As we wrote this morning, now is the time to enjoy simple, spring cocktails. But if you don't drink alcohol, there's no reason to fret: you can still enjoy the sweet pleasures of a spring cocktail (er, mocktail) sans the added booze by indulging in one of the myriad drink combinations made with sparkling water, flavored soda, fresh juices, and simple herb- and- fruit-distilled syrups. Here are 15 favorites:
TOP ROW
• 1 Non-Alcoholic Sangria
• 2 Drink Recipe: Kumquat Spritzer
• 3 Sparkling Rosemary Limemade
• 4 Iced Green Tea Elixir with Ginger and Lemon
• 5 Drink Recipe: Asian Pear Sparkler
MIDDLE ROW
• 6 Drink Recipe: Pink Grapefruit and Pomegranate Soda
• 7 Drink Recipe: Rosemary Citrus Spritzer
• 8 Drink Recipe: Watermelon Strawberry Cooler
• 9 Drink Recipe: Elderberry Shrub
• 10 Spring Drink: Blackberry Elderflower Spritzer with Mint
BOTTOM ROW
• 11 Recipe: Non-Alcoholic Maple & Grapefruit Cocktail
• 12 Breakfast Mocktail: Orange and Elderflower Spritzer
• 13 The Meg Ryan: A Bright and Bubbly Berry Drink
• 14 Drink Recipe: Strawberry Basil Sodas
• 15 Mother's Day Cocktail: Hibiscus Mimosa - Top with sparkling water instead of wine for the mocktail version!
Related: 15 Non-Alcoholic Drinks To Have With a Meal
(Images: as linked)
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Please stop perpetuating the use of the word mocktail. Not a word. Does not deserve to be a word. Non-alcoholic does not = fake, which is what the word implies. I am drinking a real drink, it just won't get me silly.
Here's one of my favorites:
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 t ground ginger
squirt of honey
top off with about a cup of sparkling water.
very refreshing and grownup (and good for you!)
@MLFLAMINGO: I agree about the word "mocktail." the only thing worse is "preggertini." I was at a bar a few weeks ago and I ask the bartender to make me something without alcohol... maybe with citrus or mint. She replied "Oh, you want a mocktail?" Arghh!!!
9 times out of 10 I get something too sweet anyway so I've just started asking for club soda with lime and a splash of angostura bitters (which I think actually does have a trace about of alcohol but not so much that I mind).
@heypielady - I never heard "preggertini" before - that is really truly horrible!
Im with Urbancricket!
If you don't like the word, don't use it. Simple as that. Personally I ask "what do you have to drink that is non-alcoholic" but what does your vocabulary preference have to do with how Apartment Therapy kindly took into consideration that not all people drink alcohol and looked up some fabulous sounding alternatives?
Half unsweetened grapefruit juice and half tonic water -- an adult beverage with no alcohol.
I always assume that the majority of the posters at AT are younger than I am. If that's true, you guys need to lighten up. They'll be lots of real issues to get worked up about as you move through this life. In fact, there are many now. (One in five children in this country goes to bed hungry each night.) Who care what they call the drinks?
Excellent! I'm pregnant and will enjoy some of these for my WRT (Wine Replacement Therapy).
Caitwalked, You said exactly what I was thinking. Love AT, read comments only when I'm looking for additional ideas. Thanks to those who posted their suggested recipes. Grapefruit and tonic sounds superb.
I have a doubt. What is the polite way to deal with the floating bits of fruit in the mocktail if we can't slurp in by the mouthfuls? Is fishing with a spoon considered good manners?
At a typical bar not set up for fancy, you can get orange and cranberry juices in soda water. Still a tad sweet, I often ask for more orange, but it is cold, so me what good for you, and tasty enough.