12 Non-Alcoholic Cocktails We Can't Get Enough Of

12 Non-Alcoholic Cocktails We Can’t Get Enough Of

Whether you prefer to call them mocktails (we don’t, for the record), zero-proof, or spirit-free drinks, we’d like to encourage you to dive deep into the world of non-alcoholic mixed drinks, which can be every bit as complex, delicious, and worth getting excited about as its boozy counterpart. The traditional principles used to craft alcoholic mixed drinks – finding balance in flavour, picking thoughtful garnishes, glassware, and ice – apply to non-alcoholic cocktails as well, and while some of the recipes we enjoy the most call for a few additional steps, like making a syrup or a tincture, you’ll be surprised by how easy many can be used again to add extra flavour to everything from ice cream to coffee. Read on for some of our favourite non-alcoholic cocktails, from the caffeinated and citrus-forward Coffee Cooler, to a cherry soda-Esque Cherry Red. These are drinks you’ll want to make long after Dry January is behind us.

Non-alcoholic drinks that are a must try this season

Green refresher

In the Green Refresher, one of our favourite non-alcoholic cocktails concocted from master distiller and mixologist Sebastian Reaburn, the herbaceous, earthy notes of Japanese sencha tea perfectly complements the sweet, tart flavour of apple juice.

Coffee cooler

Love an Espresso Martini, but don’t want the booze? The Coffee Cooler scratches any itch for caffeine with added sweetness from freshly squeezed orange juice.

Ghia sour

Ghia is a Campari-lover’s booze-free best friend, and this simple, non-alcoholic cocktail shows off the complex botanicals and herbs in one of our favourite non-alcoholic aperitifs.

Cherry red

Mixologist Sebastian Reaburn uses black cherries when he makes this non-alcoholic cocktail, which was inspired, he says, by “classic American flavours like Big Red chewing gum and Cherry Coke.”

Jardin Verde

This refreshing non-alcoholic cocktail from Bryan Dayton is featured in Julia Bainbridge’s book, Good Drinks. It is sweet and mildly bitter from Seedlip Garden 108 with botanical notes that shine with the addition of fragrant, herbal tonic water.

Shift drink

The Shift Drink is a combination of freshly squeezed grapefruit and lemon juices, an intensely fragrant spiced honey syrup, ginger beer, and one of our favourite non-alcoholic cocktails, Amass Riverine.

Chicha Morada

Chicha morada, a refreshing sweet-tart Peruvian drink, gets its gorgeous hue from dried purple corn. Garnished with chunks of pineapple and apple and spiced with cinnamon and cloves, this sangria-like mocktail is the perfect summer drink.

Oriole’s G&T Tisane

From Chicago restaurant Oriole, this chilled tisane calls for juniper berries, coriander seeds, osmanthus flowers, Szechuan peppercorns, white peppercorns, and mustard seeds.

Mango hibiscus cooler

Let guests choose their own adventure with this make-ahead mixer flavoured with sweet mango nectar and sour-tart hibiscus syrup. It’s especially delicious on the rocks with sparkling water.

Psychedelic backyard

Verjus adds a pleasant kick of acidity to this non-alcoholic cocktail from mixologist and author John deBary.

Sangrita

Sangrita is the traditional chaser for shots of tequila. This recipe comes from Arunas Bruzas, the bartender at the Adobo Grill in Chicago.

Baby marmalade

John deBary uses both ginger juice and ginger syrup in this mocktail. “Ginger replicates that pleasant burn from the vodka in the original,” he says.

(Credit for Hero and Feature Image: Matt Taylor-Gross)

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