Favorite Alcohol-Free Cocktails! Here in my home we like to help them retain their dignity by refraining from calling them “mocktails.” They are fully delicious and complete as they are. Not missing anything, they are not a lesser version of a drink that contains alcohol.
I invite you to enjoy!
At the end of each recipe, I include links to the products I have found to be of exceptional flavor, and that are our favorites. I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase through some of these links.
Spring, Summer, and Warm Weather Drinks
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Lavender Butterfly
This is a refreshing, fizzy delight that sparks pleasure on the tongue and to the eye thanks to the deep hue of Top Hat Provision’s Butterfly Truth Serum.
(Serves two)
2oz fresh lemon juice
1.5oz Butterfly Truth Serum
1.5oz lavender simple syrup (recipe follows)
2 droppers lavender bitters (or a few shakes with a bigger bottle)
Lemon seltzer
A couple of smaller ice cubes
Garnish with fresh lemon zest and/or a lavender sprig
Combine lemon juice, Butterfly, syrup, and bitters in a cocktail shaker with some ice. Shake until chilled. Divide mixture evenly into two medium-sized glasses; choose size based on how strong or diluted you prefer the drink. Top with lemon seltzer, add ice cubes and garnish of choice.
To make lavender simple syrup
Combine 1C white sugar and 1C water in a saucepan.
Add 1T dried lavender blossoms, or a few sprigs of fresh lavender if it’s in season.
Bring to a boil, stir occasionally so the sugar doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Once at a rolling boil and sugar is dissolved, turn off heat.
Let lavender sit in syrup while it cools to room temp. Strain flowers from syrup and store in fridge.Buy Butterfly Truth Serum from Top Hat Provisions.
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Not Gin & Tonic
This briny aF G&T gets its uniqueness from Pentire’s Adrift botanical spirit. Try it with your favorite tonic and fresh lime. Yummy sipping on a hot summer evening!
(Serves one)
2oz Adrift
4oz tonic
lime wedge
large ice cube
Combine all in an Old Fashioned glass. Bop the ice cube up and down a few times to combine.Here’s where to get Pentire Adrift.
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Sparkling Cranberry
Looking for an easy go-to, afternoon or evening cocktail? Here’s a simple daily driver, delicious and complex while only having three ingredients and being quick to pour. Unsweetened cranberry juice is key here; cranberry “cocktail” would be way too sweet. We keep the sugar content low by using Zevia’s tonic or lemon-lime mixer. Your favorite tonic would work as well.
(Serves one)
7.5oz Zevia Tonic, Zevia Lemon-Lime, or your favorite tonic
1-3 tablespoons unsweetened cranberry juice, to taste
fresh lime, to taste
a large ice cube
Using your favorite 12-oz glass, pour your splash(es) of juice over the ice. Slowly add the tonic and enjoy its foaming up. Squeeze lime juice and toss the wedge(s) in. Stir.Zevia Tonic
Zevia Lemon Lime
Winter and Holiday Festive Drinks
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Chris's Christmas Cranberry Cocktail
My husband created this combination, replacing his once-favorite whiskey with a beautiful product by the Seedlip company - Seedlip Spice. It’s not a sipper on its own, yet the complexity it brings to a mixed drink is indescribable.
(2 servings)
4oz Seedlip Spice
4oz unsweetened cranberry juice
1oz rosemary sage simple syrup (recipe follows)
2 large ice cubes
Garnish with a rosemary sprig with a few cranberries strung on the base of it, or a dehydrated blood orange wheel
Combine Seedlip, unsweet cranberry juice, and syrup in a shaker and combine well. Divide between two lowball or old fashioned glasses.
Add an ice cube to each, stir to chill slightly, and add garnish of choice.
Rosemary Sage Simple Syrup
To make rosemary sage simple syrup:
Combine 1C white sugar and 1C water in a saucepan.
Add a fresh rosemary sprig and two or three fresh sage leaves.
Bring to a boil, stir occasionally so the sugar doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Once at a rolling boil and sugar is dissolved, turn off heat.
Let herbs sit in syrup while it cools to room temp. Strain herbs from syrup and store in fridge.You can order Seedlip directly from the maker here:
Seedlip Spice -
Pathfinder Old Fashioned
Craving an Old Fashioned without the old hangover or headache? When we discovered Pathfinder, we were excited to bring this warming drink back into our lives. Pathfinder is similar in flavor to a bitter amaro, and is a delicious sipper on its own too.
(Serves one)
1oz Pathfinder
A few shakes or one dropper-full of Scrappy’s orange bitters (depending on the size bottle you have)
Or
.25oz Stirrings blood orange non-alcoholic bitters
A small spoon of Amarena Toschi cherry syrup
Garnish with an orange twist & Amarena Toschi cherry
Large ice cube
Combine all ingredients in an Old Fashioned glass and stir well.
Where to buy:
The Pathfinder
Scrappy’s Orange Bitters (has an alcohol base)
Stirring’s NA Blood Orange Bitters
Amarena Toschi Cherries -
Tangy Lemon Drop
Want to bring a little Summer in? This Lemon Drop is not the sugar bomb you might be familiar with. It is complex with bright bitter, sour, and a touch of sweet.
(2 servings)
2oz orgeat syrup
1oz tonic syrup
1oz fresh lemon juice
1 can lemon seltzer
Combine syrups and juice in shaker with ice, shake until chilled.
Divide mixture into two martini glasses.
Top each serving with ½ can of seltzer.
Garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel floating on top.
Serve up.
My favorite products for this recipe:
Orgeat syrup
Tonic syrup