15 Non-Alcoholic Cocktails That Actually Taste Good
These 15 mocktail recipes prove non-alcoholic drinks can be just as interesting as cocktails. Perfect for Dry January, pregnancy, or just cutting back.
The era of the afterthought mocktail — a sad glass of juice with a garnish — is over. These are non-alcoholic drinks designed with the same care as cocktails: layered flavours, balanced acidity, proper garnishes, and interesting combinations that stand on their own without needing alcohol to make them work.
Whether you're doing Dry January, cutting back, pregnant, driving, or simply sober by choice, these drinks give you something genuinely interesting to hold at a party or sip at home — not a compromise, but a proper drink.
The best mocktails share the same structure as cocktails: a base (juice, tea, or soda), a sour element (citrus), a sweet element (syrup or fruit), and something interesting (ginger, herbs, spice, bitters). Build them the same way and they're just as satisfying.
15 Non-Alcoholic Cocktails Worth Making
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Virgin Mojito
A refreshing and zesty non-alcoholic adaptation of the classic Mojito, the Virgin Mojito combines fresh mint, tangy lime, simple syrup, and sparkling water, creating a vibrant and cooling drink perfect for any occasion.
Muddled mint, fresh lime juice, sugar syrup, and soda water. The virgin mojito is one of the most convincing non-alcoholic drinks on this list — the mint and lime carry enough flavour and freshness that the absence of rum is genuinely not noticeable. Use plenty of ice and fresh spearmint.
Virgin Margarita
A zesty and refreshing non-alcoholic version of the classic Margarita, featuring a vibrant blend of fresh lime and orange juices, a touch of sweetness, and a bubbly finish, often served with a festive salted rim.
Fresh lime juice, orange juice, and agave syrup over ice with a salted rim. The non-alcoholic margarita retains everything that makes the original great — the tartness, the salt contrast, the citrus brightness — and works better than almost any other spirit-free spirit substitution.
Virgin Piña Colada
A delightful non-alcoholic rendition of the tropical classic, the Virgin Piña Colada is a creamy, sweet, and refreshing blend of pineapple juice, coconut cream, and ice, evoking sun-drenched beaches and island vibes.
Pineapple juice and coconut cream blended with ice. The virgin piña colada is one of the few mocktails that's arguably better than the alcoholic original — creamy, tropical, and genuinely refreshing. The rum mostly gets lost in a standard piña colada anyway.
Shirley Temple
A beloved and iconic non-alcoholic drink, the Shirley Temple is a sweet and fizzy concoction made with ginger ale (or lemon-lime soda), a splash of grenadine, and traditionally garnished with a maraschino cherry.
Ginger ale, grenadine, and orange juice with a cherry. The Shirley Temple has been the classic non-alcoholic party drink for decades — sweet, pink, and completely crowd-pleasing. Use real grenadine (not the artificial neon red version) for a noticeably better result.
Non-Alcoholic Sangria
A vibrant and fruity alcohol-free version of the classic Spanish punch, Non-Alcoholic Sangria is a refreshing blend of various fruit juices, fresh fruit slices, and a splash of sparkling water, offering a delightful balance of sweet, tangy, and bubbly notes.
Red grape juice, orange juice, sparkling water, and fresh fruit — chilled and served in a pitcher. Non-alcoholic sangria is one of the best batch mocktails for parties: it looks spectacular, serves a crowd, improves with time in the fridge, and requires almost no effort to make.
Virgin Mary
The Virgin Mary is a savory and robust non-alcoholic cocktail, essentially a Bloody Mary without the vodka. It's a flavorful blend of tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and various spices, offering a rich, tangy, and slightly spicy kick.
A Virgin Mary is simply a Bloody Mary without the vodka — and arguably the better drink for it. Tomato juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire, lemon juice, celery salt, and black pepper. The tomato is the star; the vodka was always the supporting act.
Non-Alcoholic Mango Mojito
A tropical, refreshing mojito mocktail using mango puree, lime, and mint.
Muddled mint, fresh mango, lime juice, sugar syrup, and soda water. The mango mojito mocktail adds tropical sweetness to the classic mint-lime framework, producing something that feels distinctly celebratory and summery. A favourite for outdoor parties and summer occasions.
Sparkling Cranberry Punch
A festive non-alcoholic punch with cranberry juice, orange juice, and sparkling water.
Cranberry juice, fresh orange juice, ginger ale, and a splash of lime — served in a pitcher over ice. Sparkling cranberry punch is a stunning, deep-red batch drink that's easy to scale and always looks more impressive than its simplicity suggests.
Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri
A refreshing non-alcoholic version of the classic daiquiri, blending fresh strawberries, lime, and sugar.
Fresh strawberries, lime juice, sugar syrup, and ice — blended until smooth. The strawberry daiquiri is one of the most satisfying blended mocktails and one where the flavour is almost entirely in the fruit. A brilliant summer drink and genuinely impressive without any alcohol.
Tropical Sunrise Mocktail
A layered non-alcoholic drink with orange juice, pineapple, and grenadine, resembling a sunrise.
Layered pineapple juice and orange juice with a grenadine sunrise effect — a non-alcoholic version of the Tequila Sunrise that's just as visually striking. Pour slowly over the back of a spoon to keep the layers distinct, then let it bleed together at the table.
5 More Non-Alcoholic Drinks Worth Knowing
These five round out your non-alcoholic repertoire for every occasion:
- Arnold Palmer — equal parts iced tea and fresh lemonade. The most refreshing non-alcoholic drink for hot weather and entirely without gimmick.
- Ginger beer with lime — not a cocktail, but ginger beer (non-alcoholic) over ice with a generous squeeze of lime is one of the most satisfying non-alcoholic drinks available. Better than most mocktails.
- Agua fresca — blended watermelon, lime juice, and water with a touch of sugar. The Mexican answer to lemonade and one of the most refreshing drinks in existence.
- Sparkling water with muddled fruit and herbs — cucumber and mint, strawberry and basil, raspberry and rosemary. Simple, elegant, and infinitely adaptable.
- Lavender lemonade — fresh lemonade with lavender syrup. Floral, slightly sweet, and genuinely sophisticated. A better wedding drink than most of the things served at weddings.
How to Make Mocktails That Actually Taste Good
The most important principle: don't treat a mocktail as a cocktail with something removed. Treat it as its own drink with its own logic. Alcohol adds bitterness, warmth, and complexity — the absence of those things needs to be compensated for with other flavour elements.
Use real ginger beer (not ginger ale) for heat and complexity. Add citrus generously — tartness carries flavour the way alcohol does. Don't under-sweeten; without the balancing bitterness of spirits, a lightly sweetened drink can taste flat. Fresh herbs (mint, basil, rosemary, thyme) add aromatic complexity that replaces some of the depth that alcohol provides.
Garnishes matter more in mocktails than in cocktails. A proper garnish — a herb sprig, a citrus wheel, a skewer of fresh fruit — signals to the drinker that this is a considered drink, not an afterthought. It changes the experience significantly.
Explore the full non-alcoholic drinks collection — mocktails, juices, sparkling drinks, and alcohol-free alternatives.
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The best mocktails aren't trying to taste like cocktails — they're trying to be excellent drinks in their own right. Start with the virgin mojito or the sparkling cranberry punch for parties, and the Arnold Palmer or ginger beer and lime for everyday drinking. Apply the same care you'd give a cocktail and the results will surprise you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Three things: fresh citrus for acidity (which carries flavour the way alcohol does), real ginger beer or sparkling water for texture and bite, and fresh herbs for aromatic complexity. Don't under-sweeten — without the balancing bitterness of spirits, slightly more sweetness is often needed. Use good ingredients; the quality of your juice and garnish matters even more in non-alcoholic drinks than in cocktails.
Non-alcoholic sangria or sparkling cranberry punch — both are batch drinks that serve a crowd, look spectacular, and improve with time in the fridge. Make them 2 to 3 hours ahead, keep chilled, and add any sparkling elements just before serving. They also work for guests of all ages, which simplifies hosting considerably.
Yes — brands like Seedlip, Lyre's, and Ritual Zero Proof produce spirit alternatives designed to replicate the botanical complexity of gin, rum, tequila, and whiskey. They work well in mocktails where the spirit character is important (a non-alcoholic negroni, for instance). They are more expensive than standard spirits but genuinely add depth that plain juice substitutions can't replicate.
Traditional brewed ginger beer can contain trace amounts of alcohol (under 0.5% ABV) from fermentation — technically classified as non-alcoholic under most regulatory standards. Commercial ginger beer (Fever-Tree, Bundaberg, Fentimans) is brewed to be non-alcoholic and is suitable for all audiences. Ginger ale is always fully non-alcoholic but has significantly less ginger flavour.
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