Five killer non-alcoholic summer cocktails that anyone can make at home

There are many reasons why people choose not to drink alcohol, from physical health to mental health to pregnancy to having to get up really early in the morning to… the list goes on.

But if you’re on the bandwagon or entertaining someone who is, that doesn’t mean “no drinking” has to mean “no drinking…anything funnier than soda.” You and your guests are adults: You should be able to drink adult beverages.

To make this mission easier, we’ve compiled a list of summer drinks that could rightly be called cocktails, but just happen not to contain alcohol (although some of them can be easily adulterated if desired). Because you deserve more than sparkling water on a hot summer day.

For these drink recipes, we̵

As with regular cocktails, these require a small amount of preparation and a few jiggers (cocktail gauges), but the results are more than worth it. You’ll notice that some of these drinks contain salt (we’ve included a “recipe” for a salt mix, which is basically just 1 part salt to 4 parts water). It won’t make them taste salty, but it will help with mouthfeel and reduce bitterness without having to add sugar.

Our first three drinks come from Derek Brown, renowned bartender and author of the excellent Mindful Mixology: A comprehensive guide to non- and low-alcohol cocktails with 60 recipes.

Brunswick Cooler

This refreshing long drink (meaning: goes in a tall glass, has more mixer than spirit when it contains spirit) dates to at least 1895. “It’s basically a lemonade and ginger ale with the addition of the peel. But oh, is that shell important,” writes Brown. The lemon zest adds lots of flavor and it also makes the cooler look real, well, Cool.

Note that the syrups required are incredibly quick and easy to make, and can be used for all sorts of other drinks.

Make 1 drink
Serve in a highball glass
1 lemon
2 ounces lemon juice
1 ounce ginger syrup (recipe at bottom of article)
1/2 ounce lemon syrup (recipe at bottom of article)
3 ounces soda water

Cut a long spiral from the lemon and wrap around the inside of the highball glass. In a shaker, combine lemon juice, ginger syrup and lemon syrup with ice and shake vigorously. Strain the liquid into a highball glass with a spiral, add fresh ice, top with soda and stir gently before serving.

Cherry Lime Rickey

“The original Rickey was made with bourbon and later gin,” Brown writes. “But Lime Rickey and Cherry Lime Rickey became as famous as soda fountain drinks, with many people having fond childhood memories of the non-alcoholic versions.”

Which is to say, this is a great drink for gatherings where alcoholic drinkers can add spirits, novices can consume it as is, and everyone shares (pretty much) the same drink (which is an experience non-alcoholic drinkers don’t always get to enjoy) .

The pineapple syrup should be made the night before, but doing so is a quick, easy, and kid-friendly process that also yields a snackable pineapple.

Make 1 drink
Serve in a highball glass
1 1/4 ounces fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce tart cherry juice
1/4 ounce pineapple syrup (recipe at bottom of article)
Zest of half a lime
4 ounces sparkling mineral water
In a shaker, combine lime juice, sour cherry juice and pineapple syrup with ice and shake vigorously. Place the lime peel in the highball glass and then strain the liquid into the glass. Add fresh ice, top with sparkling mineral water and stir gently.

Pinch Hitters

This is a more fancy/serious, elegant cocktail-with-a-capital-C. In his book, Brown calls it “the canvas of the non-alcoholic acid”, which you can use as the basis for “all kinds of variations”, by replacing the lemon juice with grapefruit, for example.

In order to get the flavor notes that alcohol usually gives, here are a couple of ingredients that can at once seem foreign but still completely ordinary.

Serve in a cocktail glass
2 ounces fresh lemon juice
1 ounce ginger syrup (recipe at bottom of article)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 ounce aquafaba (aquafaba is “chickpea water. From a can of chickpeas. Just open the can and strain the liquid.” Use the chickpeas for salad or hummus.)
6 drops of salt tincture (recipe at the bottom of the article) or use a pinch of salt, but the tincture melts better.
Thinly sliced ​​lemon wheel for garnish
In a shaker, combine liquid ingredients with ice and shake vigorously. Remove the ice and shake dry. Strain liquid into cocktail glass and garnish with a thinly sliced ​​lemon wheel.

These last two cocktails come from Judy Elahi, bar manager of Michelin-starred Gravitas restaurant and 101 Hospitality Group in Washington, DC. Her recipes use zero-proof “spirits” that mimic the taste of spirits (in this case, gin and tequila) while being alcohol-free. These drinks are another way to get a traditional flavored cocktail without the booze.

Incognito 2.0

This is a riff on the martini. One of the ingredients has to be prepared ahead of time, but it’s easier to do than overnight cold brewing.

Serve in a chilled martini glass
2 oz Bare Zero Proof Gin, cold.
1 ounce lavender grape reduction (recipe at bottom of article), cold.
1 splash of salt tincture (recipe at the bottom of the article)
Mix the ingredients, stir, pour into a chilled glass, garnish with pickled grapes if you can, or with your usual martini garnish.

Not your average Spritz

The name of this one is pretty self-explanatory. That said, it might also appeal to someone who likes Margaritas.

Serve in a chilled glass
1 1/2 ounces Bare Zero Proof Reposado Tequila
3/4 ounce ginger honey (recipe at bottom of article)
1/4 ounce lime juice
1 1/4 ounces salt tincture
3 ounces mandarin soda
Fill glass with ice, add ingredients, stir to combine. Garnish with herbs if available.

Supporting recipes

Ginger syrup

Makes about 1 cup
1 cup white sugar
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons grated unpeeled ginger root
1 splash of lemon juice
Boil sugar and water until the granules dissolve. Stir, remove from heat and add grated ginger. Let cool. Add lemon juice and strain any solids. Stored in the fridge this should last up to two weeks.

Lemon syrup

Makes about 1 cup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Peel of 3 lemons (wash before peeling)
6 ounces lemon juice
Add sugar, water and lemon zest to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sugar crystals have dissolved. Stir, remove from heat and mix lemon juice into the mixture.

Pineapple syrup

Makes about 1 cup
1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
1 pineapple
Boil sugar and water until the crystals dissolve, then stir. Cut pineapple into 1/2-inch squares, remove skin and soak in syrup overnight. Squeeze and strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve, but keep the cubes for garnish or sweets.

Salt tincture

Add 4:1 water to the salt and shake until the salt dissolves. Use a good salt like Maldon. Transfer the tincture to a dropper bottle or dropper bottle.

Lavender grape reduction

Make a modest amount, but it goes a long way
10oz Bare Zero Proof Gin
30 grams of red grapes mixed
5 grams of dried lavender
Mix the ingredients, leave for 48 hours and then strain.

Ginger honey

Do as much as you want
2 parts ginger juice (this is done by grating ginger and squeezing it so the liquid drips into a container)
1.5 parts honey
0.5 parts hot water
Stir together hot water and honey. When completely cooled, stir in ginger juice.