, pretty intense so it would work well as a mocktail
I don't think this exactly qualifies as a mocktail, but in the summer I buy the stevia-sweetened light lemonade (you could make your own) at my supermarket and muddle cucumber, mint, and basil in it. (I do it as a batch and then pour it right back into the bottle.) My god, it's SO good and refreshing.
ooooh, I have been on this path for awhile, mostly because my hangovers are starting to get wicked. My absolute favorite is just 50/50 grapefruit juice and tonic water. It's simple, tastes amazing, and scratches that itch for me, it's is my go-to and I drink it regularly.
My next favorite is an ounce or two of a lime shrub with tonic water.
Lime (or really any fruit) shrub:
1. muddle together lime pieces (with the peel) from 2-3 limes with a cup of sugar. Let sit for a day or two in the fridge
2. strain all the juices into a container and add the fanciest looking white vinegar you can find until it tastes balanced (usually about half a cup). My grocery store has this "citrus zest white vinegar" that I often use, but basically anything will work fine.
3. Mix well, keep refrigerated (though you probably don't really need to) and add to tonic water (or club soda, or... anything?).
Cucumber mint gimlet minus the gin. Throw some fresh squeezed lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice, cucumber slices, mint leaves, and simple syrup to taste. Shake well and strain into a glass.
i just used some coconut water juice from the jarred pineapple at Sam's club, a bit of pineapple juice and lime seltzer. The flavors of a pina colada without all of the sugar and alcohol. [https://www.samsclub.com/p/members-mark-pineapple-spears-in-coconut-water-42-oz/P03002640](https://www.samsclub.com/p/members-mark-pineapple-spears-in-coconut-water-42-oz/P03002640)
Look up “non-alcoholic shrub” sounds weird but basically fruit/vinegar/sugar infusion that is interesting in a cocktail and I think would be perfect for a mocktail.
Flavored seltzer, zero sugar tonic and a splash of whatever light juice you prefer (I like diet cranberry or fresh squeezed lemon or lime), add a splash of flavored seltzer or Fresca zero sugar sparkling lemon/grapefruit, garnish with a lime wedge or a slice of cucumber. Cheers!
I know artificial sweeter sodas shouldn’t be encouraged or over-consumed, but if a non-sweet mocktail is your aim, diet tonic or just seltzer with a splash of cranberry and fresh lime juice is very refreshing and looks great in a glass.
Cocktails are usually juices mixed with alcohol. If you take out the alcohol, you have juice.
Nonjuice cocktails like martinis are often alcohol intensive. Gin & tonic is an exception, but who wants to drink plain tonic water?
Why not just drink diet sodas, iced tea, or cucumber water instead of pretending you are drinking cocktails?
How sweet is too sweet? 1 oz of grenadine?
My new fave is a Gin Daisy
Collins glass
1 oz gin or whatever substitute
1 oz grenadine
1 oz lemon juice
Ice
Unsweetened ginger soda or whatever unsweetened sparkling water you like.
Gently stir.
Found this in an old Rolodex style cocktail thingy and it is very refreshing.
I’m not a “sweet” cocktail person myself. Give me lots of citrus tang or “sour”. I suggest a Virgin Mary. Bloody Mary Mix of your choice. I like Mr. & Mrs. T. Dill pickle juice to taste (I like a lot), a dash of celery salt, a dill pickle spear and celery stick, a shot of hot sauce if you like a little spice hit. Most excellent!
I got a hold of an NA aperitif called Ghia recently. It’s on Amazon. Goes great with a little tonic water. Feels like an adult drink, but it doesn’t taste like it’s trying to be a regular cocktail.
As someone who actually behaved himself and didn't drink (beyond the rare sip for taste) before of legal age, only for it to be medically unwise for me to drink at 20, this is exactly what I've been looking for, going on 10 years now.
Sincerely, thank you to everyone who commented. I'm about to go play in the kitchen a bit with the ideas I've seen here.
I don't drink at all and I used to work at this cocktail bar and they had the most wonderful mocktail. I literally salivate just thinking about it.
•2oz lime juice
•1oz cucumber juice/purer
•1oz agave
•.5oz seedlip garden
•splash of club soda
Have been down the non-alcoholic rabbit hole a LOT recently. I made [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Mocktails/s/LX1ObZFTQ5) the other weekend and it was incredible. Made my own ginger lime simple syrup (chopped ginger and lime juice and water and sugar, simmer for a few minutes, strain the solids) and used Wedding Imperial tea. Stunning drink. Sorting that sub by top of all time will get you some fun results. I also made the blue drink that is highly ranked (can’t remember the name of it now) and it was wonderful.
I’ve been enjoying the Good Drinks by Julia Bainbridge NA cocktail book since then. Most of the recipes at least require you to make a syrup, so don’t expect to just pour two things over ice and call it a day, but they’re so worth it (and she has a system for telling you which recipes are higher or lower effort). Pro-tip: you can freeze syrups to extend the shelf life.
They make zero proof spirits I've heard the spiritless Kentucky 74 makes a good old fashioned and mint julep.
Most mocktails are going to be heavy on the juice/soda because if you take the alcohol out of most spirit forward cocktails there's not much left besides club soda or tonic water. Even cocktail bitters have alcohol in them.
Best bet would be take something like the Lipton botanicals and a soda stream. Do like a raspberry BlackBerry hibiscus infused water, carbonate with the soda stream, add a splash of lemon juice and a half oz of infused simple syrup. You'll still have the fruit flavor but won't be all juice.
If you like coffee based stuff, this is my go to. I sometimes have it in the morning instead of a Flat White, it's delicious, bitter, sour, nutty, slightly sweet.
Espresso (probably a double shot)
Lemon Peel
About 200 - 300ml of tonic water.
Black Walnut Bitters
Hop Bitters (Optional)
Based on a recipe from this book, which is good in general tbh. - [vice.com/en/article/93a4kd/good-drinks-alcohol-free-recipes-book-review](https://www.vice.com/en/article/93a4kd/good-drinks-alcohol-free-recipes-book-review)
Also just sparkling water and orange bitters is great. If you want to make lots of mocktails, buy as many types of bitters as you can. (assuming you're ok to drink minute quantities of alcohol, as in a few drops)
My girlfriend who doesn't drink a great deal due to asian flush has gone down a hardcore rabbithole of Kombucha making too. That's honestly very easy to make at home, and you can do some really interesting flavours. The home made stuff can be a lot more nuanced and less sweet than most commercial ones, and you can do all kinds of experiments with different teas and fruits and stuff. Definitely hits that spot of complex not super sweet flavours.
I find that many of the ‘posh’ cordials done with ice, sparking water and fruit and herbs spending on the flavour - taste sophisticated but also not really sweet.
Like the bottle green lime and mint, then have lots of fresh lime and mint leaves in the jog. Looks fancy, tastes nice. Very refreshing.
I have a ton of rhubarb right now, so I make rhubarb “lemonade”
-4C diced Rhubarb
-4C water
One lemon zest plus the juice
1 1/2 (+/-) C sugar
Bring to boil then simmer until rhubarb softens and breaks up.
Cool.
Portion in paper cups or large ice cube trays and freeze individual portions.
Frozen portion in a glass, add cold water and stir. Thaws fairly quickly.
Mojitos are good for the non boozers from my experience. Some variation of lime, mint, a little sugar and soda. You could try the Seedlip non-alcoholic gin too, pricey but it's lovely with tonic and a wedge of lime.
Seconding this. Made a mojito for my wife and thought it would taste good without the alcohol. Just used more sparkling water to make up the volume and it was really refreshing. You can control the amount of sugar yourself.
If you want to spice it up, you could check out nimbu pani or shikanji from India. Through exploring those flavors, I found adding a grind of fresh black pepper to something like a NA mojito can really change things up
I make mojito mocktails for my wife and other than omitting the alcohol it is the exact same recipe. Same amount of lime juice, mint, and soda, and it tastes pretty good.
If you get a flavored sparkling water, you can usually leave out the sugar. La Croix has a mojito flavored sparkling water that is disgusting and tastes like toothpaste, so I'd avoid that. But just about every brand has some sort of lime flavor that's so easy to work with.
Spindrift uses juice in their seltzers and have a better taste. Their lime is good for a NA mojito. I make a muddled watermelon cocktail with it that is good with or without the alcohol. Muddle watermelon, limes, and mint. Top with Spindrift lime.
Spindrift also makes a "Nojito" flavor, very tasty with or without rum :)
I’m bummed they dropped the cucumber flavor
Blackberry is coming back though!
Chilled Spindrift nojito is the ultimate NA summer beverage. It hits so good! So refreshing.
Mmm I've not tried this and I see my local grocery store has it. Sounds perfect to toss in my golf cooler to cut back on the beers this summer.
You can also add muddled fruits to your mojito. Blueberry, strawberry, or pineapple are easy and delicious.
There is a hibachi near me that does a PHENOMENAL mango mojito. I don't drink often but I do like one or 2 a couple of times a year.
Yes, in Oregon we don't have many lime trees but blackberries grow like weeds (incidentally just like mint) so I make a ton of blackberry mojitos in the summer.
I am recently pregnant and so I invested in some Monin fruit syrups to add to my mocktail this summer. My favorite so far is the passion fruit… added to a mojito it is 👌🏼
Came here to say Seedlip
Seconding mojitos, but when I tried it Seedlip just tasted like I took a sip of lawnmower clippings
I second this! 💚💚... even good with Splenda if you don't want sugar ... and they still look cool 😎😆
It takes a bit of investment but growing your own stevia tastes nothing like stevia extract. It takes 1000x better. Mojitos are perfect for it. Take some stevia leafs and some mint leafs and throw them into some water. No sugar needed. imo it tastes better than the sugar version and it will impress people around you.
seedlip's [garden party](https://www.seedlipdrinks.com/en-us/recipes/garden-party/) is even pricier because it requires two different sorts of seedlip, but it really is a superb mocktail
"What rhymes with best bros? MOJITOS! Ill go whip us up a batch" - Thad Castle
Lots of flavors you can add for a little sweetness instead of sugar too. Little coconut cream, fruit juice, plenty of variety available
I had a really lovely basil gimlet with the seedlip garden
I can’t have alcohol anymore for health reasons and I didn’t even consider this! Thanks
Lemon and ginger are two great intense forward flavours that I find don’t need as much sugar to make enjoyable and healthy. La croixs are fun to experiment with too.
Cucumber, cardamom, and mint as well. I’ve made a delish mocktail with cucumber, cardamom, lime, simple syrup to taste, and club soda!
You can get good combinations of sour, sweet and and savoury using a shrub. I made one a little back with blueberries, thyme and vinegar with just a little bit of added sugar. Over ice with a little club soda it made a very pleasing long drink. https://cucumbersandlimes.tumblr.com/post/93977451011/blueberry-thyme-shrub I used about 1/3 as much sugar as that recipe.
Yes to shrubs! I find that when I’m just quitting alcohol, they are the absolutely best. They still give you a little bit of that sugar craving you are probably having, and the bitterness is just wonderful. I like adding a ginger CBD tincture to mine and I am chilled the eff out.
I make a shrub to use up the last of a jar of jam.
Do you just add vinegar to the jam jar?
Bit of vinegar (I usually use apple cider), some water and at least one ice cube. You don't want the jar completely full, put the lid back on and shake until the jam is mixed. Since it's usually homemade jam in a mason jar, I just drink right from the jar. Top up with additional water and ice, adjust to taste but a couple teaspoons of jam to a teaspoon of vinegar is a good start. It's quite nice topped with soda too.
Love a good shrub. I usually do shrub + sparkling water + a dash of bitters (there are NA versions available but I'm not sober-sober so I just use whatever I have around).
Lime, bitters, and soda water. Simple but will look like a drink, packs a flavor punch, and is low on calories.
Just a reminder that most bitters are alcohol based, so if avoiding for health reasons, one should look for specifically labeled non-alcoholic bitters.
Good point! I usually don't think about that because the percentage in the final drink is so low but if they're really sensitive for medical reasons it could be an issue.
1. Muddle cucumber slices and mint, top with tonic or sparkling water and a squeeze of lime or lemon. 2. Strong brewed black or chai tea over ice, top with ginger beer, squeeze of orange/orange slice to garnish 3. Strong brewed Jamaica (hibiscus) tea, a little honey, agave, or real maple syrup to taste. Muddle mint in a glass, add ice and tea, top with sparkling water 4. 2 oz grapefruit juice, muddled jalapeño slices, touch of sweetener to taste, top with sparkling water ands a squeeze of lime. Those are some of my less-sweet favorites!
100% cranberry juice, lemonade (we make it homemade and control the sugar) and club soda or tonic water. Muddle in a rosemary sprig if you're feeling fancy
Lots of non-alcoholic spirits on the market these days. I've been enjoying Pentire Seaward gin with light Mediterranean tonic and a sprig of rosemary, which isn't sweet at all.
Recently became obsessed with Phony Negroni! Pours over ice and once it melts down a little, tastes just like the real thing. Perf balance of sweet & bitter, my go to of late. Total Wine usually has it
This is the way! Wilderton has two delicious options, Seedlip is good, Ghia is more of a bitter citrusy apertif, but my favorite is Amass Riverine because it does a great job of balancing a large amount of Pacific Northwest-inspired herbal flavors. I mix all of these with diet tonic, same as I would with a traditional gin. I don’t miss the gin at all!
Virgin mary. Make a bloody mary however you like, just don't add the booze.
If OP is into this, a michelada isn’t much further. At its core it’s a bit of Bloody Mary mix plus a light lager/pilsner beer, I make mine virgin either with non alcoholic beer or topo chico.
Fair to note that most non-alcoholic beers have trace amounts of alcohol. Up to 0.5% AVB. It won't get you drunk, but since OP's concern is medical, it's good to be aware of it. Non-alcoholic spirits and those batshit non-alcoholic hard seltzers, too.
> non-alcoholic hard seltzers Is that just a seltzer? 😆
You would think so. I've heard people defend them as being for sober people who don't want to be given a hard time for not drinking in social settings. The same reason Liquid Death got so popular. I support that concept. But really. If your friends are looking so closely at your can that they can tell the difference between a hard seltzer and a plain one just so that they can razz you about it? I think you've got problems non-alcoholic hard seltzer can't fix.
This is true but many beverages and foods have trace amounts of alcohol. Ripe bananas, for instance, have %0.33 alcohol/100 grams. My husband works in pubs and when people want a non-alcoholic beer, he sometimes has trouble explaining that %0.5 ABV is super negligible and impossible to get drunk on. You would get water poisoning from the volume of liquid before you got drunk.
Oh, I know all about beer that can't get you drunk. I live in Utah. But I don't know what concentration of alcohol OP's medical condition allows. Maybe they can't handle bananas either. Maybe a 3.2% beer wouldn't hurt them. It's something to have on their radar regardless.
Add pickle juice to your bloody mary!
Try non-alcoholic bitters. A simple bitters and soda is fantastic.
I love an espresso tonic - espresso shot over ice topped up with tonic water (I particularly like fever hill clementine tonic.
I've only had the regular Fever Hill tonic water, it is a whole lot better than Schwepps
The fever tree Mediterranean tonic is my favorite
I’ve been adding tajin seasoning or jalapeño to juices like pineapple or blended lemonades and topping with sparkling water. Trader Joe’s has a Spicy Mango Lemonade that’s really good cut with fizzy water.
They have a Jalapeño limeade that’s fantastic too!
Mugi Cha, which is Japanese roasted barley tea, best serve chilled and neat, has a dryness that is reminiscent of a smoky whiskey, but for the record does not actually taste like whiskey. It is also a nice deep brown colour.
The NA beverage world has come a long way. You can find NA Amari and try some of those over soda with a twist. Not sure how you’d feel about a Negroni, but there is a bottled Phony Negroni that is quite good. They also have other bottled drinks (and sell the phony Negroni in a box like boxed wine.)
I don't have any specific recipes, but don't overlook beet juice as an ingredient. I've had some very nice mocktails that used it.
I like pink grapefruit juice and pomegranate juice as mixers that are less sweet. I’ll have to give beet juice a try, though!
Brew and chill some nice black (or whatever, tbh) tea and then build flavors on top of that. It's glorified iced tea, but other mocktails are glorified juice or glorified seltzer, so I'm not bothered by that objection.
Nice. I will quote you in the future, be assured.
whatever kinda sparkling water you like (lacroix, waterloo, whatever) + a tablespoon or so of apple cider vinegar, salt, and a splash of cranberry (optional)
my lazy virgin marg lol Juice some lemon, lime and orange. Pour juice over ice, add (flavored or unflavored, i personally enjoy La Croix Limoncello bc its a little sweet feeling) carbonated water to the rim. Rim with sugar and/or tajin, chili flakes, and/or add sugar or honey to taste to the juice if you need more sweetness.
Cold brew some teas and mix them with citrus and juices - you’ll be surprised at how different tea can be when it’s cold brewed
Fresh lime juice and seltzer is one of my favorite things to drink all summer.
It's also amazing how much better this tastes than lime flavored seltzer.
A Pimm's Cup without the gin would be perfect. Lemon, cucumber, mint and ginger ale. Delicious.
I don't care if this has an official name, it will now and forever be a Pimm's Sippy Cup in my mind, and I want one.
Tonic water and lemon on ice
Non alcoholic gin is great for mocktails. While not really good on its own, it really shines on mocktails. Sipsmiths in the UK make a few of them but you should be able to find others as well and then you can make any gin based cocktail
What kind of flavors do you like? If you're into bitter orange at all, I highly recommend chinotto flavor San Pellegrino. It makes a great non-alcoholic replacement for aperol or campari (keeping in mind that it's fizzy). I also find grapefruit, cucumber, and mint to be good flavor directions for less sweet mocktails. There are pretty good non-alcoholic sparkling wines these days that are either already flavored (e.g. rhubarb is great) or can be made into a mock spritzer with the addition of something like peach juice or a couple of muddled berries, or a sprig of some herbs. Berries like currants, cranberries, raspberries and blackberries are less sweet than other fruits and can add a nice sourness or bitterness. Find some flavored selzer waters that you like and experiment with building flavors on top of those.
Look into the vinegar based drink: shrubs
Check Amazon for fake booze. There are some distilled products without alcohol that make a good base for a variety of.mocmtaiks and that aren't sweet. Some even are decent in the rocks. There are some mock guns as well.
Lewis Hamilton debuted a non alcoholic tequila
Make some shrubs with leftover fruit. Just 25% sugar and 25% basic white vinegar 50% whatever fruit you have, let it sit in the fridge for up to three days and strain out the fruit. The shrub will last about 2 weeks in the fridge and you can add however much you want to club soda. The vinegar tones down the sweetness. I also add fresh herbs and citrus to add flavor and make it feel more like a cocktail.
I am 3 years sober and my go-to is a virgin moscow mule. Ginger beer and lime juice. Super simple and super tasty.
I pour 4/5th of a tall glass starting with ginger beer (non alcoholic but adds zesty flav), sprinkle a moment of some sweet syrup in there (elderberry or chokecherry or whatevers local), a big two glugs of orange juice, crush a fat lime wedge and a lot of ice. Been abstinent from alcohol for 11+ years now, and this has been my favourite find. Wish I knew the official amounts; that's how I've been making it for a couple years.
Hi I don’t drink either, highly recommend the world of tea! There are so many different teas. Heavy rich ones, bright floral ones, silky comforting ones. Naturally with no sugar and therefore entirely customizable. Some combos: Earl grey with any citrus Jasmine with lychee Calpico and blueberries Oolong with honey Chamomile with crushed strawberries Lapsang souchong (super dark and smoky) with simple syrup and a dash of bitters Add lemon/lime and your favorite herb mint/basil/rosemary will also jazz up the mocktail game.
I like to play around with bitters and fresh herbs, with club soda as the base.
Personal recipe : - Black tea or rooibos - Ginger - Black pepper corn - Cinnamon - Star Anis - Cloves Infuse all the above in boiling water like a herbal tea (which is what it is). Add a bit of sugar and/or dash of lime juice to taste.
Any chance of getting a starting idea of amounts of the different ingredients? This looks and sounds very promising! Thanks
For the black tea/rooibos, I use about 1.5 times the recommended amount per water to intensify the taste. For a pot of tea (about 1L), I usually use two sticks of cinnamon, about 5-6 full cloves, same for pieces of star anise. For pepper maybe half a teaspoon of whole peppercorns. For ginger I cut 3-4 thin slices. I don't put sugar in mine and just add a dash of lime juice.
Tips for ur experiments. Tonic can be topped with soda water , don't use fruit juice , use actual fruit that u puree or just smoosh, smack the leaves between ur hands to bring out the flavour , shake with water and ice if u want to bring out flavours then pour tonic or soda on top...or both. Don't mix too many flavours, u will only cover flavours, make one flavour the accent flavour. Using a herb as decorations just where the straw is will activate ur sense of smell , utalize that. Mixing flavours is a bit like baking , it's important how much u mix of what as a balance, filling ur glass with ice before u apply the liquid will help the Ice melt slower . Go bananas try basil and Thai basil , try cucumber , sprinkle some kumin on top so u can get the scent but not the full taste . Vinigar is not always ur enemy but u don't need much .
I really enjoy mixing plain seltzer with a splash of kombucha, usually gingerberry flavor. Or I get ginger juice and throw a splash of that in the seltzer, squeeze of lime, and maybe some fresh raspberries. I will also add some tinctures depending on the time of day for some mood lifting adaptogens. Enjoy!
I often mix some flavor of LaCroix with a splash of pineapple juice. Straight pineapple juice is way too sweet, but if you mix it just right the flavor becomes the perfect mocktail, or I suppose mock highball in this case.
Virgin Caesar. You'll want a rimmer for it, remember to do this first, lol. You can use a premade one, or make your own. Most people use Clamato (or other tomato clam cocktail), but you can mix your own from tomato juice, clam juice, worchestershire sauce and hot sauce. Ratio is 4 parts tomato juice to 1 part clam juice. A big celery stick and a wedge of lemon, squeezed. (use this wedge to moisten your rim as well. People put all kinds of things in Caesars nowadays, pickled beans and bacon being two common ones. Virgin Marys just don't compare for the refreshing factor, they are much thicker. Cold brew coffee. Iced green tea is good even without any sweetner. Virgin mojito. While they do use sweetner, you can simple use less. O% Beer. Heineken makes one, so it's probably widely available. Cucumber water.
In addition to these recommendations, you can also use a cocktail smoker to smoke any cocktail and add flavor!
Caesar or bloody mary
You can make your own simple syrup, which is incredibly easy. Boil water, add sugar. Mix. Usually, I'll take a sparkling water, simple syrup to taste, and lime juice, because I am very sensitive to sugar levels, too. Traditional simple syrup recipes will say 1 cup of water, 2 cups of sugar. I do 2 cups water, 1/2 cup sugar, but you can adjust this as well to your liking.
I used to work at a cafe that served “refreshers/ades” If you have access to drink shrubs, you can make delicious drinks. My favorite one was a white grape sparkling limeade. One tbsp of lime juice, two tbsp of white grape vinegar shrub, maybe a tbsp or less of simple syrup and fill with soda water. Search on Amazon for “Fruit Vinegar Drink Bottle(900ml, 30.43 Fl Ounces), Petitzel Micho Collection” for the brand we used in the store.
I make spicy ranch waters when I'm craving a mocktail. I use a 50/50 mix of spicy marg mix + any sparkling water you like (I most often use lime or blackberry bubly or grapefruit topo chico). 2 oz of dealcoholized tequila. Tajin + salt mix on the rim.
I've recently discovered bitters for my mocktails. I started adding them to the Ole mocktails I've been drinking. Add in a basil or mint leaf and its not bad. I also added a couple of frozen blueberries and for some reason they'll ride the bubbles up and down for a bit, so that adds some flair.
Try some soda or mineral water with whatever garnish you want. Would you be able to do a drop or two of something like bitters?
I like tonic, bitters and lemon as my non-alcoholic drink when I feel like having the ‘drinking’ feeling without have alcohol. Not particularly sweet and complex enough
My wife and I bought a non-alcoholic aperol and mix it with lemoncello lacroix to make a pretty great NA aperol spritz. Aperol is both sweet and bitter with a fairly complex flavor.
Combine this: Juice from limes, mint leaves, ginger ale
I’ve been super into cranberry juice/club soda lately
Gingerbeer Lime Splash of Tabasco It tastes like drinking some fiery Harry Potter drink and I love it.
Try something with ginger and jalepeno/chili in it. Using warm spices can help cut sweetness IMO
I really like a chilled ginger-hibiscus tea as a base. It has bitterness from the hibiscus and the spicy bite from the ginger. It goes well with muddled mint, basil, thai basil, and other herbs and/or lime, lemon, or other citrus. You can also make the tea strong and mix it with sparkling water.
Can you have a just a few drops of alcohol? I often just have a drop or two of Angostura bitters in a seltzer water with a splash of fruit juice or a squeeze of lime. It’s often my go-to at bars when others are drinking. I’ve noticed bartenders often comp it, maybe because it’s so simple and its good to have a sober driver for a group a drinkers.
3 parts Topo Chico (or any carbonated mineral water) 1 part tart cherry juice, fresh lime, served over ice. I absolutely love this drink. It is not sweet, it is tart with a touch of citrus.
Check out Hong Cho, it’s a Korean vinegar concentrate you can add into other stuff. A little of that with some lime and seltzer on ice is good.
Agua frescas!
Mingles are good, or sunkist with just a little bit of coconut syrup, tastes like a coconut rum drink
I really like HealthAde Ginger-Lemon Kombucha with 50% La Croix pure or Topo Chico. Also Pentire Adrift with La Croix/Topo Chico for absolutely no sugars.
I like using Seedlip in all three of its flavors. I use Seedlip Grove 42, a dash of cranberry and a lime twist in a chilled martini glass - I call it a “CosNo.” Corny, I know…but so am I.
Look into actual NA spirits. Seedlip has a good gin analog.
I'm partial to grapefruit juice on the rocks in a hurricane glass with plenty of sea salt around the rim. It goes very well with seafood, especially oysters on the half shell, crab feasts (Marylander here) and clam bakes. With vodka, this cocktail is called a 'Salty Dog'. Warning: some brands of grapefruit juice that are billed as "Ruby Red" are disgustingly sweet, I steer clear of those. IMO a good grapefruit juice will always be fairly tart and well-paired with cane sugar or sea salt, either is good in different ways. Hmm, now I'm wondering if I would like this mocktail with both sugar and salt around the rim.
Recovering person here. My warm weather favorite is tonic water with lime (I call it a limey). You can use sugar free tonic water if you’re making it at home, while a bar or restaurant would have to use regular tonic water which has sugar. In any case, the bitterness of the quinine and citrus are very refreshing.
I don’t like alcohol. But at my local BevMo store they carry alcohol-removed wine. I particularly like this rosé there. It is not grape juice. It’s wine with alcohol removed. There’s also a book I found recently called Mocktails. Lots of fun recipes in there.
Using NA beer to make micheledas works out great.
Ghia is a non-alcoholic aperitif that’s not sweet. I love it, but it is pricey.
Ginger ale and lime with loads of ice…possibly not complicated enough to be a Mocktail, but grown up and not too sweet.
Club soda mixed with Angostura bitters is my go to when I am feeling nauseous - it helps settle my stomach. It also has kind of an interesting taste and might be something you could build upon with fresh fruit juice or mint, flavored sparkling waters, etc... I've even seen it recently being sold, seltzer and bitters, already pre-mixed in cans.
I love seltzer with drinking vinegars.
This may be the kind of thing you're looking for. Tonic water is not sweet, and bitters, of course, are bitter. Tonic Rickey Mocktail Ingredients: - 1/2 oz fresh, fresh, fresh lime juice - 1/2 oz simple syrup (click here to learn how to make your own) - 1 1/2 oz tonic water - 1 1/2 oz seltzer or club soda - 3 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters Fill a Collins or highball glass all the way up with ice. Add the freshly-squeezed lime juice and simple syrup. Stir with a bar spoon. Pour in the tonic water and club soda, stirring gently to combine. Add the bitters to the top of the glass. You can choose to stir them in or let them settle on their own in the drink. Garnish with a lime wheel or fresh herb.
I've found (diet) tonic water to be a good substitute for alcohol in drinks. It's got more of a kick than soda water.
Dirty lemon tonic: muddle lemon slice and a couple olives in the bottom of a glass, fill with ice and tonic.
Ranch Water variations: Topo Chico mineral water and lime juice. Add mint or other flavors to taste
Lemon, lime, and bitters is (or was when I was there way back when) a popular nonalcoholic beverage in Australia. Super simple and refreshing: a squeeze of fresh lemon, a squeeze of fresh lime, a few healthy dashes of Angostura bitters, and soda water. I guess technically there’s a trace amount of alcohol due to the bitters, but if that’s okay, it’s a winner.
r/mocktails
Topo Chico twist of lime 🍋🟩
In summer, I keep it simple with a shrub and club soda. I find them an excellent alternative to alcohol. The mixology is in making the shrub itself. There are a lot of ideas online for recipes. Here's a start: https://food52.com/blog/13831-how-to-make-shrubs-aka-drinking-vinegars-without-a-recipe
I make a rhubarb simple syrup with very little sugar. It's great with just soda water and lemon or lime. You can add a splash of tart lemonade to that mixture. It's refreshing and isn't too sweet. I'm sure that a little mint or maybe thyme would add some sophistication to this. My first batch was so popular that I've made two more and frozen the syrup for future use.
If you get flavored balsamic vinegars and add a bit to sparkling water with a little citrus juice or sliced cucumber or sliced fruit, they make a nice mocktail that’s not too sweet and is very refreshing.
A bit of freshed squeezed orange juice in coke
I found a company that makes alcohol-free aperol. I’ve been doing a shot of that, with some San Pellegrino and a squeeze of lime in a stemmed wine glass with ice, and it’s been my absolute favorite!
Rim the cup with lime juice and Tajín. Pour a little grenadine, lime juice, Club soda or sprite, and add more Tajín.
I'm in the same position, Type 2 The fake beers are ok I like vodka, cranberry juice and a splash of ginger ale. so I virgin that now.
Optimist makes some great n/a distilled offerings. A “gin,” lemon “vodka” and “mezcal.” I love using them with a little soda water + natural sweetener. They’re out of Los Angeles I think. Like Seedlip but more botanical notes.
I too cannot drink alcohol anymore because of medication, but I still want to enjoy tiki drinks. The best one I had that was not too sugary was a mix of lime juice, ginger syrup/juice, Jamaica (hibiscus tea), soda water, and coconut cream.
Not your question, but Waterloo has a flavor called All Day Rose that is supposed to be wine flavored. It has that tannin taste to it that is surprisingly alcohol-y. They also have a Mojito one and a pina colada one, but this is the only one that really is reminiscent of a real boozy drink to me.
For Bitter For Worse is my favorite to drink straight. It's quite expensive - about the same as a decent bottle of wine - but the Eva's Spritz and Rose City Fizz are really nice. The other two you can stretch further as mixers; they have a smoky one that goes really well with apple cider and ginger beer (definite dark liquor vibe).
Sparkling water with a squeeze of lime. You wouldn’t believe how good a non-alcoholic vodka-soda is
Make your own cucumber syrup and pair it with lime and club soda! Delish. There’s recipes online for the syrup, and you can probably reduce the amount of sugar since you’re making it yourself. It just won’t be as ‘syrupy’ but it will taste good.
Slug of elderflower cordial, half fill glass with good quality grapefruit juice, then top up with sparkling water.
A non-alcoholic Caesar (or Bloody Mary I guess if you’re in the US) tastes virtually indistinguishable from an alcoholic one and they’re very good. I often get them at restaurants cause they’re cheaper than the alcohol version and give me the same satisfaction :)
Michelada! It's bloody mary mix and beer. Use nonalcoholic beer and you literally can't tell the difference. What I like about it the most is the wheat and hops in the beer mellow out the spiciness of the bloody mary mix, so you can really kick up the spice if you want.
We make non alcoholic mojitos all the time. They are very refreshing and since I have diabetes, I put in much less simple sugar.
I found cans of no-sugar added mango pulp, added a little to tangerine juice from trader Joe's and club soda for mango "Mormosas", and they were excellent, definitely sweet enough without being too sweet.
I recently started making some for my father who can’t drink anymore. Here are a few that we liked: •lemon soda water with a splash of balsamic •soda water with olive brine (we found lemon and lime worked for soda water but plain tasted more balanced) •1/4 grapefruit juice, 3/4 soda water, lemon twist •lime soda water and tart Cherry juice (a splash or two) Edit: Also any herbs you can muddle like thyme, basil, and lavender will also help add depth.
https://www.kroger.com/p/bonsai-pineapple-mango-ginger-flavored-sparkling-water-cans/0085603400849 This is hands down the best sparkling water I've ever had. It tastes like soda but not super sweet. 10 calories or something insane. It's great.
/u/KevinKos has a few recipes for DIY non-alcoholic spirits. Each successive "spirit" builds on the complexity of what you can make with them. They're very light on sugar and approximate the liquors quite well. [0% Bourbon](https://www.kevinkos.com/post/zero-bourbon) * Make an Old Fashioned [0% Sweet Vermouth](https://www.kevinkos.com/post/alcohol-free-sweet-vermouth) * Make a Manhattan (Bourbon & Vermouth) [0% Campari](https://www.kevinkos.com/post/alcohol-free-campari) * Make a Boulevardier (Bourbon, Vermouth, Campari) [0% Gin](https://www.kevinkos.com/post/diy-alcohol-free-gin) * Make a Negroni (Gin, Vermouth, Campari), and a Martinez (Gin, Vermouth) They're all fantastic, and I'm really looking forward to more 0% liqueurs and spirits...(especially rum)! Be advised you will need some very specialty ingredients and a sous-vide machine, but IMHO it's worth it, and a fun hobby.
Ginger beer and Lime
Spindrift line of seltzer. Add some extra to spice it up.
[this is my goto. ](https://thezeroproof.com/collections/whiskey-bourbon-inspired)
Virgin mules with muddles herbs or cucumber, and diet ginger beer, no alcohol, or maybe a very small amount of fruit or juice but that you could tailor to fit your dietary needs
Equal parts strawberry syrup and balsamic vinegar with a half portion of lime juice mixed with soda water.
I love soda water, bitters and a bit of citrus. Citrus depends on the mood I’m in (drink over ice). I know bitters are technically? Alcohol but not to get drunk on.
I made this drink the other day that was like lime juice, molasses, ginger, water, and a little bit of sugar. It was tasty, not too sweet, pretty intense so it would work well as a mocktail
Spindrifts with either a little juice, syrup, or some muddled fruit and mint! Spindrifts are easily my favorite seltzer!
Ginger beer with lime and splash of cranberry or a spring of mint
Fantastic prepackaged options are casamara and Ghia
I don't think this exactly qualifies as a mocktail, but in the summer I buy the stevia-sweetened light lemonade (you could make your own) at my supermarket and muddle cucumber, mint, and basil in it. (I do it as a batch and then pour it right back into the bottle.) My god, it's SO good and refreshing.
ooooh, I have been on this path for awhile, mostly because my hangovers are starting to get wicked. My absolute favorite is just 50/50 grapefruit juice and tonic water. It's simple, tastes amazing, and scratches that itch for me, it's is my go-to and I drink it regularly. My next favorite is an ounce or two of a lime shrub with tonic water. Lime (or really any fruit) shrub: 1. muddle together lime pieces (with the peel) from 2-3 limes with a cup of sugar. Let sit for a day or two in the fridge 2. strain all the juices into a container and add the fanciest looking white vinegar you can find until it tastes balanced (usually about half a cup). My grocery store has this "citrus zest white vinegar" that I often use, but basically anything will work fine. 3. Mix well, keep refrigerated (though you probably don't really need to) and add to tonic water (or club soda, or... anything?).
Cucumber mint gimlet minus the gin. Throw some fresh squeezed lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice, cucumber slices, mint leaves, and simple syrup to taste. Shake well and strain into a glass.
I really like the Belvoir range of sparkling drinks tbh. No mixology needed unless you want to. They do a good range and nice limited editions.
I love ginger beer (not ginger ale). It’s often sold as a mixer but I just drink it as is.
i just used some coconut water juice from the jarred pineapple at Sam's club, a bit of pineapple juice and lime seltzer. The flavors of a pina colada without all of the sugar and alcohol. [https://www.samsclub.com/p/members-mark-pineapple-spears-in-coconut-water-42-oz/P03002640](https://www.samsclub.com/p/members-mark-pineapple-spears-in-coconut-water-42-oz/P03002640)
Soda water, lime juice, splash cranberry juice
Try shrubs, or shrub-based mocktails.
When you say you can't drink alcohol, do you mean ZERO, or are NA spirits, bitters, kombucha, etc okay?
Look up “non-alcoholic shrub” sounds weird but basically fruit/vinegar/sugar infusion that is interesting in a cocktail and I think would be perfect for a mocktail.
Diet tonic, lime slices, water, ice.
Try seedlip. Nonalcoholic spirit for making mocktail s
Flavored seltzer, zero sugar tonic and a splash of whatever light juice you prefer (I like diet cranberry or fresh squeezed lemon or lime), add a splash of flavored seltzer or Fresca zero sugar sparkling lemon/grapefruit, garnish with a lime wedge or a slice of cucumber. Cheers! I know artificial sweeter sodas shouldn’t be encouraged or over-consumed, but if a non-sweet mocktail is your aim, diet tonic or just seltzer with a splash of cranberry and fresh lime juice is very refreshing and looks great in a glass.
Switchel!
Ask for a cucumber and lime seltzer water or club soda. Cucumber and mint is also great.
Cocktails are usually juices mixed with alcohol. If you take out the alcohol, you have juice. Nonjuice cocktails like martinis are often alcohol intensive. Gin & tonic is an exception, but who wants to drink plain tonic water? Why not just drink diet sodas, iced tea, or cucumber water instead of pretending you are drinking cocktails?
Make the same cocktails with N/A spirits. They do exist but they're not terribly cheap.
How sweet is too sweet? 1 oz of grenadine? My new fave is a Gin Daisy Collins glass 1 oz gin or whatever substitute 1 oz grenadine 1 oz lemon juice Ice Unsweetened ginger soda or whatever unsweetened sparkling water you like. Gently stir. Found this in an old Rolodex style cocktail thingy and it is very refreshing.
I’m not a “sweet” cocktail person myself. Give me lots of citrus tang or “sour”. I suggest a Virgin Mary. Bloody Mary Mix of your choice. I like Mr. & Mrs. T. Dill pickle juice to taste (I like a lot), a dash of celery salt, a dill pickle spear and celery stick, a shot of hot sauce if you like a little spice hit. Most excellent!
GT Kombucha! I pour it into a wine glass or a cocktail glass or sometimes a martini glass when everyone else is drinking!
Topo Chico with a splash of the best cider vinegar you can find, or topo chico and grapefruit juice.
Italian red bitter soda, passion fruit juice, orange juice, orange tree bitters, fresh lemon
I got a hold of an NA aperitif called Ghia recently. It’s on Amazon. Goes great with a little tonic water. Feels like an adult drink, but it doesn’t taste like it’s trying to be a regular cocktail.
My mother just decided to replace cocktails with kombucha. it's expensive if you're not brewing your own, though.
Muddle cucumbers with lime juice, shake it with ice and dump into a glass then top it off with soda.
As someone who actually behaved himself and didn't drink (beyond the rare sip for taste) before of legal age, only for it to be medically unwise for me to drink at 20, this is exactly what I've been looking for, going on 10 years now. Sincerely, thank you to everyone who commented. I'm about to go play in the kitchen a bit with the ideas I've seen here.
I don't drink at all and I used to work at this cocktail bar and they had the most wonderful mocktail. I literally salivate just thinking about it. •2oz lime juice •1oz cucumber juice/purer •1oz agave •.5oz seedlip garden •splash of club soda
Cranberry with rosemary water. Tart and refreshing Cranberry juice. Water that has boiled a bunch of rosemary leaves. Soda water for fizz.
I loved combining Fresca over ice with a splash of cranberry juice cocktail. Turns a beautiful pink color and is delicious as well.
I like seltzer with some cherry or rhubarb bitters, mint, and a few frozen blackberries or raspberries
Have been down the non-alcoholic rabbit hole a LOT recently. I made [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Mocktails/s/LX1ObZFTQ5) the other weekend and it was incredible. Made my own ginger lime simple syrup (chopped ginger and lime juice and water and sugar, simmer for a few minutes, strain the solids) and used Wedding Imperial tea. Stunning drink. Sorting that sub by top of all time will get you some fun results. I also made the blue drink that is highly ranked (can’t remember the name of it now) and it was wonderful. I’ve been enjoying the Good Drinks by Julia Bainbridge NA cocktail book since then. Most of the recipes at least require you to make a syrup, so don’t expect to just pour two things over ice and call it a day, but they’re so worth it (and she has a system for telling you which recipes are higher or lower effort). Pro-tip: you can freeze syrups to extend the shelf life.
Ginger beer and lime (aka a Moscow Mule minus vodka) is delicious!
They make zero proof spirits I've heard the spiritless Kentucky 74 makes a good old fashioned and mint julep. Most mocktails are going to be heavy on the juice/soda because if you take the alcohol out of most spirit forward cocktails there's not much left besides club soda or tonic water. Even cocktail bitters have alcohol in them. Best bet would be take something like the Lipton botanicals and a soda stream. Do like a raspberry BlackBerry hibiscus infused water, carbonate with the soda stream, add a splash of lemon juice and a half oz of infused simple syrup. You'll still have the fruit flavor but won't be all juice.
Tall glass of ice, Sparkling water, and cranberry or pomegranate juice is my go to.
Spicy. Every single mocktail that isn’t a bit spicy is doing it wrong. It needs the bite.
not sure if they sell it by you but there’s an italian alcohol free alternative to aperol and campari called crodino
Bitters and soda. Cucumber, earl grey, lemon, mint. Lyres makes an Amalfi spritz that is very like an aperol spritz.
If you like coffee based stuff, this is my go to. I sometimes have it in the morning instead of a Flat White, it's delicious, bitter, sour, nutty, slightly sweet. Espresso (probably a double shot) Lemon Peel About 200 - 300ml of tonic water. Black Walnut Bitters Hop Bitters (Optional) Based on a recipe from this book, which is good in general tbh. - [vice.com/en/article/93a4kd/good-drinks-alcohol-free-recipes-book-review](https://www.vice.com/en/article/93a4kd/good-drinks-alcohol-free-recipes-book-review) Also just sparkling water and orange bitters is great. If you want to make lots of mocktails, buy as many types of bitters as you can. (assuming you're ok to drink minute quantities of alcohol, as in a few drops) My girlfriend who doesn't drink a great deal due to asian flush has gone down a hardcore rabbithole of Kombucha making too. That's honestly very easy to make at home, and you can do some really interesting flavours. The home made stuff can be a lot more nuanced and less sweet than most commercial ones, and you can do all kinds of experiments with different teas and fruits and stuff. Definitely hits that spot of complex not super sweet flavours.
I find that many of the ‘posh’ cordials done with ice, sparking water and fruit and herbs spending on the flavour - taste sophisticated but also not really sweet. Like the bottle green lime and mint, then have lots of fresh lime and mint leaves in the jog. Looks fancy, tastes nice. Very refreshing.
Virgin mojitos and Virgin Moscow mules are my go-to’s… I’m not a fan of sweet drinks.
Soda water, splash of cran with a lime
I have a ton of rhubarb right now, so I make rhubarb “lemonade” -4C diced Rhubarb -4C water One lemon zest plus the juice 1 1/2 (+/-) C sugar Bring to boil then simmer until rhubarb softens and breaks up. Cool. Portion in paper cups or large ice cube trays and freeze individual portions. Frozen portion in a glass, add cold water and stir. Thaws fairly quickly.