How to Make the Best Nonalcoholic Cocktails, According to Bartenders

Gone are the days of the sad mocktail — the cranberry cocktail topped with a bit of seltzer or a blend of every juice behind the bar. A growing number of bartenders are paying just as much attention (or more) to their spirit-free drinks as their boozy ones.

But when omitting alcohol from a drink you need to consider a range of factors: alcohol adds body and richness to drinks, it balances sweet flavors, and its astringency adds texture. When you omit it, you need to adjust your cocktail recipe to compensate accordingly.

It’s not rocket science, but a bit of good advice goes a long way. We asked bartenders to share tricks from the trade for making balanced and flavorful nonalcoholic drinks (mocktails, if you’d like) so good that you’ll want to order a second round.

Skip the shake

Unlike traditional cocktails made that use a spirit as a base, most nonalcoholic drinks are water-based or contain a high quantity of water through ingredients like fruit juices or teas. “When making nonalcoholic drinks, you need to prevent the drink from becoming overly diluted, which happens easily when stirring or shaking a drink with ice,” says Jessica King, owner of Brother Wolf in Knoxville, Tennessee.

King recommends skipping a shake and mixing pre-chilled ingredients without any ice. “To avoid over-dilution, keep your ingredients refrigerated prior to pouring. Keeping glassware chilled is also key to a refreshingly cold N/A cocktail that won’t taste watered down,” she says.

Think about texture

Alcohol adds body, richness, and bite to a cocktail, all factors of which affect a drinks texture when consumed. Even nonalcoholic versions of spirits or aperitifs will have a different weight to their traditional spirited counterparts, so when mixing with them, texture must be addressed.

“A base of nonalcoholic spirits and liqueurs generally yields a drink with less viscosity than one with alcohol, and it may taste a bit thin,” says Renato Tonelli, beverage training director at Dante NYC. “[You can] compensate for this with additional ingredients like homemade syrups, cordials, fluffy juices (juices whizzed in a blender or with a milk frother), and emulsifiers like egg white.”

Steer clear from sweet

“In any cocktail, the balance of sweetness, acidity, and bitterness needs to be finely tuned,” says Tristan Brunel, beverage director at New York’s Tusk Bar. Nonalcoholic alternatives to bar ingredients like spirits, aperitifs, or even mixers can veer sweet since sugar, like alcohol, adds texture and body to an ingredient. Plus, the alcoholic bite of a liquor balances out sweeter mixers too. To compensate for sweetness, look to other flavorful ingredients.

“With no alcohol to cut through or mellow-out strong flavors, harmony between these elements is crucial. Overly sweet or sour NA drinks feel one-dimensional, so experimenting with a range of ingredients — savory ones like fresh herbs or vegetables (I love bell pepper or celery juice) or umami-rich ones ( like soy sauce) — can create depth and intrigue,” says Brunel.

Bitter is better

“When building a nonalcoholic drink, remember this: Not too sweet, not too sour, and bitter is better,” says King. One of the best ways to counter sweetness is with bitter flavors. Many of the most beloved bar ingredients from Campari to amaros like Cynar have ample bitter notes that add depth and complexity to cocktails. Leaning on bitter nonalcoholic ingredients is a great way to emulate this with spirit-free drinks.

Mixers like grapefruit or blood orange juices contain bitter notes, and King likes to lean on nonalcoholic bitters from producers like All the Bitter to add a intrigue to an N/A drink. “With just a dash or two of their creations, the mundane becomes the exceptional — even those who imbibe with regularity may be fooled,” says King.

Look to tea

Tea has become a stalwart ingredient in nonalcoholic cocktails thanks to its unique composition of bold and delicate flavors. Many teas also contain tannins (like the ones found in red wine or barrel-aged spirits) which add texture to a spirit-free cocktail.

“Teas allow NA drinks to mimic the allure of a spirited cocktail, offering natural complexity and a wide range of flavor profiles,” says Francisco Velasco, bar manager at El Lugar Cantina in New York. “Whether you’re using green tea for its grassy, delicate notes or black tea for its robust body, it’s a versatile base that can shine in a variety of mocktails. And carbonated teas are also a go-to — they provide effervescence and layered flavors, giving NA drinks a distinctive personality.”