Look, we’ve all been handed a mocktail that was basically orange juice in a fancy glass. That’s not what this is. These are ten drinks we actually make at home, bring to parties, and order when we’re out — drinks that hold their own next to anything on a cocktail menu. No apologies, no “it’s basically the same thing, I promise.” They’re just genuinely good.
A few of these take some prep (homemade syrups, infusions), and a few you can throw together in two minutes. We’ve tried to mix it up. If you’re new to making drinks without alcohol, start wherever looks fun — there’s no wrong order here.
Recipe 1: Spiced Ginger Mule
This is the one we hand to skeptics. The double hit of fresh ginger juice and ginger beer gives it real heat, and the cinnamon-vanilla syrup rounds it out so it doesn’t just taste like you’re drinking spicy juice. It’s our house party staple — we make it by the pitcher.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz fresh ginger juice
- 1 oz lime juice
- 0.5 oz cinnamon-vanilla syrup
- Premium ginger beer
- Fresh mint
- Candied ginger (for garnish)
Instructions:
- Combine ginger juice, lime juice, and cinnamon-vanilla syrup in a copper mug
- Fill with crushed ice
- Top with premium ginger beer
- Garnish with fresh mint and candied ginger
- Stir gently before serving
Recipe 2: Mediterranean Spritz
We stole this idea from a wine bar in Barcelona that infused their house white with rosemary. The alcohol-free sparkling wine makes it feel like a real aperitivo — it’s the kind of drink you want on a patio with nowhere to be.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz rosemary-infused white grape juice
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- 0.5 oz honey syrup
- Alcohol-free sparkling wine
- Fresh rosemary sprig
- Lemon twist
Instructions:
- Fill a wine glass with ice
- Add infused grape juice, lemon juice, and honey syrup
- Top with alcohol-free sparkling wine
- Garnish with rosemary sprig and lemon twist
- Stir gently to combine
Recipe 3: Smoked Sage & Pomegranate Sour
If you only try one recipe from this list, make it this one. The aquafaba (or egg white, your call) gives it that silky foam you get on a whiskey sour, and the smoked salt on top is doing a lot of heavy lifting. People don’t believe this is non-alcoholic.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz pomegranate juice
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 0.75 oz sage simple syrup
- 1 egg white or aquafaba
- Smoked sea salt
- Fresh sage leaf
Instructions:
- Dry shake all ingredients except salt
- Add ice and shake again vigorously
- Double strain into a coupe glass
- Garnish with sage leaf and a pinch of smoked salt
Recipe 4: Tropical Paradise
Yeah, it’s basically a piña colada without the rum — but the orange blossom water and passion fruit puree push it somewhere the original never goes. This one’s dangerously easy to drink. You’ll make two.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz coconut cream
- 2 oz fresh pineapple juice
- 0.5 oz lime juice
- 0.5 oz passion fruit puree
- Dash of orange blossom water
- Toasted coconut (for garnish)
Instructions:
- Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice
- Shake vigorously until well-chilled
- Strain into a hurricane glass filled with crushed ice
- Garnish with toasted coconut
Recipe 5: Cucumber Basil Refresher
The simplest drink on this list, and honestly one of the best. It’s what we make on a Wednesday night when we don’t feel like fussing. Fresh cucumber juice, good tonic, done. The basil syrup is the only thing you need to plan ahead for.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz fresh cucumber juice
- 1 oz lime juice
- 0.75 oz basil simple syrup
- Premium tonic water
- Fresh basil leaves
- Cucumber ribbon
Instructions:
- Muddle basil leaves in a shaker
- Add cucumber juice, lime juice, and syrup
- Shake with ice and fine strain
- Top with tonic water
- Garnish with cucumber ribbon and basil
Pro Tips (From Actual Trial and Error)
The stuff that actually makes a difference
- Fresh juice, always. Bottled lime juice and fresh lime juice are two completely different ingredients. We’re not being snobby — it genuinely tastes different. Get a cheap citrus press; it’ll pay for itself in a week.
- Make your own syrups. It takes ten minutes and costs almost nothing. Simple syrup is just equal parts sugar and water, heated until dissolved. Throw in whatever herb or spice you want, let it steep, strain it. You now have something you can’t buy at the store.
- Don’t cheap out on mixers. Grocery store tonic and premium tonic? Night and day. Same goes for ginger beer. This is where most of your flavor comes from — treat it accordingly.
- Chill your glasses. Stick them in the freezer for ten minutes before you serve. It keeps drinks cold longer and it just feels right. Little things matter.
On ice — because it matters more than you think
Use big cubes for stirred drinks (they melt slower), crushed ice for tiki-style stuff, and regular cubes for shaking. If you want clear ice at home, freeze distilled water in a small cooler with the lid off — the impurities get pushed to the bottom. Cut the clear top portion into cubes. It’s a project, but the results are worth showing off.
Infusions aren’t hard
Rosemary grape juice, lemongrass tea, whatever — the process is the same. Combine your ingredient with your base liquid, let it sit (anywhere from an hour to overnight depending on intensity), then strain. Taste as you go. There’s no magic ratio; just keep checking until it tastes right to you.
Recipe 6: Blood Orange & Cardamom Fizz
This is our cold-weather go-to. Blood orange season is short — roughly December through March — so we make this constantly while it lasts. The cardamom syrup gives it a warmth that feels right when it’s dark at 4:30pm.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz fresh blood orange juice
- 0.75 oz cardamom simple syrup
- 0.5 oz lime juice
- Premium soda water
- Orange wheel
- Star anise
Instructions:
- Combine juices and syrup in a shaker with ice
- Shake until well-chilled
- Strain into a collins glass over fresh ice
- Top with soda water
- Garnish with orange wheel and star anise
Recipe 7: Vanilla Bean & Fig Sour
Honestly, this one’s a little over the top — and we love it for that. Rich, dessert-adjacent, the kind of thing you serve after dinner in a nice glass and feel fancy about. Fresh figs are ideal but frozen fig puree works fine outside of season.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz fig puree
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 0.75 oz vanilla bean syrup
- Egg white or aquafaba
- Fresh fig and vanilla bean (for garnish)
Instructions:
- Dry shake all ingredients
- Add ice and shake again
- Double strain into a rocks glass
- Garnish with fresh fig and vanilla bean
Recipe 8: Lemongrass Thai Basil Cooler
We got hooked on this after a trip to a Thai restaurant that served lemongrass iced tea. The coconut water keeps it light, and the Thai basil — which smells completely different from Italian basil, almost like anise — ties the whole thing together. Great with spicy food.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz lemongrass tea (cooled)
- 1 oz coconut water
- 0.75 oz lime juice
- 0.5 oz ginger syrup
- Thai basil leaves
- Kaffir lime leaf
Instructions:
- Muddle Thai basil in a shaker
- Add remaining ingredients and ice
- Shake well and double strain
- Serve over crushed ice
- Garnish with Thai basil and kaffir lime leaf
Recipe 9: Blackberry Lavender Collins
Fair warning: lavender is potent. A little goes a long way in the syrup — start with less than you think you need. When you get the balance right, though, this is gorgeous. Deep purple, floral without being perfume-y, tart from the blackberries. It photographs absurdly well too, if that matters to you.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz blackberry puree
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 0.75 oz lavender honey syrup
- Premium soda water
- Fresh blackberries
- Lavender sprig
Instructions:
- Combine puree, juice, and syrup in a shaker
- Shake with ice and strain
- Top with soda water
- Garnish with blackberries and lavender
Recipe 10: Spiced Apple & Maple Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned is the drink most people say can’t work without whiskey. This one won’t taste like bourbon — nothing will — but the maple syrup and aromatic bitters give it a depth and bitterness that scratches a similar itch. Stir it slow, serve it on one big ice cube, and don’t rush it.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz spiced apple juice
- 0.5 oz grade B maple syrup
- 2 dashes aromatic bitters
- Orange peel
- Cinnamon stick
Instructions:
- Combine ingredients in a mixing glass
- Add ice and stir for 30 seconds
- Strain over a large ice cube
- Express orange peel oils and garnish
- Add cinnamon stick
That’s the list. Ten drinks we’ve actually made, tweaked, argued about, and kept coming back to. Some of them are dead simple; a couple are weekend projects. None of them will make you miss anything.
If you’re looking for places to try drinks like these when you’re out, we put together a guide to navigating alcohol-free nightlife. And if you’re curious about the bigger picture — the bars, the communities, the whole scene — check out our piece on how alcohol-free venues are building community.