Mocktail Recipes for Dry January - Home & Texture
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7 Mocktail Recipes You'll Love for Dry January and Non-Alcoholic Happy Hours at Home

You don't have to settle for cranberry juice or ginger ale in a wine glass after a long day at the office.

January 25, 2024 at 6:33 PM PST

Scrolling through all of the wellness, self-care, and lifestyle discourse out there on the internet, it’s pretty apparent that sobriety is in fashion, especially with so many non-alcoholic liquor brands hitting shelves and popular influencers and celebrities like Ari Lennox announcing their decisions to limit or remove alcohol from their diets. As more and more people opt for mocktails on bar menus (and expect a curated offering of them), it is safe to say that those embracing a sober lifestyle want more than cranberry juice and club soda.

Unsurprisingly, that sentiment extends to gatherings at home: everybody hates FOMO. So when shaking up a round of double-shot margaritas at a Super Bowl party, you can be inclusive to your sober friends—or yourself—by tapping into your mixology skills and crafting an alcohol-free alternative. Check out these seven simple and easy mocktail recipes for refreshing elevated drinks, entirely booze-free.

7 Mocktail Recipes You Have To Try

Photo credit: Juan Moyano

1. Espresso Martini by Lynnette Marero

Classic espresso martinis seem to be the dessert drink of choice at the moment. This recipe features adaptogens for a calming, stress-relieving effect.

Ingredients: 

  • 1½ ounces Aplos Arise nonalcoholic, adaptogen-infused spirit
  • 1 ounces Lyres espresso liquor
  • 1½ ounces espresso
  • 3/4 ounce Cheeky espresso syrup
  • grated cinnamon for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and add ice.
  2. Shake and strain into a small martini glass
  3. Garnish with grated cinnamon.
Photo credit: Image Professionals GmbH

2. Negroni by Oset Babür-Winter

Simple and flavorful, you only need three ingredients to enjoy this delicious version of a Negroni.

Ingredients: 

  • 1 ounce Ritual gin
  • 1 ounce Ritual aperitif alternative
  • 1 orange wedge for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Combine Ritual gin alternative and Ritual aperitif alternative in a rocks glass over 1 ice cube.
  2. Garnish with orange wedge.
Photo credit: marina200707

3. Paloma by Ashlea Carver

The perfect taste of summer, this unique Paloma uses maple syrup as a replacement for simple syrup—made to your liking.

Ingredients: 

  • Grapefruit juice
  • Lime juice
  • Maple syrup
  • Sparkling water

Instructions:

  1. Add grapefruit juice, lime juice, and maple syrup to a glass and stir until well combined.
  2. Fill glass with ice.
  3. Top off with sparkling water, stir, and serve with a slice of lime and a grapefruit wedge.
Photo credit: bhofack2

4. Souchong Sour by Florence Fabricant

A mocktail that wakes up your senses, this sweet and smoky drink includes Lapsang souchong, which boosts energy and increases alertness.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup Lapsang souchong tea at room temperature
  • 4 tsp. maple syrup
  • Pinch of ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. egg white, organic and pasteurized
  • ½ orange slice
  • Maraschino cherry

Instructions:

  1. Pour tea, maple syrup, lemon juice, and pepper into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake.
  2. Add egg white and shake again.
  3. Pour the drink into a glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with orange slice and cherry.
mocktail recipe
Photo credit: 5PH

5. Pineapple and Tamarind Cooler by Gregory Gourdet

Your tastebuds will appreciate the time it takes to craft this crisp punch. For an expert-level impression beyond flavor, serve in your most decorative coupe glasses.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups hot water, divided
  • ¼  cup tamarind pulp
  • 1 cup pure maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon habanero powder
  • 1 small fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped (about 4 1/2 cups), fronds reserved for garnish
  • ½ cup fresh lime juice (from 4 limes)
  • Lime wedges
  • Crushed ice, for serving

Instructions:

  1. Combine 1 cup hot water and tamarind pulp in a small heatproof bowl. Let stand, stirring occasionally to break up large chunks, until softened and combined.
  2. Pour tamarind mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing to extract as much liquid and pulp as possible.
  3. Return solids in a strainer to a small bowl; add remaining hot water and stir to dissolve. Pour mixture through strainer into bowl with tamarind water; discard solids.
  4. Whisk together tamarind water and maple syrup in a small bowl until combined. Cover and refrigerate tamarind syrup until ready to use.
  5. Stir together salt and habanero powder in a small, shallow bowl until combined; cover with plastic wrap, and set habanero salt aside.
  6. Blend pineapple in a blender until smooth. Pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl; discard any solids. Measure out 1 1/2 cups pineapple puree; reserve remaining puree for another use.
  7. Stir together 1 1/2 cups pineapple puree, lime juice, and reserved tamarind syrup in a large pitcher. Rub cut sides of lime wedges vertically along 1 outer side of each of 8 coupe glasses; gently dip wet side of glasses into habanero salt.
  8. Fill glasses with crushed ice and pour mixture evenly. Garnish with pineapple fronds.
mocktail recipe
Photo credit: hzechphotography

6. Spicy Citrus Refresher by Anna Stockwell and Sohla El-Waylly

A delicious party pitcher that sober and non-sober friends can enjoy, make this mocktail alcohol-friendly for your guests who imbibe by just adding white rum to their glasses.

Ingredients:

  • 4 limes
  • 7 navel oranges, divided
  • 2 small jalapeños, divided
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • Club soda (for serving)

Instructions:

  1. Juice limes and 6 oranges into a large pitcher. Discard lime rinds and half of the orange rinds. Cut remaining orange rinds into quarters and place in a large saucepan.
  2. Coarsely chop 1 jalapeño and add to orange rinds along with sugar and salt. Muddle rinds until thoroughly smooshed and much of the sugar and salt is dissolved. Stir in 1 cup warm water and let sit at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour.
  3. Strain orange mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into pitcher with juice; discard solids. Thinly slice remaining orange and add to pitcher. Remove seeds from remaining jalapeño; thinly slice into rounds and add to pitcher.
mocktail recipe
Photo credit: ViewStock

7. Dragonfruit Mojito by Natalie Battaglia

Dragonfruit adds a colorful twist in this zero-proof take on a mojito featuring alcohol-free rum.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup pink dragonfruit, fresh or frozen (thaw before use)
  • ½ lime, cut into 4 pieces
  • 8 mint leaves
  • 1 ounce dragonfruit syrup or your sweetener of choice
  • 1 ounce alcohol-free rum (optional)
  • Sparkling water

Instructions: 

  1. Muddle dragonfruit and lime together in a tall glass.
  2. Add mint and top with ice.
  3. Add dragonfruit syrup and rum, then top with soda.
  4. Stir gently and garnish with mint and lime.



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