{"id":2037,"date":"2022-07-21T15:52:03","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T15:52:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.themixer.com\/en-us\/?p=2037"},"modified":"2026-01-12T04:08:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T08:08:05","slug":"turn-your-favorite-cocktail-into-mocktail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.themixer.com\/en-us\/learn\/turn-your-favorite-cocktail-into-mocktail\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Shake Your Best Cocktail into Mocktail: Tips & Recipes"},"content":{"rendered":"

What’s a mocktail? It’s a playful drink that\u2019s non-alcoholic, and making one that\u2019s fun and tasty is easy with our help! Drinking mocktails shouldn\u2019t make you feel like a party pooper or, even worse, an afterthought, like when your vegan bestie gets served a plate of veggie side dishes as a main.<\/p>\n

Whatever your reason for preferring a mocktail, from mums-to-be to designated drivers, your drink should have all the special sparkle and magic of the main event. We have the best advice to flip your go-to boozy sip into one of the top mocktail recipes. Building a cocktail without alcohol is easy once you know the basics.<\/p>\n

Top tips to turn any cocktail into a mocktail<\/h2>\n

\"Selection<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re building a cocktail, it\u2019s all about balance. Your taste buds register five flavor profiles \u2014 sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. An alcoholic spirit can offer a few of these profiles built in and give your drink a depth of flavor. So, how can you make a tasty mocktail, if you remove the alcohol?<\/p>\n

The trick is making sure you include a few key ingredients or elements that can transform your drink. It should have a good measure of sweet and sour, as well as texture. Bitter is also a great taste for a cocktail; just remember, bitter is not the same as sour. A lemon is sour, not bitter. Bitter is a sharper flavor, found in cocktail bitters of course, as well as coffee, olives and orange peel. Read on to find out more about balancing flavor profiles:<\/p>\n

Sweet and sour:<\/i> Start with balancing your sweet and sour for a perfect mocktail. For your sweet,<\/i> keep a simple syrup<\/a> at hand. It\u2019s easy to make at home and blends well in a cocktail or mocktail in place of a sprinkle of sugar, which won\u2019t dilute easily. If you want, you can add additional flavor profiles to your simple syrup, like orange zest or rosemary. For the sour part, add some freshly squeezed lemon, lime or grapefruit juice for that important je ne c\u2019est quoi<\/i> we all love in a cocktail to balance the sweetness. The sour elements you can try are cranberry juice or even just a dash of vinegar.<\/p>\n

Bitters:<\/i> If you a fan of an aperitif like a Negroni or an Old Fashioned<\/a> then adding that bitter element is a must. Adding a dash bitters<\/a> technically does mean you\u2019re adding alcohol but it\u2019s a fraction, about the same as adding vanilla extract into a cake. (Fun fact: Did you know vanilla extract contains alcohol?) Alternatively, if adding bitter is not an option, then brew some black tea for longer than usual, resulting in a tannic bitter liquid. Add a zest of orange and a dash of this mixture can sub in for your bitters.<\/p>\n

Texture:<\/i> By texture, we mean bubbles, club soda, seltzer or tonic water, which often includes a faint hint of saltiness too. Adding texture to a drink, mocktail or cocktail, makes it \u201cthicker\u201d on the palate and helps to slow down one\u2019s sipping. Blending or muddling fruit can also add texture. Take a Mojito: when you muddle mint and sugar with lime zest, it gives the drink it\u2019s classic texture. Fruity daiquiris like a Strawberry Daiquiri<\/a> have all the texture blended into the cocktail.<\/p>\n

What can I use instead of alcohol in a mocktail?<\/h2>\n

\"Cherry<\/p>\n

When you ditch the booze in a cocktail, you\u2019ll need to make sure you add in that kick of flavor and texture that spirits give. Here are some of our favorite substitutes:<\/p>\n

The fizz:<\/i> Adding club soda or seltzer that\u2019s unsweetened is an easy swap that gives the all-important texture and the savory profile.<\/p>\n

Tangy soda:<\/i> A ginger beer or lemonade are ideal substitutes that give the fizz and the kick on the palate that mocktails need for balance. If these are too sweet for your taste, tone it down with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a top up of soda water or sparkling water.<\/p>\n

Kombuchas and bitter ice teas:<\/i> Look out for unsweetened teas and kombuchas, which add a serious amount of acidity, and some have a good fizz too. Kombucha is a fermented drink that will add a serious depth of flavor to your mocktail but, watch out as some can have marginal alcohol content, so check the labels before you buy, but a good splash of kombucha can add a delicious depth of flavor to any mocktail<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Non-alcoholic spirits:<\/i> A trendy product that\u2019s a great switch for a spirit is a non-alcoholic spirit, flavored with botanicals like gin. You\u2019d mix this classically instead of gin, but they work for vodka too.<\/p>\n

Cocktails that won\u2019t work as mocktail<\/h2>\n

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Some cocktails can be pretty tricky to match like for like, where the booze is the star of the show, like an Old Fashioned<\/a> that\u2019s all whiskey with a dash of bitters. Here at The Mixer, we aim to please, so we\u2019ve worked on sans booze mocktails so you don\u2019t have to! Get going and learn how to make a virgin martini.<\/p>\n

Must Try Mocktails<\/h2>\n

\"close<\/p>\n

Picking a fave mocktail is tricky but here are some of our top picks:<\/p>\n