27 Best Mocktail Recipes for When You Want a Break from Alcohol (2024)

Try this chic alternative to the all-time classic co*cktail the Moscow mule. Mango puree and honey syrup give it a sweet taste, while the final splash of ginger beer makes it unique and exciting.

Yields 1 serving.

Ingredients

4 to 5 cucumber slices
1 ounce honey syrup
1.5 ounces mango puree
1.5 ounces fresh lime juice
1.5 ounces ginger beer
Ice

Instructions

Muddle the cucumber and honey syrup into the bottom of a co*cktail shaker. Add the mango puree and lime juice to the mix, then shake with ice. Pour the liquid into a copper mug for the iconic touch of a Moscow mule. Sprinkle in ginger beer and stir.

See more on Against All Grain.

This fruit-filled drink includes cranberries, oranges, and apples and will surely hit the spot. It’s also practical. A pitcher can yield up to 4 servings and is easy to serve at a “dry” Zoom party.

Yields 4 servings.

Ingredients

3 cups cranberry juice
½ cup orange juice
1 canned seltzer
1 sliced orange
1 sliced apple
⅓ cup frozen cranberries
¼ packed basil leaves
Ice

Instructions

Pour the cranberry juice, orange juice, and seltzer into one pitcher. Add the fruit slices and basil. Stir together, then serve into individual glasses.

See more on Delish.com.

A play on the popular tequila sunrise, this orange juice-and-grenadine alternative can greet you every morning and transport you to a sunny, crystal-water beach. It’s got to be 9 o’clock in the morning somewhere.

Yields 1 serving.

Ingredients

4 to 6 ounces orange juice
½ to 1 ounce grenadine
1 orange slice

Instructions

Fill a tall glass with orange juice and ice. Add grenadine and an orange slice to top it all off.

See more on The Spruce Eats.

Here’s a radically different and delicious take on your typical whiskey sour. Mix a dash of sweet-yet-smoky flavors into a quarter-cup of Lapsang souchong tea, a black tea that has benefits such as boosting energy and aiding weight loss, and subdue your alcohol craving. Great for the fall and winter atmosphere.

Yields 1 serving.

Ingredients

¼ cup Lapsang souchong tea at room temperature
4 tsp. maple syrup
Pinch of ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. egg white, organic and pasteurized
½ orange slice
Maraschino cherry

Instructions

Pour the tea, maple syrup, lemon juice, and pepper into a co*cktail shaker with ice and shake. Add the egg white and shake again. Pour the drink into a glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with the orange slice and cherry.

See more at The New York Times.

Travel to Ireland with Dublin Double Irish Coffee. Indulge dinner guests with this coffee-based mocktail that’s anything but boring.

Yields 1 serving.

Ingredients

2.5 ounces Lyre’s American Malt
4 ounces hot brewed coffee
¼ ounces premium maple syrup
3 ounces whipped cream

Instructions

Stir American Malt, maple syrup, and hot coffee into an Irish coffee mug. Once maple is mixed in well, add the whipped cream on top.

See more on Lyre.

Lie back by the fire and enjoy a hot apple cider, perfect for the winter season. Easy to prepare and comforting to drink, this festive beverage will keep you warm and cozy.

Yields 12 servings.

Ingredients

1 gallon fresh cider or organic unfiltered apple juice
1 medium orange, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 half-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, cut into quarter-inch cubes
4 three-inch cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp. whole cloves
2 whole star anise pods
Orange slices

Instructions

Pour the cider into a large pot, and add the orange, ginger, and cinnamon. Place cloves and star anise pods in a double layer of cheesecloth or a coffee filter, and add. Cook for about 45 minutes for the flavors to blend together. Serve immediately.

See more at Mermaids and Mojitos.

The Shirley Temple is an easy go-to drink to serve kids who are in the mood to spice things up but aren’t of age yet. However, the tasty grenadine flavor has adults returning to this simple mocktail years later!

Yields 1 serving.

Ingredients

1 ounce grenadine
6 ounces soda (Sprite, 7Up, ginger ale)
Maraschino cherries

Instructions

Pour the grenadine into the bottom of a tall glass filled with ice. Then add about 6 ounces of the white soda of your choice to fill the rest. Top it off with maraschino cherries.

Taking time off alcohol doesn’t mean skipping out on all the fun. That’s when the baby Bellini comes in handy. Enjoy this chic and delicate mocktail with your gals over a Zoom brunch or during the appetizers at home.

Yields 1 serving.

Ingredients

2 ounces peach nectar
4 to 5 ounce sparkling cider
Peach slice

Instructions

Pour peach nectar into a champagne glass, then add the sparkling cider. Garnish with the peach slice.

See more on The Spruce Eats.

Perfect for the holidays, this bright red mocktail will not only taste like heaven but also give you your dose of vitamin C, all while ensuring you won’t wake up hungover the morning after.

Yields 2 servings.

Ingredients

¼ cup Seville orange marmalade
Juice of 1 lime
½ cup cranberry juice
Lemon twists

Instructions

Place marmalade in a strainer over a small bowl. Add 2 Tbsp. boiling water while forcing the jelly, not peels, through the strainer. Stir it in the bowl. Place this marmalade syrup in a mixing glass. Add the lime juice, cranberry juice, ice, then stir. Serve in two co*cktail glasses with the lemon twists to finish it off.

See more on The New York Times.

This virgin version of the traditional Cuban co*cktail is great for hot temperatures. The refreshing mix of lime and mint will help quench your thirst on a sunny day.

Yields 1 serving.

Ingredients

10 fresh mint leaves
2 packets Splenda No Calorie Sweetener
¼ cup pineapple juice
Juice of 1 lime
½ cup club soda

Instructions

Place the mint leaves and Splenda No Calorie Sweetener into a co*cktail shaker and press them against it. Add the pineapple juice, lime juice, and ice, and shake. Strain into a tall glass with ice and fill the rest with the club soda. Garnish with mint leaves.

See more on Delish.

This virgin appletini is a delicious variation of the classic martini. Elegantly served in a tall martini glass, it will trick you into thinking you’re biting into your favorite sweet-and-sour green apple.

Yields 1 serving.

Ingredients

Granulated sugar
¼ cup fresh apple juice
1 Tbsp. simple syrup
½ Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Apple slices

Instructions

Rim the co*cktail glass with sugar. Pour apple juice, simple syrup, and lemon juice into a co*cktail shaker with ice. Shake. Strain into the glass and add the apple slices on top.

See more on The Spruce Eats.

This sweet drink is ideal for the holiday season, the period in which fresh pomegranates are in season. This is a special example of how to fancy up a relaxing tea drink into an exciting mocktail.

Yields 1 serving.

Ingredients

¼ cup fresh pomegranate juice
1 Tbsp. cinnamon syrup
1 teabag orange-and-spice blend black tea
½ to ¾ cup hot water
Cinnamon stick

Instructions

Pour pomegranate juice and cinnamon syrup into a warm mug. Add the teabag and pour in the hot water. Let it sit as long as the specific tea recommends, then remove the teabag. Stir and garnish with the cinnamon stick.

See more on The Spruce Eats.

A fun twist on the popular margarita co*cktail, this watermelon margarita is the ultimate summer beverage and perfect for entertaining a crowd!

Yields 4 servings.

Ingredients

1 medium seedless watermelon cut into pieces
½ cup fresh lime juice
4 tsp. agave
5 Tbsp. sparkling water

Instructions

Place the watermelon chunks into a blender in order to obtain 4 cups of watermelon puree. Add the lime juice and agave and blend again. Pour into 4 cups. Distribute the sparkling water into the 4 cups.

See more on Healthy Beat.

Made with Seedlip Spice 94—a non-alcoholic spirit with notes of oak, grapefruit, lemon, and more—the Seedlip Spice and tonic will surely leave people wanting more.

Yields 1 serving.

Ingredients

50 ml Seedlip spice 94
125 ml tonic water
Red grapefruit twist
Cinnamon stick

Instructions

Pour Seedlip Spice and tonic into a glass with ice and mix. Garnish with the red grapefruit twist or the cinnamon stick.

See more on Seedlip.

Both sweet and tart in flavor, this drink will be your new super-simple go-to. It requires only two ingredients and will give you the illusion of eating an energizing acai bowl, except here you’re drinking it!

Yields 2 servings.

Ingredients

¼ pint fresh blackberries
8 ounces ginger ale

Instructions

Set aside 4 berries for garnish. Force the rest through a sieve to remove the seeds in order to end with ¼ cup of berry puree. Pour the ginger ale evenly into two champagne flutes, and add a tablespoon of berry puree into each. Without mixing, garnish each drink with a couple of berries.

See more on The New York Times.

This tasteful mocktail exudes exactly what its name presents: citrus-filled flavor. The combination of Seedlip Grove 42 (which is made of orange, lemon peel, lemongrass, and ginger) and an organic marmalade cordial makes this sophisticated drink a great replacement for champagne on a special occasion.

Yields 1 serving.

Ingredients

1.75 ounces Seedlip Grove 42
¾ ounce organic marmalade cordial (mix 300 grams organic marmalade with 150 ml hot water, strain, and store in the fridge)
Sparkling water

Instructions

Pour Seedlip and cordial into a champagne flute and fill the rest with sparkling water.

See more on Seedlip.

This tropical mocktail is essential for creating a beach atmosphere, even if you’re stuck at home. With just three ingredients, you can re-create this delicious treat.

Yields 4 servings.

Ingredients

3 cups frozen pineapple chunks
15 ounces coconut milk
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
Drink umbrellas

Instructions

Blend all ingredients together and garnish with a cute drink umbrella.

See more on A Couple Cooks.

Beat the heat with this refreshing berry-flavored drink that couldn’t be easier to make–just toss everything together and shake, then add the special touch of ginger beer to tie it all together.

Yields 1 serving.

Ingredients

½ ounce lime juice
½ ounce honey syrup
1 ounce black currant puree
4 to 6 mint leaves
Ginger beer

Instructions

Shake all ingredients except ginger beer together in a co*cktail shaker with ice. Strain over fresh ice and finish it off with ginger beer.

From Cooks on Main.

This adorable drink is the epitome of bartender creativity. Created in a New York City bar, this sensation mixes the tropical flavors of passion fruit and lemon with the bitterness of cold-brew coffee.

Yields 1 serving.

Ingredients

1½ ounce cold-brew coffee
¾ ounce passion fruit puree
¾ ounce orgeat
½ ounce lemon juice

Instructions

Fill a goblet with crushed ice, and mix all together.

From New York’s Penrose Bar, per Imbibe.

Spice up your brunch with this tangy, savory, and salty tomato drink. Perfect for winter as the spice will warm you up.

Yields 1 serving.

Ingredients

3 ounces tomato juice
½ ounce lemon juice
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. celery salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 dashes hot sauce
1 celery stalk
1 pickle spear

Instructions

Pour the tomato juice and lemon juice into a tall glass filled with ice and mix. Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Mix again. Add the celery stalk or pickle spear as garnish.

See more on The Spruce Eats