Mocktail recipes that still look like a proper drink

Two pink drinks garnished with dried lemon slices and edible flowers

The problem with most mocktails is not the taste. It is that they arrive looking like cordial in a tumbler while everyone else is holding something that looks like an occasion.

Fix the glass and the garnish and the drink stops being a consolation prize. Here are seven that work, all built in under two minutes with things you can buy in a New Zealand supermarket.

1. Virgin mojito

Rim the glass first, while it is dry. Press the mint gently with the back of a spoon rather than shredding it, add lime and syrup, fill with crushed ice and top with soda.

2. Non-alcoholic gin and tonic, dressed up

A dried slice sits proud on the ice instead of sinking, which is the whole difference between this and a glass of tonic.

3. Sparkling peach cooler

Nectar over ice, top with sparkling water, lemon to cut the sweetness. Tastes far more grown up than it sounds.

4. Berry spritz

Float two or three strawberry slices on top. They soften slightly as they sit and they are worth eating at the end.

5. Non-alcoholic espresso martini

  • Double shot of espresso, cooled
  • 2 tsp sugar syrup
  • 50ml oat milk, or a decaf coffee liqueur alternative
  • Dried orange slice

Shake very hard with ice. The foam is all in the shaking, and without alcohol you have to work a little harder for it.

6. Pineapple and coconut cooler

The glitter rim is doing the work here. It catches the light and it is the reason people ask what they are drinking.

7. Citrus soda with a chilli salt rim

Salt and chilli give a non-alcoholic drink the savoury edge it usually lacks. This one converts people who say they do not like mocktails.

Three things that make the difference

  • Use the same glass you would use for the real thing. A coupe or a highball, never a plastic tumbler.
  • Rim the glass while it is dry, then fill. Sugar and salt slide straight off a wet glass.
  • Garnish it properly. A dried citrus slice or a pinch of petals takes five seconds and is the only reason anyone photographs a drink.

If you are doing Dry July, hosting someone who is not drinking, or just pacing yourself, one rim dust and one bag of dried citrus covers all seven of these. Both are made here in the Waikato, and shipping is free over $100.

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