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9 delicious mocktail recipes to make at home

Shaken, not stirred

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mocktails
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So, you've decided to take the plunge and go sober for October. Then, you realise you've booked in a party with your pals for the very next weekend, disaster. Luckily, those choosing to eschew the booze for the month (or even longer) are no longer relegated to sugary alternatives that leave you with just as bad a taste in your mouth the next morning as an alcoholic drink.

Instead, there are a whole host of creative ways to use shiny new alcohol-free spirits, wines, aperitifs, fresh fruits and sugar-free syrups. Trailblazing brands like Club Soda and SENTIA have created bottles and drinks with the layered complexity of your favourite cocktail, only without the adverse effects of alcohol.

What is a mocktail?

Put most simply, a mocktail is a 'mock cocktail', or a cocktail made without alcohol. Usually, these are considered to be drinks made with juices, which may or may not contain added sugar. In sober circles, the term 'mocktail' can be a little controversial, as there are plenty of beautifully crafted cocktails made with complex, delicious alcohol-free spirits, aperitifs and bitters that are very much proper cocktails with no hint of 'mock' about them.

As a general rule, a drink made with alcohol-free alternatives like Lyre's or Everleaf can be considered an alcohol-free cocktail, and something made with mainly fruit juice is a mocktail. Some of these alcohol-free drinks can even have other added benefits like gut-friendly fermented elements or CBD.

To give you inspiration for your next cocktail party, or even just a cosy Friday night in, we've pulled together some of the best alcohol-free cocktail recipes out there.

Best mocktail recipes for Sober October, and beyond...

Rose Spritzer

apothékary rose spritz mocktail
Apothékary

Apothékary's tinctures make for a deliciously herbal cocktail, and this rosé-inspired one promises mood-boosting properties that can aid mental clarity and ease stress -just like a cocktail, but without the alcohol and sugar content.

Ingredients

  • ice
  • 2 tsp rosewater
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1-2 tsp agave or honey (to taste)
  • 2 droppers of Rosé-Tinted Glasses
  • sparkling water to top up
  • fresh rose petals for garnish

Method

  1. Fill a large wine glass with ice, then combine the rose water, citrus juice, and sweetener in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice.
  2. Shake until well combined.
  3. Pour the mix into the glasses and top with Rosé-Tinted Glasses and sparkling water. Stir well and garnish with rose petals.

Ready to rumble

mocktail
BSDA

A low-sugar take on a Cuba libre, this alcohol-free cocktail has the perfect mix of sweet and sour flavours that'll transport you straight to Havana.

Ingredients

  • 40ml Lyre’s non-alcoholic rum
  • 20ml sweet & sour mix (mix of stevia, lemon juice and lime juice)
  • Pepsi Max to top up
  • lime wedge to serve

Method

  1. Pour 40ml of Lyre’s non-alcoholic rum into a tall glass with ice.
  2. Add 20ml of sweet & sour mix and stir well.
  3. Top with Pepsi Max and garnish with the lime wedge.
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Club Soda Perfect Espresso Martini

mocktails
@becabjones

Club Soda's alcohol-free cocktails are just that - proper cocktails, just without the booze. They're built on the same flavour principals as cocktails, and there's not a sugar juice in sight with this espresso martini recipe.

Ingredients

  • 50ml Good Koffee Kakao
  • 50ml Big Drop Galactic Stout
  • 50ml Three Spirit Social Elixir
  • ice
  • optional: coffee beans for garnish

Method

  1. Open the Big Drop and let it go flat, then pour all three ingredients into a shaker or a jam jar with a handful of ice.
  2. Shake until the outside of the cocktail shaker or jar feels icy cold.
  3. Using a cocktail or tea strainer, strain into a small chilled glasses and garnish with coffee beans, if you like.

Virgin iced piña colada

mocktail
YorkTest

Nothing takes us back to summer holiday destinations like a tall glass of piña colada. While it might seem like a total treat of a drink reserved for boozy trips only, this recipe uses light coconut milk and sugar-free pineapple juice to make a less calorific version.

Ingredients

  • 175 ml sugar-free pineapple juice
  • 175ml light coconut milk
  • 300g frozen pineapple chunks
  • 15ml of fresh lime juice
  • ice
  • fresh pineapple wedge for garnish

Method

  1. Pre-chill your hurricane cocktail glass by adding ice.
  2. Add the pineapple juice, coconut milk, frozen pineapple, lime juice and ice to the blender and blend until smooth.
  3. Garnish with fresh pineapple and a mini umbrella for tropical holiday vibes.
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Club Soda Winter Bellini

mocktails
@becabjones

A Bellini's not just for summer, and it's not out of bound of the sober-curious either. Swap out peach puree and Prosecco for a splash of bittersweet apple & cardamom-flavoured shrub and a generous pour of alcohol-free sparkling wine.

Ingredients

  • 25ml Nonsuch Apple & Cardamom Shrub
  • Moderato 0.0 Sparkling

Method

  1. Pour the Nonsuch Apple & Cardamom Shrub into a Champagne flute and slowly top with Moderato 0.0 Sparkling.
  2. Stir gently to mix.

Sweet jar

mocktail
BSDA

We're at the tail end of blackberry season, and this fun, fruity mocktail makes the most of the seasonal fruit (which is full of vitamin C and K, by the way).

Ingredients

  • 5 blackberries
  • 10ml Monin sugar free vanilla syrup
  • 15ml lemon juice
  • 50ml sugar free passion fruit Tesseirie
  • R Whites Diet Lemonade

Method

  1. Muddle the blackberries (reserving one) in the bottom of a cocktail shaker with a muddler or the bottom of a wooden spoon.
  2. Add all other ingredients apart from the lemonade to the shaker with some ice.
  3. Shake well and strain into a margarita glass, then top with R Whites diet lemonade and garnish with a blackberry on the rim of the glass.
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Sentia Mojito

mocktail recipes
Sentia Spirits

While your usual mojito might be made with white rum, this one uses SENTIA, a non-alcoholic botanical spirit made of plant ingredients that enhance the GABA neurotransmitter (which creates the feeling of being relaxed in a similar way to alcohol).

Ingredients

  • crushed ice
  • 25ml SENTIA
  • mint leaves (plus extra for garnish)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 lime wedges
  • 30ml soda water

Method

  1. Fill a glass with crushed ice.
  2. Mix together 25ml SENTIA with a handful of mint leaves, 1 tsp sugar and 2 lime wedges in a cocktail shaker or jug and pour over crushed ice.
  3. Add 30ml of soda to the glass, stir with a cocktail stirrer and finish with more mint leaves.

Virgin Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

mocktail
YorkTest

A strawberry daiquiri is a classic cocktail that's really easy to make alcohol-free by removing the rum entirely. You still get all the goodness from the fresh strawberries and zesty lime, just without the rum kick.

Ingredients

  • 30ml sugar-free grenadine
  • 150g of strawberries
  • 15 ml lime juice, plus a wedge to garnish
  • ice

Method

  1. Fill a glass with ice to pre-chill.
  2. Add the grenadine, strawberries, lime juice and ice to a blender and blend until smooth.
  3. Empty the glass of ice and pour the blended mix into chilled glass, then garnish with a lime wedge.
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Crodino Spritz

mocktail
Crodino

The rapid rise of aperitif culture in the UK has meant Aperol and Campari becoming ubiquitous with getting the party started. Thankfully, there's an alcohol-free alternative from the brains behind the famous aperitivos that makes the most refreshing pre-dinner spritz.

Ingredients

  • ice
  • 175ml Crodino
  • Slice of fresh orange

Method

  1. Fill a large wine glass with ice.
  2. Pour in the Crodino, stir and garnish with a slice of fresh orange.

Pink grapefruit Citizen Spritz mocktail

mocktail
Citizen Spritz

This Mexican-style tangy thirst quencher is full of punch, but free of alcohol, to keep you as sharp as a grapefruit and feeling perfectly in the pink.

Ingredients

  • ice
  • 25ml Citizen Spritz Pink Grapefruit
  • 175ml soda water
  • slice of grapefruit to garnish

Method

  1. Fill a large wine glass with ice, then pour over the Citizen Spritz.
  2. Top with 175ml of soda water and garnish with a slice of grapefruit.
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