Non-alcoholic cocktails lose the alcohol without sacrificing flavor.
Whether you're trying to save calories, acting as the designated driver, or even looking for a new taste while pregnant, you can easily find drinks that offer the same fancy flavors of the traditional cocktail, without the alcoholic content. While some "mocktails" are simply non-alcoholic versions of a classic, others were developed to combine ingredients and develop flavors in their own right. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Nojito
The Nojito leaves out the rum but not the flavor.
This is a non-alcoholic version of the popular Mojito, which typically contains rum. The Nojito uses similar ingredients, "muddling" mint leaves with lime juice and superfine sugar in a cocktail shaker, before adding club soda or seltzer water. The concoction is gently shaken to mix, and then strained into a medium or tall cocktail glass filled with ice. The Epicurious website notes that this technique infuses the mint flavor without "a lot of little mint pieces in [your] teeth." The drink can be garnished using mint leaves or slices of lime.
Shirley Temple
This classic non-alcoholic cocktail was named after the child movie star from the 1930s, according to the BabyZone website. It is easily created by combining ginger ale with grenadine, and garnishing with an orange slice and maraschino cherry. If cola is substituted for the ginger ale, this mocktail turns into a Roy Rogers (named for the famous cowboy actor).
Arnold Palmer
The Arnold Palmer was named for the golfing great.
BabyZone notes that the Arnold Palmer was not only named for the famous golfer, but is also his favorite drink. Great for hot weather, the non-alcoholic cocktail includes equal parts of iced tea (sweetened to taste) and lemonade, stirred and served over ice. If the lemonade is poured over the ice first and followed slowly by the iced tea, the two liquids should stay in "somewhat separate layers," making for a more artistic presentation. Also called a "half-and-half," the Arnold Palmer is served in a tumbler or highball glass, and can be garnished with lemon, mint or kiwi slices.
Virgin Mary
The Virgin Mary leaves out the vodka but keeps the other seasonings.
With so many seasonings in a Virgin Mary, you will not even miss the vodka. This non-alcoholic version of a Bloody Mary uses tomato juice poured over ice and seasoned with lemon juice, celery salt, Worcestershire sauce, coarsely ground pepper and hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco. Served in a large highball glass, even the mocktail version of the popular drink needs a celery stick garnish.
Tags: Arnold Palmer, Virgin Mary, highball glass, mint leaves, named famous, non-alcoholic cocktail, non-alcoholic version