With fewer people drinking alcohol and dry January around the corner, it’s time to freshen up your mocktail skills! The Community Food Co-op has some recipes, tips, and tricks for even the most novel of mocktail creators. 

Mocktails Made from Scratch

1. We’re celebrating citrus season with this grapefruit and lime refresher! First, you’ll need 2.5 ounces of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. Add this juice and 1 ounce of lime juice to your glass. Then fill your glass with ice and sugar-free lemon-lime soda. Top this drink with a grapefruit slice.

2. For a take on a margarita, you’ll need cucumber, jalapeño, sugar, and some spices. Combine one cup of sugar and one cup of water then bring to a boil and cook until the sugar dissolves. Add chopped cucumber and a jalapeño, halved and seeded. Boil for three more minutes, then set aside to cool. 

In a separate bowl mix 1 tablespoon of lime zest, 2 tablespoons of coarse salt, and 2 teaspoons of red chili flakes. Cut a slit in a lime wedge then run the lime along each glass rim. Dip the glass rims in the salt mixture to coat. Remove the cucumber and jalapeño from the syrup you made. To each glass add 2 tablespoons of lime juice and 2 tablespoons of syrup. Stir, then fill with club soda. Top each mocktail with a slice of jalapeño.

Using Pre-Made Ingredients

1. To make an orange dream, start by muddling 1 tablespoon orange marmalade, 2 large orange slices, and 3 mint leaves. Add in 2 ounces of fresh squeezed orange juice, then fill with ice and club soda. Top with more orange slices.

2. For a drink that screams cozy, combine 1 tablespoon of apple ginger shrub, 2 ounces of apple cider, 3 ounces of sparkling water, and a sprinkle of Chinese 5 spice. Top with apple or lemon slices.

The Trick to a Sensational Mocktail

Quality is important when picking your mocktail ingredients. When you choose higher-quality juices or fresh herbs over dried, you’re introducing a more mature flavor profile. This more mature flavor profile lends itself to complexity, the key to separating mocktails and plain juice.

Complexity can be achieved by including different but complementary ingredients. For example, red chili flakes will bring a warming effect to a mocktail and honey will bring sweetness. These ingredients work together to create a complex flavor profile.

If you prefer your mocktails to imitate the flavors of alcohol, try spicy ingredients for the warming effect and bitter ingredients such as over-steeped tea or citrus pith for bitterness. If you prefer more sour alcohol, try an apple cider vinegar mocktail such as the citrus delight. 

To make a citrus delight, muddle 4 slices of blood orange with 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar. Add some ice then half of a can of grapefruit sparkling water. Stir it all together then top it off with some fresh mint. The result is a mocktail reminiscent of a sour orange cocktail. Too sour for you? Add a teaspoon of maple syrup.

How to Create Your Own

Creating your own mocktail recipe is simple and fun! Pick a shrub, sparkling water, and a garnish. 

For example, we love to pair pineapple and sage shrub with coconut sparkling water, then top it off with some fresh sage or mint. 

This basic, three-ingredient recipe allows you to play around with flavors and discover the ratio of tartness to sweetness you enjoy. 

Once you have the hang of it, explore with syrups, fruit juices, and more. Our selection of cocktail mixes and syrups allows for plenty of combinations. Have fun!