What is a mocktail?
A mocktail is a broad term for a non-alcoholic drink, usually a mixture of different fruit juices, alcohol-free alternatives and fizzy drinks. These often are directly recreating famous cocktails but with no alcohol. For example, making a mulled wine punch with cranberry juice instead of wine, or using a 0% ABV spirit to make an alcohol-free passion fruit martini.
There are no strict rules on how to make a mocktail – let your imagination run wild! Think about the flavour combinations you might know from famous cocktails, and look to recreate this with non-alcoholic ingredients. For example, fruit juices are often very sweet but can be balanced with flavoured tonic waters to add a touch of bitterness, just like you’ll find in some spirits.
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Summer mocktail ideas
1. Summer cup
If you’re abstaining from boozy drinks, there’s a whole host of seasonal fruit available to turn into pretty punches. This fruity summer cup mocktail features red berries, lemonade, mint and cucumber – a cooling combination ideal for balmy summer days.
2. Fruit coolers
Need something simple and refreshing for a summer party? Our goji berry & raspberry cooler contrasts the sharp tangy flavours of ginger, goji berries and raspberries with a dash of sweet honey. Alternatively, try our citrus peach cooler. Grapefruit, pomelo and clementines are in season during the winter months, but we particularly like blood oranges. They have a very short season towards the end of winter, so make the most of their deep red flesh while you can. Showcase them in our drivers’ punch for a healthy glassful of flavour.
3. Iced tea
There is no end to the versatility of tea, whether you enjoy it in a steaming mug during winter, as a cooling iced drink during summer, or even fermented in a kombucha. Try our easy iced tea with subtle hints of oranges, lemons and mint, or get experimental and try using other fruits. Our peach iced tea, golden pineapple and vanilla iced tea and mint and mango iced green tea are great alternatives.
Cool down with more refreshing iced tea recipes.
4. Ginger beer
Looking for something with a kick? This zingy ginger beer uses fresh ginger and sugar to make a syrup, which you can combine with lemon juice and soda water. Perfect for a family picnic or garden party.
5. Homemade cordial
Making a batch of homemade fruit cordial should see you through a few weeks of a dryathlon. Try to use whatever is seasonal and for a basic mix, combine with just sugar and water. Elderflower works well and can often be foraged – just make sure you shake off the bugs – or try seasonal berries. Provided they’re stored in sterilised jars, cordials can last several months in the fridge.
Try some of our seasonal cordial flavours:
Rhubarb cordial
Elderflower cordial
Blackcurrant cordial
Rosehip cordial
Raspberry cordial
6. Alcohol-free passion fruit martini
There’s no reason to miss out on one of our most popular cocktails! Mix up a passionfruit martini mocktail with all the flavour of the original, but none of the booze. Combine fresh passion fruit and lemon juice with an alcohol-free spirit to give it an extra complexity.
7. Virgin mojito mocktail
Ditch the rum and try this refreshing virgin mojito with zingy lime, sugar and fresh mint. Bash the mint under a rolling pin or with a pestle and mortar to release the oils, so it yields plenty of flavour.
For a fruity flavour twist, also try our pomegranate mojito mocktail.
8. Diabolo grenadine
Make your own ruby red grenadine by heating pomegranate juice with sugar to form a syrup, then adding delicate orange blossom water. This can then be used in a variety of mocktails, such as our diabolo grenadine where the syrup is mixed with lemonade – perfect for a summer drink or Valentine’s mocktail.
9. Smoothies
Up your vitamin intake and whizz up a fruit-based smoothie. Follow our guide to achieving the perfect smoothie blend using your favourite ingredients, then get creative with flavourings like peanut butter and spices. If you want to be really virtuous, try adding vegetables – our vegan kale smoothie also combines creamy avocado, pineapple juice and lime.
Strawberry smoothie
Peanut butter smoothie
Watermelon smoothie
Forest fruit & banana smoothie
Super berry smoothie
Mango & banana smoothie
Blitz up more refreshing smoothie recipes.
10. Non-alcoholic tropical fizz
Put tinned fruit to good use in this sparkling quencher with kiwi, strawberries and pineapple. Find yourself a good tropical fruit juice as a base – or if you have a juicer to hand, you could try making your own with anything from mango and lychees to fresh passion fruit.
11. Apple, elderflower & mint sparkle
Use up your homemade elderflower cordial in a simple blend with apple juice, fresh mint and a little soda water to make this apple, elderflower & mint sparkle. Use a different cordial if you like, and if you can’t get hold of mint, swap it for fresh rosemary.
12. Homemade lemonade and limeade
Ditch shop-bought lemonade for a cloudy homemade alternative. The flavour combinations are endless – try adding a whole range of seasonal berries for a colourful non-alcoholic glassful.
Lime makes for a tangy drop – blend the fruit whole into a pulp and combine with soda water. This recipe works with vodka or rum if you’re catering for those who fancy a tipple.
Limeade
Pink lemonade
Watermelon lemonade
Funky fermented lemonade
13. Lassi
This refreshing Indian drink is designed to cool the palate following spicy food. It has a yogurt base, which in this recipe can be made savoury by adding cumin and coriander, or sweet with rosewater and sugar. We also have a mango version with added pistachio and mint.
Sweet & spiced lassis
Mango lassi
Bonny lassi
14. Tequila sunrise mocktail
Coriander, vinegar and vanilla are combined to make an impressive non-alcoholic alternative to tequila in this traditionally alcoholic summery sip. Mix with grenadine syrup to achieve the classic sunrise effect.
15. Rosemary & orange iced tea
Enjoy a balmy summer evening with this vibrant orange iced tea cocktail. Aromatic rosemary transforms it into a grown-up friendly drink without the alcohol.
16. Non-alcoholic summer spritz
Make a fruity summer spritz with a light tartness from granadilla – a type of passion fruit that is both sweet and sour (a normal passion fruit works just fine, too).
Winter mocktail ideas
17. Pear & rose punch
A delicate blend of pear, apple and rose gives this wintry punch a sophisticated flavour. Garnish your punch bowl with vibrant redcurrants for the real wow-factor.
18. Virgin piña colada
Get a taste for the tropics with our spiced virgin piña colada, an easy virgin cocktail recipe that is sure to become a new favourite. Make up a mock rum syrup by combining pineapple with sugar and spices, then combine it with creamy coconut milk, pineapple and lime juice.
19. Faux fizz
Swap your prosecco for a brilliantly fizzy cocktail, made from a base syrup of pear, apricots, honey, lemon and rosemary. Pour into a champagne flute and top with cold sparkling water to make the ultimate faux fizz.
20. Non-alcoholic G&T
Serve up an alcohol-free G&T at your Christmas party, infused with fragrant spices and botanicals including chamomile, cardamom, mint, cloves and rosemary.
21. Non-alcoholic mulled wine
It’s not Christmas without a steaming mug of mulled wine in hand. Replace the wine element with fruity pomegranate and apple juice to make a mulled wine mocktail version. Combined with warming cinnamon, star anise, cloves and peppercorns, it’s sure to fill the house with wonderfully festive aromas.
22. Clementine mock mojito
Make the most of seasonal fruit in a fabulously refreshing non-alcoholic clementine mojito. The citrus flavour is enhanced with notes of orange blossom, water and fresh mint.
23. Pineapple & ginger punch
For something a bit different, try our pineapple and ginger punch, which also contains fresh mint and zingy lime. It’s the perfect reviver for any flagging party guests.
24. Cranberry spritz
Another mocktail to perk you up, this cranberry spritz is a breath of fresh air, with hints of sage and orange. Serve with sparkling grape juice for a light and refreshing drink.
25. Non-alcoholic Irish cream liqueur
Equally delicious as a drink or incorporated into bakes, our non-alcoholic Irish cream liqueur recreates the luxuriously creamy consistency of the classic cocktail along with espresso and festive spices.
26. Frozen blackberry smoothie
Who says smoothies are just for summer? Put a bounty of frozen fruits to good use in this sweet and sharp blackberry smoothie. Mixed with banana, stem ginger and pomegranate juice, it’ll be a talking point at parties.
27. Sage sour
Capture the fresh flavour of sage leaves in a punchy mocktail, along with alcohol-free gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg white. This sophisticated sage sour is effortlessly elegant and makes a great palate cleanser.
28. Apple & rhubarb cooler
Take apple juice to the next level with a sharp injection of apple cider vinegar, fizzy rhubarb soda and stem ginger syrup. Served with a rosemary garnish, this apple & rhubarb cooler is reminiscent of a light and fruity flavoured cider.
29. Passionfruit & elderflower spritz
Combine tangy passionfruit with floral elderflower and lemon to make this sophisticated spritz, sure to impress guests at a Christmas party or New Year’s gathering.
30. Pomegranate martini mocktail
For a speedy winter serve, combine non-alcoholic gin with fresh pomegranate and orange juice to make a refreshing winter mocktail. Top with pomegranate seeds for a stylish finish.
31. Lemon drop martini mocktail
A non-alcoholic cocktail take on the sweetshop classic, alcohol-free gin (or even just cold water), marmalade, white wine vinegar and lemon juice combine to make this tantalising mocktail. Freshly grated lemon zest and golden caster sugar make a lip-smacking pair for the rim of the glass.
32. Mulled apple juice
Keep designated drivers and kids happy with this non-alcoholic version of the warming Christmas drink. It’s got all of the festive flavour thanks to orange peel, cinnamon sticks and cloves, just without the booze.
33. Rhubarb & ginger no-gin fizz
Celebrate the start of the new year in style with a rhubarb & ginger flavoured non-alcoholic gin fizz. Alcohol-free sparkling wine adds to the celebrations and a garnish of crystallised ginger completes the classy look.
Other mocktail ideas
34. Negroni mocktail
Give this classic Italian cocktail a non-alcoholic makeover by mixing grape juice with a fragrant homemade syrup of grapefruit, coriander and cardamom pods. This negroni mocktail is best served chilled with ice and a segment of orange.
35. Sidecar mocktail
Recreate the sweet, citrusy notes of a classic sidecar by combining marmalade, lemon juice and a hint of honey. Using lapsang souchong tea bags also gives this sidecar mocktail a subtle, smoky flavour.
36. Fruity mocktail
Whether raising a glass to the New Year, toasting the festive season or celebrating a special occasion, this fruity mocktail is bound to be a popular party drink. Create the graduating ‘sunset’ colour effect by topping grenadine with orange juice and sparkling water. We also have some funky edible stirrers made from blueberries and grapes, which easily double up as a snack that kids will love.
37. New York sour mocktail
This New York sour mocktail replicates the sweet, sharp flavours of the classic cocktail, but without the booze. A base of malty assam tea, sharp lemon and sweet maple syrup gives way to tangy pomegranate juice and a fluffy egg white surface.
38. Tom collins mocktail
For a lighter and alcohol-free Tom collins, combine non-alcoholic gin (or even water) with lemon juice, sugar syrup and top up with soda. Quick, easy and refreshing.
39. Whisky sour mocktail
Assam tea leaf makes a convincing stand-in for bourbon whisky in this non-alcoholic cocktail. Egg white for the distinctly foamy top and a shiny cocktail cherry make it just as impressive-looking as the real thing.
40. Grapefruit gin sour mocktail
Shake up your non-alcoholic cocktail game with this alcohol-free gin sour with fresh grapefruit juice and egg whites for a grown-up tipple without the booze.
Enoyed these delicious drinks? Try more marvellous mocktails…
Non-alcoholic cocktail recipes
Our favourite non-alcoholic drinks
Mocktails for kids
Christmas cocktails and mocktails
How to make cordial
What’s your preferred non-alcoholic tipple? Leave a comment below…