You don’t need a home bar full of specialty syrups and obscure ingredients to make a great mocktail. Some of the best non-alcoholic drinks come together with a few things you probably already have in the kitchen. Here are ten recipes that take five minutes or less, taste like you spent much longer on them, and don’t require any fancy equipment beyond a glass and maybe a spoon.
Shirley Temple
Grenadine, ginger ale, and a cherry. That’s the whole drink. Pour the soda over ice, add a splash of grenadine, and drop in a cherry. It takes thirty seconds and it’s been the world’s most popular mocktail for almost a century. Use real pomegranate grenadine instead of the neon-red stuff and you’ll taste why this drink has lasted so long.
Gin and Tonic
Two ingredients, one glass. Pour non-alcoholic gin over ice, top with tonic water, and squeeze in a lime wedge. The botanical notes from the gin alternative play off the quinine bitterness of the tonic the same way the original does. It’s clean, crisp, and ready before you’ve finished deciding what to watch.
Screwdriver
Non-alcoholic vodka and fresh orange juice over ice. Stir once. That’s it. The Screwdriver is proof that simple works. Fresh-squeezed orange juice makes a noticeable difference here, but even store-bought juice from the fridge gets the job done.
Whiskey and Coke
A non-alcoholic bourbon over ice, topped with cola. The caramel and vanilla in the bourbon alternative pairs with the sweetness of the cola in exactly the way you’d expect. Add a squeeze of lime if you want to cut through the sweetness a bit.
Sea Breeze
Cranberry juice, grapefruit juice, and non-alcoholic vodka poured over ice. No shaking, no muddling, no garnish required (though a grapefruit wedge looks nice). The tartness of the grapefruit against the sweet-tart cranberry is refreshing any time of year.
Mojito
Muddle some mint leaves with sugar, add lime juice and non-alcoholic rum, top with club soda. The Mojito requires one extra step compared to the others on this list, but that gentle muddling is what releases the mint’s aroma and makes the whole drink sing.
Margarita
Shake non-alcoholic tequila with citrus juice and agave syrup, pour into a salt-rimmed glass. The Margarita is the one recipe here that benefits from a shaker, but even stirring it together in a glass with ice produces something good. The salt rim makes a bigger difference than you’d think.
Bloody Mary
Tomato juice, non-alcoholic vodka, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and a squeeze of lemon. The savory side of mocktails doesn’t get enough attention. This is a morning drink, a brunch drink, or an afternoon pick-me-up, and you can build it directly in the glass without any special tools.
Cranberry Cosmo
Cranberry juice, lime juice, and non-alcoholic vodka shaken with ice and strained into a coupe glass. The deep pink color is half the appeal. Use 100% cranberry juice (not cocktail) for the right balance of tart and sweet.
Vermouth Spritz
Non-alcoholic vermouth, sparkling water, and an orange slice. If you’ve ever had an Aperol Spritz, this follows the same idea: something bitter and herbaceous stretched out with bubbles. It’s light, low on sugar, and feels more grown-up than most non-alcoholic options.
Every one of these recipes uses five ingredients or fewer. If you’re just getting started with mocktails, pick whichever one uses ingredients you already have and go from there. Once you see how quickly a good non-alcoholic drink comes together, you’ll find yourself reaching for these instead of wondering what to order at a bar.
