Mocktails and non-alcoholic (non-alc or NA) beverages have become ubiquitous at bars and restaurants, catering to a clientele eager to have a fun night out without alcohol. And while plenty of NA spirits, wines, beers and other beverages have proliferated the market, you don’t always need fake booze for a great non alcoholic drink.
If you’re at a bar without a mocktail menu, just want to keep it simple, or keep it subtle that you’re not drinking, these drinks appeal to a wide breadth of tastes and can help curb any ordering anxiety when the bartender asks what you’re drinking. Keep these orders in your back pocket for quick, easy, and not to pricey basic mocktails any bartender can make.
Bitters and Soda
A two ingredient drink stocked at any bar in America, bitter and soda is a refreshing mocktail with a hint of bitterness that make is fun and slow to sip through a straw. Typically, the drink is light orange, a fun hue, and can be adorned with citrus or even mint or over garnishes. If you want something a bit sweeter, go for a tonic and bitters. Technically, bitters have a nominal amount of alcohol, so little that there’s not an age restriction on purchasing them, but some who avoid alcohol completely, may not want to sip bitters.
Lemonade
Any bar that serves cocktails can whip up a lemonade with lemon juice, simple syrup and water. Some even have lemonade ready to go for other drinks on the menu. Order it on the rocks for a hydrating bev, and don’t forget to request a lemon garnish. Limeade is also often a possibility.
Shaken Cranberry Juice
Cranberry juice shaken with ice gets cold and frothy, and has a lovely pink color when served in a martini glass. Garnished with a lime it looks nearly identical to a Cosmopolitan and is certainly chic to hold and sip.
It’s impossible to tell by appearance if there’s alcohol in so many drinks
Virgin Mojito
A mojito without the rum? Groundbreaking! This drink takes minimal effort to make, and is as refreshing as a mojito, but without the booze. To make it, bartenders muddle fresh mint leaves with sugar, add lime juice, simple syrup and club soda. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it looks just like the traditional cocktail. Caribbean drinks like the mojito lend themselves well to being made virgin (without alcohol), because they typically have some type of sweetness and acid from citrus. Frozen Piña Coladas can often be ordered without rum, as can frozen margaritas and daiquiris.
Shirley Temple
Make any drinker jealous by ordering a Shirley Temple, perhaps the best mocktail ever made. It’s sweet, it’s bright red, and it comes with a treat on top. If you’re not into all the sugar, request a Shirley made with club soda or with half Sprite, half club for a less sweet spin on the kiddie cocktail.