A Beginner's Guide To Crafting The Tastiest Mocktails At Home

If you're staying sober for health reasons, or just because you don't like the way that alcohol makes you feel, you're in luck; there are more non-alcoholic options than ever cropping up on drink menus at bars and restaurants around the country. Mixologists and beverage directors have now seen the value of adding these beverages to their list of offerings — and consumers are just eating (or, shall we say, drinking) them up. And, these alcoholic options aren't just sodas and teas; they're complex, intricate beverages that put mixology and craftsmanship at the forefront. And, it begs the question — should we really still be calling them "mocktails?"

While you can sample and order different non-alcoholic beverages to find which ones you enjoy the most, making them in your own home bar or kitchen is a whole 'nother animal. Since these drinks are not made with any alcohol, you have to get creative about how you mimic the mouthfeel, flavor, and texture of your favorite cocktail, sans booze. If you're just dipping your toe into the world of DIY ABV-free beverages, we've come armed with tips and tricks from an array of talented mixologists and industry experts, including Tom Brander, beverage manager at Wilder in Philadelphia; Abbie Romanul, mixology expert and founder of Raising the Bar; beverage director Ingi Sigurdsson; Jeremy Oertel, creative beverage director at Method Co.; and bartender Jillian Vose. Their insight will help you make delicious, non-alcoholic beverages that will still leave you buzzing — even without the alcohol. 

The mocktails of years past are definitely not the mocktails of the present. If you ordered a "mocktail" at a bar about 10 years ago, you would have likely been served something with soda water, a little splash of grenadine, and a few cherries thrown in as a garnish. While you can still certainly find these types of non-alcoholic options floating around, the modern ABV-free cocktail has evolved significantly into something far more sophisticated.

"The biggest misconception is that zero-proof drinks are just juice or a mediocre substitute for 'the real thing,'" says Abbie Romanul, mixology expert and founder of Raising the Bar. "A great mocktail should have balance, complexity, and intention — just like its boozy counterparts." In other words, if you're trying to make your own great, flavorful, and memorable non-alcoholic cocktails at home, you're going to have to think a little bit more outside the box than just swirling seltzer with a couple of slices of orange peel in a glass.

Moreover, one of the most important things to know going into this journey is that there will be learning curves. "It is definitely an art," says Tom Brander, beverage manager at Wilder. However, our experts did note that trying to find what you like in a beverage is just part of the process. "Try different ingredients and styles, then lean into the ones you enjoy and continue experimenting," says beverage director Ingi Sigurdsson. "Half the fun is the journey, learning, discovering, and trying new things along the way."

Dilution is a very important thing that mixologists need to consider when they're making any cocktail. Chilling down the ingredients, either by shaking them with ice or serving them with a few cubes, will run the risk of watering down the flavors and changing the entire profile of the drink. The conception of dilution is especially pertinent when it comes to alcohol-free beverages, as their flavor intensity tends to be different than a standard cocktail.

Shaking may be a non-negotiable when it comes to some alcoholic beverages. Tom Brander notes that the two primary reasons for shaking or stirring a non-alcoholic beverage are to aerate it and incorporate the ingredients together — so the process is important. Though, there are ways to mitigate dilution during this stage. Abbie Romanul explains that you can shake your beverage for less time than you would for an alcoholic cocktail. You can also reduce the opportunity for dilution when it comes to serving, too. Brander suggests chilling your glass ahead of pouring your drinks, while Ingi Singurdsson recommends avoiding using crushed ice, as it tends to water down the beverage faster than other shapes.

When you're crafting any cocktail, alcoholic or not, you have to get comfortable with experimenting with punchy flavors and fresh ingredients. Herbs and spices do more than just add an element of freshness to your beverage; they can also be used to mimic the same mouthfeel as alcohol. Ingi Sigurdsson explains that the back-of-mouth burn that comes from alcohol is essentially your body trying to warn you that you're consuming a "poison." As a result, he suggests looking at plants that utilize similar defense mechanisms to ward off predators. These ingredients, which might include spicy elements like horseradish and ginger or bitter elements like roots, barks, and botanicals, can produce the same level of piquancy or spiciness that your mocktail is craving. 

Though, there are even simpler ways to elevate the flavor of your ABV-free beverage — with ingredients you already probably have in your house. For one, Tom Brander suggests adding salt and pepper to your mocktail. These two staple ingredients can easily add sharpness and salinity and take your NA drink more to the savory side of things. 

A key part of starting a new hobby for the first time, whether it's pottery making or mixology, is to make sure you have all of the tools on hand before you start tinkering. In this case, you'll need to invest in a cocktail shaker set. "Every tool necessary to make alcoholic cocktails is also necessary for a non-alcoholic cocktail," says Tom Brander. Ingi Sigurdsson and bartender Jillian Vose also recommend investing in a handheld citrus juicer. Sigurdsson shares that once you become more advanced, you can buy other tools like a centrifugal juicer and an immersion circulator to whip up tasty effusions and syrups for your cocktails. 

If you don't want to purchase an entire bar set, you can always buy it in piecemeal. At minimum, Abbie Romanul shares that you will need a jigger, shaker, strainer, muddler, and a bar spoon. You can get a relatively inexpensive kit, like this Semderm cocktail shaker set, on Amazon and then scale upwards if you're looking for something a little more high-quality and durable. 

The key to making a great ABV-free cocktail is to design something that is meant to be savored rather than slurped down quickly. "To mimic the experience of a cocktail, you want a drink that encourages smaller sips, promotes a more deliberate drinking pace, and engages the senses," says Ingi Sigurdsson. There are numerous ways to do this in an ABV-free beverage, but it all comes down to establishing complexity and playing with a diverse range of ingredients, flavors, and textures. He does this with his own cocktails by adding stronger carbonation, playing with bitter or sharp ingredients like ginger, or even altering the glassware the drink is served in. These factors can all transform your cocktail into something more sophisticated and cocktail-esque. 

Though, you shouldn't abandon a beverage's drinkability in favor of its complexity. Cocktails and ABV-free options are designed to reflect what the imbiber is interested in and looking for, per Tom Brander. "I think of a drink as a pie chart with ingredients to fill out each section to make the cocktail whole. You have to know what you are looking for as a result," he says. "If every pie chart was divided the same, there would be no diversity." Brander, for example, shares that he prefers savory beverages, while other drinkers might want something a little more juice-forward or sweet. Therefore, there is some subjectivity in how you want to shape your beverage to introduce complex elements, all while still keeping it easy to enjoy and fit your palate. 

It might be difficult to decide where to start in terms of making ABV-free beverages. Ingi Sigurdsson shares that one of the easiest ABV-free beverages to start to work with is something citrusy — like ginger, lime, and soda. Meanwhile, Abbie Romanul recommends trying an alcohol-free beverage inspired by an Aperol spritz. She uses Wilderton bittersweet aperitivo, club soda, and a lime wheel to create a tasty, ABV-free version of an Italian classic. The good news is that you can really play with non-alcoholic options because, as Tom Brander points out, you're not spending a ton of money on a highly sought-after whiskey or bourbon. Tiki cocktails may also be another place to start; Brander enjoys making one with orgeat (a type of almond syrup), a shrub, and orange soda. 

While there are tons of beverages that can be made ABV-free, there are some cocktails that are not as conducive to transforming into mocktails. Sigurdsson points to old fashioned or Manhattan-style cocktails, which, as he explains, "rely heavily on the depth, complexity, and bite of alcohol and the rich, warming qualities they bring, which can be difficult to replicate without."

Ratios are a critical part of making any crafted beverage, and they especially come into play when it comes to making mocktails. And, the techniques for balancing flavors and ratios are really dependent on the drink you're making, as well as the ingredients you're using. For example, Ingi Sigurdsson notes that you may need to use 3 ounces of water to replace the 2 ounces of alcohol in a cocktail in order to get the flavor balance perfect. "A telltale sign that a drink needs more water is when it tastes both too sweet and too sour at the same time, making it difficult to enjoy," he says. However, for some cocktails, like an ABV-free negroni, you'll want to concentrate and kick up the bitterness to add more texture and align the beverage with what a negroni is "supposed" to taste like.

While ratios are an important thing to abide by, especially when you're converting your alcoholic favorites into ABV-free varieties, there is naturally some variation there. Tom Brander explains that small changes, like the pH of the citrus you use, if you're using a store-bought juice versus squeezing the fruit yourself, or even if the juice has been sitting out all day, can alter the overall flavor of your drink. "Depending on the finished product, you may need to adjust acidity, salinity, or spice level to execute your vision," he says. 

Bitters are a very important part of crafting a well-balanced cocktail. One easy-to-obtain source of these is cocktail bitters, which are sold by brands like Angostura. While there is a trace amount of alcohol in the bitters (hovering around the 40% mark), you can add a couple of drops to your cocktail to establish that sharp flavor. However, Ingi Sigurdsson notes there are other options to add this profile to your drink, including ABV-free Italian bitter sodas like Sanbittèr, Crodino, or the Phony Negroni. Tom Brander recommends Pathfinder, an NA spirit made from hemp, roots, and herbs. Both Brander and Sigurdsson make a note of tinctures and compounds distilled with vegetable glycerin, a non-alcoholic alternative. There is a chance that more NA bitters will make their way onto the market thanks to this innovation.

That being said, you can take more of a DIY approach to using cocktail bitters in your beverage. Abbie Romanul recommends using teas, citrus zest, and even hops to add this unique flavor to your beverage. 

"The right texture can make all the difference between a drink feeling thin and 'flabby' (to borrow a wine term) and one that is unctuous and satisfying," says Ingi Sigurdsson. It can also help slow down the drinking experience and bring attention to the senses. 

There are some techniques that you can use to add texture to both cocktails and mocktails. For a silky foam, Abbie Romanul suggests opting for shaken egg whites, or going for aquafaba as an egg-free alternative. She also suggests trying out a splash of oil, like either an olive or a sesame oil, to create a "luxurious mouthfeel" in your beverage. 

Carbonation is also a big part of building texture in a drink, as it can impart a refreshing and effervescent quality. "There are lots of flavored seltzers and great tonic waters that work well in ABV-free cocktails," says creative beverage Jeremy Oertel. On the other end of the spectrum, though, you have Sigurdsson's suggestion of playing with tannins to create a drying texture in the mouth. The type of texture builder you select will depend on the type of mocktail you're working with, as well as what end result you're trying to achieve. 

Shrubs are a very easy yet powerful way to add flavor. "A shrub in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing is a force to be reckoned with," says Tom Brander. These compounds, which are also referred to as "drinking vinegars," are made of vinegar, sugar, and some sort of flavoring element (like fruit). As Ingi Sigurdsson points out, there are two primary pathways to make a shrub: either by cold-processing fruit with sugar over the period of a day, or hot-processing it on a stovetop. The method you choose will depend on not only how much time you have, but also if you're willing to sacrifice on the color of your fruit or not. 

When Brander makes his shrubs, he looks at all the different components and how they contribute to the flavor of the concoction. This includes the base produce (which can include things like apples or berries) and what spices might complement it. He also notes that tweaking elements, like the type of sugar and vinegar you use, can drastically change the end result. 

Ingi Sigurdsson uses shrubs in refreshing, citrusy cocktails. He notes that a mere ¼ to ½ ounce of the solution can help slow the drinker down. 

If you aren't really the experimental type, you can always pick up a good mocktail recipe book and start from there. Our experts had several ones that they would recommend to ABV-free beverage experimenters. Abbie Romanul suggests "The Mocktail Club" by Derick Santiago and "The Happiest Hour" by Debbie Podlogar as two places to start. 

Ingi Sigurdsson was a contributor to "Zero: A New Approach to Non-Alcoholic Drinks." It's a book that's beautiful enough to display on a coffee table, but also to keep in your kitchen for when a craving strikes. Tom Brander would also recommend this selection. "There are some very intense techniques and recipes in the book, but there are also some great beginner ones," he says. 

One thing that you may not think about when it comes to making your own cocktails is the type of sugar you use. Our experts note that swapping the sweetener out, whether it's in a shrub or a syrup, can completely change the entire taste profile of your drink. Ingi Sigurdsson shares that sugar can help contrast the bitterness of a beverage, and it can also add texture and body. He also suggests playing with burnt sugar; it's an ingredient that can help make your beverage more bitter and alter its color (as it's used in some amaros to do just that). 

Tom Brander notes that for more body, you're going to want to opt for Demerara sugar over white sugar. He claims that a syrup made with a 2-to-1 ratio of Demerara sugar to water will offer something far richer than a simple syrup made with a 1-to-1 water ratio. However, there is room for experimentation here. "I personally like to experiment with other sources, whether it's molasses, maple, agave, or the many other sugar sources out there," Brander says. "These are all tools in your arsenal when designing non-alcoholic cocktails and the syrups or infusions you are using."

There has been a proliferation of NA spirits and non-alcoholic aperitifs on the market. These non-alcoholic offerings mimic a similar flavor profile to popular spirits, which allows you to easily swap them into cocktail recipes. However, as Jillian Vose shares, NA spirits come with their own set of quirks. "NA spirits lack the same weight and viscosity as their alcoholic counterparts, making them easier to overpower with modifiers," she says. She also explains that non-alcoholic spirits also have the same depth because they aren't barrel-aged. So, be sure to be aware of your ratios and approach these seemingly easy substitutes with some caution. 

Abbie Romanul shares that one of her favorite ABV-beverages to make at home is made with Free Spirits gin, Free Spirits non-alcoholic vermouth rosso, and Milano zero-proof alternatives. Once you get your hands on these products, you can try swapping out the alcohol in your classic cocktails to easily give them an ABV-free spin. That being said, there are ways to create mocktails that veer off the traditional cocktail path and don't use these NA spirit alternatives, which may be better for drinkers who aren't craving that heavy, alcohol-esque flavor profile. Shrubs, herbs, and sugars are just the start of what's possible when it comes to satisfying and inventive mocktails — you just have to be willing to experiment.