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Mocktail

Style

A mocktail is a cocktail-style drink with no alcohol, built on a base, citrus, syrup and soda.

Also called: virgin drink · zero-proof cocktail · non-alcoholic cocktail

'Non-alcoholic' on US malt beverage labels
Under 0.5% ABV
'Alcohol free' on US malt beverage labels
No alcohol at all
Formula
2 oz (60 ml) juice, tea or zero-proof base, 0.75 oz (22 ml) citrus, 0.5 to 0.75 oz (15 to 22 ml) syrup, topped with 2 to 3 oz (60 to 90 ml) soda

What mocktail means

A mocktail keeps the parts that make a cocktail work. It still needs something sour, something sweet and something to dilute it. Those come from the juice, the citrus, the sweetener and the ice. A nojito is a virgin mojito, the mocktail version of a mojito with the rum left out. Verjuice can stand in for wine's acid, and strong tea adds the grip a spirit brings.

The name blends mock and cocktail, and Merriam-Webster dates its first known use to 1916. People often think a bottle labeled non-alcoholic has no alcohol at all. In the US, a malt beverage can carry that label with under 0.5% ABV. Only the words alcohol free mean none, so read the label if a guest must avoid alcohol completely.

A low-ABV cocktail still has some alcohol, usually from vermouth, sherry or a bitter aperitivo. A mocktail has none. If you want a sharp, sweet base with no alcohol, a shrub supplies both the acid and the sugar.

How to make a mocktail

Build a mocktail like a cocktail: a base, citrus and syrup, shaken or stirred with ice, then topped with soda.

  1. 1.Pour 2 oz (60 ml) juice, tea or zero-proof base into a shaker with 0.75 oz (22 ml) citrus and 0.5 to 0.75 oz (15 to 22 ml) syrup.
  2. 2.Add ice, then shake or stir until the shaker feels cold.
  3. 3.Strain the mix into a glass filled with fresh ice.
  4. 4.Top with 2 to 3 oz (60 to 90 ml) soda water, tonic or ginger beer.
  5. 5.Check labels on zero-proof spirits and NA beers if a guest must avoid all alcohol, since non-alcoholic can mean up to 0.5% ABV.

Mocktail compared

  • CocktailA cocktail is built on spirits. A mocktail keeps the build of sour, sweet and dilution, and leaves the alcohol out.
  • Low-ABV cocktailLow-ABV keeps some alcohol in the mix, often from vermouth or sherry. A mocktail has no alcohol in it at all.

Examples

  • Shirley Temple
  • Roy Rogers
  • Virgin Mary
  • Nojito (virgin Mojito)
  • Virgin Piña Colada
  • Arnold Palmer
  • Shrub and soda

Related terms

Ingredients

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Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.

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