An Ultimate Guide To Alcohol-Free Cocktails
Now that we’re over the indulgence of the holiday season, most of us like to start the new year with resolutions, fresh perspectives and a willingness to try something new. Like enjoying alcohol-free sips! Our resident cocktail expert, August Svensson, has five fantastic tips for those looking to try some new and exciting mocktails this year.
August's 5 Top Tips
1. Leave out the liquor
One easy way to create a non-alcoholic cocktail is to take a classic drink and mimic its flavours, minus the alcohol. From a Virgin Mary at brunch, to a vodka-free Appletini at the bar, many popular cocktails can be made alcohol-free and taste remarkably similar. We’ve got two great recipes here, that can also be scaled up as batch cocktails to serve a crowd.
Virgin Margarita
Freshly squeezed citrus is essential for an elevated non-alcoholic Margarita, giving you maximum flavour without too much sweetness.
“When making a salt rim for a margarita, my go-to is any kind of flaky sea salt. Not only is the salt visually appealing, the sudden intense flavour works really well with the sharp citrus. A brilliant way to up your margarita game, while also reducing food waste, is to maximise your citrus. Before squeezing the fruit, zest them and keep the shavings, mix them with your salt and use them to rim your glass, for a low-waste citrus salt. If you have any leftovers, it’s also great for cooking!”
Ingredients
Flaky sea salt, for the rim
50ml freshly squeezed lime juice, from 1 medium lime
10ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 1/2 medium lemon
20ml freshly squeezed orange juice, from 1/2 small orange
15ml agave nectar
20-50ml soda water
Lime wedge, for rim and garnish
Method
Create a salt rim by sliding a lime wedge around the edge of a tumbler, or double old-fashioned glass. Roll the rim in a small dish of flaky sea salt and tap off any excess. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes and add the lime, lemon, and orange juices along with the agave nectar, and shake for 20 seconds, then strain into your ice-filled tumbler. Top up with soda water. Don't have a shaker? Not a problem, just add all the ingredients straight into the glass and stir for 30 seconds before adding your soda water. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Nojito
Just like the original Mojito, with this non-alcoholic option, you can adjust this recipe to add your own personal twist. Try switching out the sweetener, adding different fruits or herbs, or even experimenting with flavoured soda waters.
Ingredients
Seedlip Garden 108, or Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 0.0%
25ml lime juice
15ml sugar syrup
5 to 10 mint leaves
Soda or sparkling water, to top up
1 mint sprig, for garnish
Method
Roll one lime, then halve and squeeze, with one half giving roughly 25ml juice. Put your mint leaves in one hand and slap them with your other hand, to warm up the leaves and help extract more oils and flavour. Add the lime and mint to your cocktail shaker, together with the sugar syrup and alcohol-free spirit. Shake and strain into a tall glass with ice cubes. Top with soda water and garnish with a mint sprig.
2. Treat yourself to a premium experience
The joy of sipping on a delicious cocktail is found in the blended balance of refined flavours, the clinking of ice cubes on beautiful glassware, and the company you share it with. None of that gets lost with mocktails. Make sure you use the very best ingredients, freshly squeezed juices, and pretty little garnishes, like edible flowers or citrus twists, to make your dry cocktails extra special.
3. Experiment with complex flavours
The best non-alcoholic cocktails create a well-rounded taste experience, by balancing sweetness with acidity, sometimes with a bitter hint. Try using premium teas, zero-proof bitters, and high-quality distilled botanicals to bring a level of depth and complexity to your alcohol-free cocktails. Seedlip has a range of spirits that offer a multidimensional taste profile and really level up your alcohol-free experience.
Seedlip Minosa
Seedlip Grove’s bright blend of Mediterranean orange, lemon peel, lemongrass and ginger features a dry finish, making it a perfect complement to sweet citrus juice.
“The Seedlip Minosa, is a great alcohol-free version of the famous brunch cocktail, a Mimosa. With orange as a key flavour of Seedlip Grove 42, together with ginger and lemongrass, this is a drink made to impress. The edible flower will not change the taste, but rather give the drink a visual wow factor. If you don’t have alcohol-free sparkling wine, then soda water can be used instead.”
Ingredients
50ml Seedlip Grove 42
25ml fresh orange juice
Alcohol-free sparkling wine to top
Edible flower to garnish
Method
Combine Seedlip Grove 42 and orange juice in a flute, then top with the sparkling wine. Garnish with a freshly picked edible flower.
Garden Highball
Seedlip Garden 108 offers a fresh, herbal blend of peas and traditional garden perennials, like thyme and rosemary, that mingle with the refreshing sweetness of apple juice in a simple yet sophisticated drink.
Ingredients
50ml Seedlip Garden 108
30ml unfiltered apple juice
15ml lemon juice
15ml maple syrup
Soda water to top
Apple fan for garnish
Method
Simple yet effective. In a tall glass, combine all ingredients over ice, give a quick stir then top up with soda. The unfiltered apple juice with the maple syrup will make this drink lightly and elegantly cloudy. Other sweeteners and fruit juices will also work, to make some really creative alcohol-free cocktails.
“For the apple fan, slice an apple in half, avoid the core. Lay the half flat on a cutting board, then cut thin slices from top to bottom - keep them together once cut. Take three or five slices, hold the bottom and open spread them out from the top, creating a gorgeous apple fan.”
Seedlip Espresso Martino
Notes of allspice, cardamom, and citrus play well with coffee in this non-alcoholic take on an Espresso Martini, that we like to call the Espresso Martino. It's rich, warm and indulgent, just what you need at the end of the workday.
Ingredients
50ml Seedlip Spice 94
50ml cold brew concentrate
15ml simple syrup
Method
Combine the Seedlip Spice 94, cold brew concentrate and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a coupe glass, garnish with three coffee beans.
4. Try a zero-proof spirit
Just like non-alcoholic beer and wine, some distillers also offer 0.0% spirits, letting you indulge in your favourite cocktails with a liquor-free substitute. These days, you can enjoy a Gin & Tonic or Rum & Cola, without any alcohol. There are many alcohol-free options available, but if you like the sweetness of strawberries and raspberries, try Gordon's 0.0% Premium Pink, which pairs well with any tonic. And if you’ve got a spicy palate, try Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 0.0%, a great replacement in any rum drink.
Tanqueray 0.0% & Tonic
Ingredients
50ml Tanqueray 0.0%
150ml tonic water
Wedge of lime to garnish
Method
Pour Tanqueray 0.0% into a copa glass, add plenty of ice and mix with tonic water. Add a wedge of lime to garnish and stir.
Gordon’s Elderflower Cooler
Ingredients
50ml Gordon's Alcohol-Free 0.0%
20ml elderflower cordial
Cubed ice
Cucumber slices
Mint to garnish
Soda
Method
Fill a glass halfway with cubed ice and pour over Gordon's Alcohol-Free. Add a slice or two of cucumber and some mint leaves. Splash over elderflower cordial, fill with more ice and top up with chilled soda. Stir and finish off with more slices of cucumber and a sprig of mint.
“We are now lucky enough to find a great number of different cordials in the shops, especially elderflower. That being said, nothing beats a homemade cordial. In a saucepan on medium heat, combine two parts white sugar and 1 part water (e.g. 2kg sugar and 1kg water). Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Then add the peel of two lemons, and 20 elderflower heads, with stalks trimmed. Keep on the heat for 10 minutes, then remove. Either strain the liquid once cooled, or leave it to infuse in the fridge for 24 hours before bottling. Store in the fridge and it’ll last for at least two weeks.”
5. Embrace a spirit of exploration
Give your guests a chance to sample a variety of non-alcoholic drinks, with curated tasting flights. Or, for a bit of light-hearted fun, invite friends over for a little cocktail competition. When you’re out, see if there’s a bottle of Seedlip behind the bar, and go for a botanical cocktail. Try using this new year as an opportunity to explore new flavour profiles and delight your guests with experimentation and exploration.
“One of the most popular cocktails currently, is the Paloma. However, replace the tequila with Seedlip Spice 94 for a long, citrusy and refreshing version of this classic cocktail. Prefer a spritz? Seedlip Grove 42 mixed with alcohol-free bitter aperitif and soda will bring you a taste of Italy, without the alcohol. Feel like a shorter drink? With Seedlip Garden 108, make a Garden Sour. You will be surprised that there is no gin in it!”
New year, new you
A new year is a time to try something new and expand your palate. We hope these suggestions have opened your eyes to a world of delicious non-alcoholic cocktails that you can add to your repertoire all year long.
