13 Fun and Refreshing Mocktail Recipes from Bartending Pros

These booze-free beverages are definitely worth toasting to.

Good Eye from ULUM Moab
ULUM Moab
Written by Kelsey Mulvey January 1, 2025

After a season spent enjoying spiked eggnog, popping open the bubbly, and visiting the best holiday bars in your neighborhood, one thing’s for sure: You’re ready to lay off the booze for a bit. (It’s okay, you’re not alone here.) But just because you want to go dry—be it for a month or longer—doesn’t mean you have to succumb to a bland glass of water. Thanks to the rise of non-alcoholic alternatives, it’s impossible to join a boozeless beverage.

“Dry January is all the rage right now,” explains Tobias Burkhalter, assistant general manager at FIRE Restaurant & Lounge at the ART Hotel in Denver. “Whether you’re hitting reset after the holidays or just exploring a new lifestyle.”

Only a few short years ago, the typical “mocktail” would be reduced to a highball glass filled with cranberry juice and sparkling water. But nowadays? Bartenders know mocktails mean business—and are thinking outside of the bottle to create a spectacular, spirit-free sip. To help make going dry feel dazzling, they’re sharing their finest mocktail recipes for you to try at home. From fresh ideas to spirit-free takes on the classics, the ideas below will have you itching to whip up a second round. Cheers!

1. Coastal Drift

Coastal Drink from Harvest at The Ranch at Laguna Beach

Harvest at The Ranch at Laguna Beach

Looking for an easy way to get into mocktails? Coastal Drift, a mocktail found at Harvest at The Ranch at Laguna Beach, is an approachable entry point. “We use familiar, fresh ingredients like watermelon and strawberries, combined with premium products like Fever-Tree and Seedlip Garden,” says Carlos Suarez, lead bartender. All you need to do is add your ingredients and ta da! You’ll have a delicious drink in no time.

Ingredients:

How to Make It:

  1. In a shaker mix equal parts Seedlip Garden, Harvest summer tea, and strawberry watermelon syrup. 
  2. After mixing, pour in a highball over ice and finish with the Fever-Tree Grapefruit Soda.
  3. Enjoy!

2. Clean Slate

Clean Slate from Fire Restaurant and Lounge

FIRE Restaurant & Lounge at the ART Hotel Denver

Don’t let its description fool you: FIRE Restaurant & Lounge’s Clean Slate is so much more than a booze-free Manhattan. “What makes it so special is the whole experience,” Burkhalter explains. “When the dome is lifted, you get this amazing burst of oak smoke that sets the mood. It’s not just about taste: It’s about the aroma, the visuals, and the moment.”

Ingredients:

How to Make It:

  1. Combine Lyre’s spirits with a few dashes of bitters.
  2. Stir it with ice to chill things down.
  3. Strain it into a coupe glass and top it off with a Luxardo cherry. 
  4. The grand finale? Serve under a glass dome filled with oak smoke, unveiling it tableside for that extra wow factor.

3. Big League Chew

Big League Chew from Tallboy

Tallboy

Tallboy might be known for its variety of martinis, but the Oakland bar’s mocktails are a far cry from gin- or vodka-free alternatives. “We’re trying to celebrate the non-alcoholic spirit in the drink and build flavors around them,” says Zach Edwards, Tallboy’s beverage director. In fact, Edwards says its Big League Chew is reminiscent of those childhood days spent holed up in a dugout. “The end result smacks of old school bubblegum flavors, hence the name,” he says. “It fits in with the theme of cheeky irreverence that’s the foundation for our drinks menu.”

Ingredients:

How to Make It: 

  1. Shake all ingredients, except for the soda water. 
  2. Top with soda water.
  3. Strain into a Collins glass and top with ice. 
  4. Garnish with a lime wheel and enjoy!

4. Manhattan Mocktail

Manhattan Mocktail at Moongate Lounge at Mister Jiu's

Moongate Lounge at Mister Jiu’s

For a booze-free take on a classic beverage, take a cue from Garrett Marks. “I really enjoy my version of a non-alcoholic Manhattan,” says Marks, who is the beverage director of Mister Jiu’s  and Moongate Lounge in San Francisco. “Since it’s inspired by a spirit-forward cocktail, and not just a riff on a lemonade, it’s sippable with slight acidity and bitter earthy notes.” To give this drink an extra oomph, he steeps his spiritless base in tea. “I use Keemun, a light black tea with floral, slightly smoky aromatics and malty, unsweetened cocoa taste,” he says. “Let it infuse for one hour, strain through a fine mesh strainer, and rebottle.”

Ingredients:

How to Make It:

  1. Infuse black tea in Roots Divino Bianco for one hour. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, and rebottle into a glass container or jar.
  2. Pour all ingredients into your mixing glass and stir to proper dilution.
  3. Strain into a cocktail glass of your choice.
  4. Can be served on the rocks or garnished with a rosemary sprig pierced into a cherry.

5. The No-jito

No-jito from Bernardus Lodge and Spa

Bernardus Lodge & Spa

If you want a take on the classics—but aren’t too keen on Manhattans—why not try something more… well, minty? “Featuring fresh mint, tart lime, and sweet, homemade pomegranate syrup, the Pomegranate NOjito is a versatile drink for every season,” says Colleen Kelly, director of food and beverage, mixologist, and sommelier at Bernardus Lodge & Spa in California’s Carmel Valley. “From refreshing fizz in the midst of summer to a burst of fruity, fresh flavors in the dead of winter, this garden-to-glass temperance beverage always hits the spot!” Sounds so good that we’ll happily take two!

Ingredients:

  • 10 fresh mint leaves
  • 1/2 oz pomegranate syrup
  • 1/2 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
  • Soda water (to top)
  • Pomegranate seeds (optional)

How to Make It: 

  1. Muddle the mint leaves and pomegranate syrup in a shaker.
  2. Add fresh squeezed lime juice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
  3. Pour the mixture over ice in a glass.
  4. Top with soda water and stir gently.
  5. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, a lime wheel, and a sprig of mint.
  6. Serve and enjoy!

6. Tropic Like It’s Hot

Tropic Like It's Hot from L'Auberge Del Mar

L’Auberge Del Mar

In the case of Tropic Like It’s Hot, a fruity mocktail from L’Auberge Del Mar near San Diego, a beverage can transport you to somewhere far, far away. “A favorite amongst our guests and Del Mar locals, this mocktail is an amazing combination of flavors that reflect coastal California,” says Chad Berkey, the hotel’s lead bartender. “The hint of pineapple reminds one to relax and enjoy themselves, and the garnish reflects the colors of the palms, and the sun setting into the ocean.”

Ingredients: 

  • 1 1/2 oz pineapple 
  • 1 oz fresh lemon juice 
  • 1 oz homemade fresh raspberry syrup 
  • 1/4 oz grapefruit
  • Orange blossom and aromatic herbs (optional)
  • Dehydrated orange slice, raspberry, and mint leaves to garnish (optional) 

How to Make It: 

  1. Pour all ingredients into a mixing shaker, add ice, and shake.
  2. Strain ingredients into a wine glass full of ice.
  3. If desired, add your herbs, orange slice, raspberry, or mint leaves for garnish.

7. Tropic Noir

Tropic Noir from Too Soon

Seth Marquez

If you’re looking for a moodier take on the typical tropical beverage, Adam Robinson of Too Soon in Portland, Oregon, calls the Tropic Noir one of the best nonalcoholic drinks that he’s created over the years. “I love using The Pathfinder in this beverage,” he says. “It has all of the bittersweet, herbal qualities of a classic Italian Amaro with none of the booze.” When paired with tropic flavors like pineapple and a dash of pandan? “It gives the Tropic Noir a deep complexity that is difficult to execute in nonalcoholic drinks,” Robinson says.

Ingredients:

For the Cocktail

  • 1 ¼ oz Pathfinder N/A Spirit
  • ¾ oz pineapple juice
  • ¾ oz cold brew concentrate
  • ½ oz pandan syrup
  • 5 drops saline solution

For the Pandan Syrup

  • 250g white sugar
  • 250g water
  • 25g fresh pandan leaves, cut into 2 inch pieces

For the Saline Solution

  • 4 parts water
  • 1 part kosher salt

How to Make It:

  1. Make the Pandan Syrup: Heat water, add sugar, continue heating until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat just before boiling. Add pandan leaves and allow to cool. Once cool, strain out the pandan leaves. This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks.
  2. Make the Saline Solution: Stir until salt is completely dissolved in the water.
  3. Make the Cocktail: Combine all ingredients in a double old fashioned glass and add a very large cube of ice. Stir until the drink is cold. Express the lemon twist over the top, and add the peel to the glass. Enjoy!

8. Cucumber Ricky

Cucumber Ricky from Royal Palms Resort

Royal Palms Resort and Spa

Think of the Cucumber Ricky, which comes courtesy of Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Phoenix, as an instant “ah” in a glass. It’s a light, bright mocktail that is perfect for those in search of a refreshing beverage. Featuring a bright green hue and vibrant flavors, the Cucumber Ricky is a beverage that anyone can enjoy, guilt-free. Simply kick back, relax, and take a big gulp!

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz cucumber juice
  • 3/4 oz lime juice 
  • 1/2 oz simple syrup 
  • Club soda 
  • Cucumber garnish (optional) 

How to Make: 

  1. Add all ingredients into a mixing tin, add ice and shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds.
  2. Strain ingredients into an iced Collins glass.
  3. Top with club soda.
  4. Garnish and enjoy!

9. Smoke & Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors from MacArthur Place Hotel and Spa
Smoke & Mirrors is pictured at top.

Layla

For a mocktail that’s incredibly close to the real deal, order a round of Smoke & Mirrors. “We chose the name as a play on words due to the magic that you won’t believe this cocktail is alcohol-free,” explains Marty Sullivan, restaurant general manager at MacArthur Place‘s Layla in Sonoma. “We utilize Optimist Botanicals Smokey for the base of this cocktail as it delivers notes of cooking spices like clove, sage, and oregano finished with a mild smokiness reminiscent of a crackling campfire.“ The result? A sweet, smoky libation akin to a summer night spent under the stars.

Ingredients:

How to Make: 

  1. Combine all ingredients into a shaker and shake. 
  2. Pour into a rocks glass with a king cube.
  3. If desired, add a sprig of torched rosemary for garnish and enjoy!

10. Wakayama

Wakayama from Bar Iris

Bar Iris

As the Wakayama from Bar Iris in San Francisco proves, good things come to those who wait. “This cocktail is all about ume, so the cocktail is named after a region famous for its ume: Wakayama,” says Bar Manager Timofei Osipenko. “The alcoholic version of the cocktail uses house made umeshu, which is ume infused with shochu and sugar for two years, so the nonalcoholic version is made with ume hachimitsu which is made by infusing ume plums in honey for three to six months.” This mocktail may take some time to perfect, but it’ll be well worth the wait.

Ingredients:

For the Hachimitsu

  • Ume plums
  • Honey

For the Cocktail

How to Make:

  1. Make the hachimitsu: Add a few ume plums and honey into a sealed container and store for three to six months.
  2. Mix all ingredients into a shaker and shake.
  3. Pour beverage into a highball glass with a spear ice cube.
  4. Top with seltzer and enjoy!

11. Good Eye

Good Eye from ULUM Moab
Good Eye is pictured right.

ULUM Moab

Think of ULUM Moab’s Good Eye as the mocktail-equivalent to a salad. “It satisfies all my cravings for earthy, herbaceous flavors with the natural sugars in carrot juice balancing the beverage out perfectly,” says Maggie Early, the property’s food and beverage operations manager. “Not only is this a tasty one, but it also brings a number of healthy elements to your glass.” Carrots pack a blast of vitamins C and A, which are known to aid in immune system strength and eye health. Early says, “Certainly something to toast to!”

Ingredients: 

How to Make:

  1. Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker.
  2. Strain into a glass.
  3. Garnish with lemon and enjoy!

Lola

Lola Mocktail from The Ritz Carlton San Francisco

The Ritz-Carlton, San Franscisco

Craving something sweet? The Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco has the perfect solution in the Lola, which was named after bartender Jennifer Garbarini’s mother-in-law. “Lola does not drink alcohol, but absolutely loves Kalamansi, the Philippine lime, so I decided to incorporate it into this mocktail,” Gabarini explains. “This particular fruit is initially sweet, but very tart at the finish, therefore I decided to mix it with non-alcoholic blood orange for depth and added sugar, rounding it out for a light, yet complex flavor.”

Ingredients:

How to Make:

  1. Add all ingredients with the exception of the soda water into a shaker. 
  2. Shake heavily to break down the mint. 
  3. Add the Fever Tree soda water to the shaker. 
  4. Double strain into a double rocks glass. 
  5. Add square ice cubes to finish and garnish with a mint sprig and lemon wheel slice. 
  6. Enjoy!

13. Dry Sakura Sour

Dry Sakura Sour from Nobu Restaurant Nobu Hotel Palo Alto

Nobu Restaurant at Nobu Hotel Palo Alto

Refreshing, simple, and oh-so tasty, it’s no wonder why the Dry Sakura Sour is Nobu Restaurant at Nobu Hotel Palo Alto’s featured cocktail for the month of January. “This cocktail features Lyre’s Pink London. Rose, cherry, red and blackberry immediately meet the palate with undertones of sweet and sour tart flavors of apple on the back end with a pleasant, long finish. Sweet meets slightly tart? Yes, please!

Ingredients:

How to Make: 

  1. Combine all ingredients to a shaker.
  2. Shaker and strain into a coupe glass.
  3. Enjoy!
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