Everybody is not a fan of drinking liquor. While this is common knowledge, enthusiastic drinkers may not always respect this preference.

Look no further than Duke Dennis‘ reaction to being guilted into taste-testing Kevin Hart’s Gran Coramino tequila during Kai Cenat‘s virtual slumber party this year. Hart looked at Dennis like a bottle of water was as picky as asking for a sugar-free mocktail.

Social influencer and comedian Druski shrugged off Dennis opting out of drinking tequila and said he respected his choice. Hart was still in a teasing mood. After an awkward “touched” joke, Dennis gave in and boasted about being a grown man.

And after seven minutes of doing everything possible not to taste what was poured in his cup, watch his reaction at 3:57:10. This nine-hour video was full of funny moments, but that was one that could’ve easily been avoided. Still, this was a solid lesson learned for houseguests (and even other guests hanging out at the same time).

Candace O. Kelley, one-third of the co-hosts of Malcolm Jamal Warner’s podcast “Not All Hood (NAH),” said it best. She was once asked, “Why don’t you drink?” She responded with “Why do you drink?”

Touché.

The Gen Z Non-Drinker Trend

Millennials did not have to deal with a worldwide pandemic during their early college days. Partying, beers passing, and drinking Kappa “Nupe” Juice from a barrel or Que’s Oil was much harder to do during social isolation. But the decrease in drinking was happening before then.

In a JAMA Network study, 20% of college students reported alcohol abstinence in 2002. By 2018, that number increased to 28%. So that frantic 21-year-old who arrives to your home may act more like Dennis, even after reaching drinking age. And don’t depend on the Kelleys of the world to be your best basement bar attendee either. Non-drinkers come in all age groups.

So what should you, as the host, do? Plan for non-drinkers ahead of time.

The Mocktail Test for Houseguests Who Don’t Drink Liquor

Before you assume you can appease non-drinkers with a bottle of water or Clearly Canadian, consider something more fun. Test your bartender skills with mocktails.

These drinks are a memorable combination of juices, soda “pop,” syrups, teas, infused water, milk and herbs. And just like guests who drink, some houseguests may have preferences for the type of mocktail they’ll enjoy.

Sugar-free mocktails are a solid option to try first, partially because it avoids the stereotype that since your guest doesn’t drink, you can just pass on a high fructose drink to them and call it a day. Mocktails, including sugar-free mocktails, take on some of the characteristics of liquor without the fear of a sky-high blood alcohol concentration (BAC) when they drive home.

Easy Sugar-Free Mocktail Drinks To Serve

If you’re already pretty decent at bartending, the only challenge you’ll have is finding a substitute for the liquor base. For example, maybe you’re all about a whiskey sour, which is a combination of bourbon (often Jack Daniel’s), lemon juice, syrup, and optional Angostura bitters and egg whites. You’ll find it’s fairly easy to convert a whiskey sour into a sugar-free mocktail; just replace the bourbon with Spiritless Kentucky 74.

And while there is a ready-made, no-alcohol whiskey sour, one tablespoon of ginger syrup has 13 grams of sugar whereas simple syrup has 9 grams of sugar. This is one of many reasons why liquor can make people pack on the pounds. Sometimes it’s everything else in the drink that collects around your gut.

There are plenty of sugarless syrups, but you may want to do your own taste test to see how well it goes with this sugar-free mocktail.

Once you have the add-ons, it’s pretty easy to find non-alcoholic spirits online for American malts, gin, rum and tequila.

Sugar-free mocktail swaps

With the right materials, common cocktails can easily be turned into a tasty, sugar-free mocktail.

Margaritas: A tequila alternative, lime juice, a lime garnish and (again) syrup.

Gin and Tonic: A gin alternative, water and optional lime garnish.

An Old Fashioned: A whiskey alternative, aromatic bitters, syrup, water and an orange garnish.

But for mocktail drinkers who want absolutely no sugar at all, not even syrup, try natural fruits as a substitute: coconut, pineapple, strawberries and even bananas. You might also look into sugar-free versions of these syrups from brands like Skinny Mixes and IBC Simply.

A sugar-mocktail of a Virgin Banana Daiquiri is just a rum alternative, two ripe bananas, lime juice, cold water and ice cubes. Or, try the same combination with strawberries to create a Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri.

Kiwi is another easy fruit to replace traditional sugar and simple syrup to make sugar-free mocktails such as a Kiwi Martini (mix it with non-alcoholic vodka) or a Kiwi Caipiroska (mix it with coconut water or sparkling water, non-alcoholic vodka, crushed ice, and mint sprigs).

Making Your Sugar-Free Mocktail Guests Feel Welcome

Once you go down this sugar-free mocktail road, you may find yourself even wanting to try one on occasion, especially if you know you still have errands to run but just want the “taste” of a cocktail. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your go-to wine, beer or brown liquor when you want to party with friends in or out of the home. You’ll just have more refreshing options that hit the spot.