Mocktails to Get You Through the Year

Tips for the perfect mocktail

Stir don’t shake. NA spirits often lack the viscosity of traditional spirits, so the best practice is to opt for stirring over the traditional shake, Ruiz says.

“When making nonalcoholic cocktails, they lose some texture,” he says. “You’ll want to stir and chill, so you can build your cocktail right in the glass.”

Adjust recipes. Play around with the amount of NA spirits you need. Although they are designed to be a 1-to-1 replacement for alcohol, you may need to adjust amounts so they aren’t overpowered by your mixers.

Be creative. Think less about remaking classic cocktails because they won’t taste exactly the same and think more about the flavor profiles you hope to achieve. Spirits like bourbon or whiskey are harder to replicate than more neutral spirits like vodka or gin. If you like the taste of the replicated spirit, you can add tonic or soda, but in most cases, you’ll want to build something a little more complex.

Think about add-ins. Consider oranges, grapefruit or even a few jalapeños in a simple syrup. Fresh herbs are always a good addition, especially if you grow your own.

Here are three mocktails to try.

The Worthy Accomplice

Recipe provided by Ben Purvis, bar director, the Pink Rabbit cocktail bar in Portland, Oregon

• ¾ ounce NA gin
• ½ ounce fresh lime juice
• ½ ounce pandan simple syrup*
• Tonic soda to top off

Stir ingredients and top with tonic soda served in a coupe glass.

*Any simple syrup can be made using a 1-to-1 sugar-to-water ratio. Heat sugar in water over stove top and stir until sugar dissolves. As it cools it will thicken into a simple syrup. (For this version add in pandan leaves, which have a flavor similar to a vanilla bean and can be found fresh or frozen in Asian grocery stores. You can also use pandan juice.) Store simple syrup in an airtight container for one week. You can also buy premade simple syrup at grocery and liquor stores.

Madame Blueberry

Recipe from Amanda Robertson, assistant general manager and bartender at Merchant and Trade, a rooftop cocktail bar in Charlotte, North Carolina

• ¾ ounces NA rum
• 1 ounce blueberry simple syrup
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• ½ ounce honey syrup
• ½ ounce aquafaba (the liquid in canned chickpeas)​

Blueberry simple syrup:

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup white sugar

Mix blueberries, water and sugar together using a whisk in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium and bring a gentle boil, stirring often, until syrup is thickened, about 15 minutes. Whisk lemon juice into syrup; serve immediately or cool. Yields about 1½ cups. (You can save the rest of the simple syrup in the fridge for up to a week.)

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake ingredients for about 10 to 15 seconds. Strain out the liquid, dump the dirty ice and add the liquid back to the cocktail shaker. Shake again for 15 seconds to get the aquafaba to foam. Strain into a coupe/martini glass. As the aquafaba settles, a top foam will begin to form. Garnish with fresh blueberries and lemon peels.

Garnet Shandy

Recipe provided by Julia Momosé, owner of Japanese dining bar Kumiko in Chicago and author of The Way of the Cocktail: Japanese Traditions, Techniques, and Recipes

• 1 cinnamon stick, whole
• ½ teaspoon pink peppercorns, whole
• 1 teaspoon green cardamom (separated from the pod)
• 1 satsuma orange (or any winter citrus)
• Cranberry juice
• N/A beer

Measure 8 ounces of cranberry juice and set aside. Lightly crack spices and toast in a dry saucepan over medium heat until aromatic. Pour cranberry juice over toasted spices and cook over medium heat until the mixture simmers. Turn heat down to medium-low. Slice winter citrus, add wheels to the pot and simmer for five minutes. Strain and sweeten with honey (or another sweetener). Cool and keep refrigerated.

Select a favorite tulip glass or flute. Fill most of the way with an NA beer that’s lighter in flavor, and measure 1 to 1.5 ounces of spiced cranberry base into the glass. Pour slowly so that it layers for a fun two-tone effect.