Mocktail Bar Ideas to Stock up Your Kitchen

In the spirit of healthy living, many people are switching to an alcohol-free lifestyle. While drinking alcohol reduces stress in the short-term, the lasting effects it has on our mental and physical health are overwhelmingly negative. That’s why people are opting for non-alcoholic drinks like mocktails, as well as non-alcoholic beer and wine. 

Thanks to alcohol-free brands cropping up left and right, you can transform almost any recipe into great-tasting mocktails that could rival any classic. So, if you’re interested in enjoying fun, tasty drinks without the hangovers, here are some mocktail bar ideas and tips to help start crafting world-class mocktails from the comfort of your own home.

Mocktail Bar Ideas: Stocking the Bar

When crafting the perfect mocktail, it’s important to remember the three basic tasting components: base + acid + sweet.

Stick to this simple formula, and you won’t be disappointed.

Whether you’re craving a fruity springtime treat or a pick-me-up filled with warming notes and spices, the perfect mocktail begins with the right bar equipment and quality ingredients. 

Bar Equipment

Before crafting your own mocktails, it’s important to have the right tools for the job.

For starters, you’ll want to get your hands on a good tin shaker (we prefer the Boston Shaker like you see in most bars).

You’ll also need a mixing glass, muddler, swivel spoon, strainer, pour spouts, and juicer. You can find all of these tools and more in this 24 piece bartender kit.

Oh, and don’t forget, always have plenty of ice on hand.

Ingredients

As mentioned, the perfect mocktail starts with a base, acid, and sweet component. You can use fizzy water as a base or if you don’t like the carbonation, try coconut water.

Here are some of the essential mocktail bar ideas and ingredients:

Fruit

Almost all great mocktails begin with fresh citrus. Think limes, lemons, oranges, and grapefruit. These all are perfect ingredients for adding a touch of acidity and freshness to your mocktail.

Citrus is going to be most popular, but you can make a mocktail with any of these fruits – as an ingredient or a garnish:

• Green Apples
• Maraschino Cherries
• Star fruit
• Pineapple
• Honeydew
• Cranberries
• Cantelope
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Watermelon

Herbs

Fresh herbs like mint, rosemary, and thyme are classic cocktail ingredients.

They enhance and elevate the flavor profiles of any drink, making your mocktails stand above the rest.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with spices like:

• Pink and Black Peppercorns
• Coriander seeds
• Basil
• Ground cayenne
• Kava powder (this can help you chill out – read more about kava effects)

Veggies

Fresh veggies like cucumber, jalapeño, and red peppers introduce complex notes that will leave your palate curiously wanting more.

Other, less common veggies you can add to your mocktail include:

• Carrot sticks
• Jicama
• Celery

Flowers

From honey lavender to hibiscus cane syrups, dried flowers pair well with sweet and acidic components.

The floral notes offer an unparalleled flavor profile that you just have to try.

Try some of these flowers in your next mocktail:

• Dried Rose Petals
• Dried Calendula
• Dried Butterfly pea
• Fresh Purple Dendrobium Orchids (yes, they’re edible)

Mixers

Mixers

There are endless possibilities for mixers to compliment your mocktails:

• Cranberry juice
• Orange juice
• Pineapple juice
• Club soda
• Ginger beer or ginger ale
• Flavored tonic water
• CBD sparkling water
• Coconut water
• Apple cider vinegar

Not-So-Boozy Booze

Here are some of our favorite non-alcoholic beer, wine, and spirit choices:

N/A Beer:

• Athletic Brew
• Lucky Saint

N/A Wine:

• Giesen
• Ariel Vineyards
• Surely
• Sovi Wines

N/A Liquor and Spirits

• Spiritless Kentucky 74 Non-Alcoholic Whiskey
• Monday Zero-Alcohol Gin
• Seedlip

Adaptogenic NA Spritzers

• De Soi (Read our De Soi Review)
• Kin Euphorics

For a more complete list, check out our guide to alcohol alternatives.

Back to the Classics – 3 Recipes to Try

Coming up with new recipes can be overwhelming at times. When in doubt, refer to the classics like a mojito or cosmopolitan. Simply swap out the spirits for a non-alcoholic version.

Trust us, there’s a reason some of these recipes have been around for more than 100 years.

Here is our take on three of our favorite classics.

New York Sour

An adaptation of the traditional Whiskey Sour, the New York Sour is thought to have been created in the 1880s, and nowhere near New York. Surprisingly enough, this classic was most likely created in Chicago under a different moniker. With a history like that, we stayed pretty close to the original recipe for this complex mocktail. 

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Spiritless Kentucky 74 n/a bourbon
• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• ½ oz simple syrup
• Float Ariel Dealcoholized Cabernet Sauvignon

Instructions:

Add ice to a cocktail shaker and pour in bourbon, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Shake vigorously. Pour through a fine strainer into an ice-filled rocks glass.

Gently lay a swiveled bar spoon atop the ice and slowly pour the Cabernet Sauvignon over the back of the spoon so that the wine sits on top. Garnish with a lemon twist, and enjoy!

French 75

The original French 75 recipe calls for gin and champagne. This variation substitutes fresh lemon juice and homemade honey lavender syrup. Combined with your favorite CBD water, this mocktail has everything you need to help you wind down after a busy day.

Honey Lavender Syrup Ingredients:

• 2 Parts Honey
• 1 Part Boiling Water
• 1/3 cup dried lavender flowers

Honey Lavender Syrup Instructions:

Dissolve the honey in boiling water and add the dried lavender. Let steep for up to an hour. Strain and let cool before using.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1 ½ oz honey lavender syrup
• Sparkling CBD water

Instructions:

Add ice to a cocktail shaker and pour in lemon juice and honey lavender syrup. Shake well and strain into a coup glass. Top with your favorite sparkling CBD water and get ready for one of the most refreshing mocktails you’ll ever taste.

G&T

A variation of the classic Gin and Tonic, this recipe adds fresh elements of cucumber and mint for the perfect summertime bevy. Want to spice it up? Try muddling in a couple of jalapeño slices.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Monday Zero Alcohol Gin
• ¾ oz fresh lime juice
• 2-3 cucumber pieces
• 2 sprigs of mint
• Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic Water

Instructions:

In a mixing glass, add in cucumber, mint leaves, and lime juice. Muddle gently so as not to overwork the mint (you want to extract some of its oils while leaving the leaves mostly intact). Pour in the gin. Add ice and stir well.

Strain into a highball glass filled with ice and top with Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic Water. Garnish with a lime wheel and extra sprig of mint (pro tip: give the mint a slap or two on the back of your hand to release its aromatic oils, this makes all the difference).

Now It’s Your Turn!

With high-quality non-alcoholic liquors paired with soda water, homemade simple syrups, fresh citrus, veggies, herbs, and more, you’ll be questioning why you didn’t cut out alcohol sooner.

So go ahead—stock your bar, grab your favorite spiritless beverage, and create your new favorite mocktail.  

Have a favorite mocktail recipe or ingredient you keep in stock at all times? What is it? Let us know in the comments!