10 Easy Mocktails To Make This Summer For Your Friends

As we reach full-swing summer you’ll be invited out to more BBQs and other outdoor events with friends, which means you’ll need some easy mocktails recipes!

There can be a lot of pressure at times to drink alcohol during these events and parties, but for many students, there is no desire to drink every time you go out, or even at all.

Whenever a person declines an alcoholic drink, there could be any number of reasons why they choose to do so, and for that reason, always have some tasty non-alcoholic options in mind if you are hosting your own event this summer at your student accommodation.

Here, we take a look at some incredibly delicious and easy mocktails that hit the spot and are as tasty as any cocktail you can think of.

The added bonus is that you won’t have the hangover the next morning after knocking back a few glasses – hooray for easy mocktails!

1. A Virgin Mojito

This refreshing non-alcoholic cocktail is based on a winning mojito, a classic summer cocktail.

Instead of the heady tastes of rum, this virgin mojito creates a fruity blend that is always a hit at parties and really quenches your thirst with the zing of lime and the mint-soaked freshness.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• The juice of 3 limes
• Soda water
• A bunch of mint

Recipe

• The first step is to take the mint leaves and sugar and mash it together with a pestle and mortar. If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, the end of a rolling pin and a small bowl will do.
• Next, take some crushed ice and place into 2 tall glasses. Split the lime juice between the glasses and the mint mix. Top up the glass with soda water and stir thoroughly with a straw.
• A simple and delicious way to make a refreshing summer hit.

2. New York Sour

Usually made with whiskey or bourbon, this New York sour mocktail is just as glitzy and glamorous as it’s alcoholic counterpart, but makes the most of the flavours of lemon, pomegranate, tea and maple syrup.

Ingredients

• 25ml of lemon juice
• 3 teaspoons of maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon of egg white
• 10ml of pomegranate juice
• 1 teaspoon of assam tea leaves (enough to make 50ml of tea)
• Ice
• A few drops of vanilla extract

Recipe

• Take the tea leaves and put 150ml of boiling water over them, stir and then strain straight away. The idea is that you want a strong tea, but not a tea that has had time to stew. Drop in a few drops of the vanilla extract and leave it to cool down.
• Poor 50ml of the team, the lemon juice and the maple syrup into a cocktail shaker. Take a fork and use it to stir the egg white until it is loosened slightly and then add 1 tablespoon of this to the cocktail shaker. Shake the mixture really well until it is frothy, then add a handful of ice and shake again.
• Double strain the mixture into an ice-filled glass. Add water to the pomegranate juice until you have 20ml in total and slowly pour this into the glass. The juice should float underneath the egg white foam as it settles.

3. Negroni Mocktail

This take on the classic Negroni cocktail uses grape juice and a delicious syrup that is made from grapefruit, coriander and cardamom pods.

Ingredients for the syrup base

• Half a grapefruit (or about 125g)
• 1 slice of orange
• 3 lightly crushed cardamom pods
• Coriander seeds
• 125g of caster sugar
• Red food colouring

Ingredients for the mocktail

• 25ml of white grape juice
• 1 slice of orange
• Ice

Recipe

• The grapefruit should be chopped into small chunks and placed into a saucepan alongside the sugar, the slice of orange, cardamom pods, coriander seeds and 125ml of water. Heat up this mixture until it is simmering and cook for 5 minutes.
• Use a wooden spoon to crush the pieces of fruit and help it to release juices. Once the fruit has completely softened, take the mixture off the heat and leave it to cool down. It is at this point that you can add a drop of red food colouring if you want to.
• Strain the syrup mixture and ensure that the fruit pieces and spices are fully removed from the liquid. Put 25ml of the syrup and some ice into a tumbler, add 25ml of cold water and the grape juice. Stir until the tumbler feels cold and then add garnish in the form of another slice of orange.

4. Amaretto Sour

As easy mocktails go, this version of an amaretto sour is incredibly tasty and easy to make. You’ll experience all the sweet, sharp and nutty flavours on your tastebuds without the added booze.

Ingredients

• 100ml of pineapple juice
• 50ml of lemon juice
• 10ml syrup made from cocktail cherries
• Half an egg white
• A few drops of almond extract

Recipe

• This simple mocktail recipe just needs a blender to get going. Add the pineapple and lemon juice, the egg white, almond extract and cherry syrup to a blender and blend it all together at high speed until the mixture has turned pale.
• If you have a robust enough blender to cope with ice, add a handful and pulse a few times more until the mixture is cool. If not, add ice to the mixture when it is in a jug, and stir until the jug feels cold to the touch. Add to glasses and serve with a cherry garnish.

 

4. Alcohol-Free G&T

Sometimes, all you want is a nice refreshing G&T when relaxing at an outdoor party or on your balcony to watch the sun goes down.

If you don’t drink or you are driving for the night, this amazing and easy mocktail, made with mint, cloves, rosemary chamomile and cardamom recreates the special botanical flavour you expect from an alcoholic G&T.

Ingredients

• 5 cardamom pods
• Half a cucumber
• 1 teabag (chamomile)
• Half a bunch of mint leaves
• 1 strip of lemon zest
• Tonic water
• A bunch of rosemary
• 5 cloves
• A few pomegranate seeds
• Ice

Recipe

• Slice the cucumber and bruise the cardamom pods before placing both in a large jug.
• Add in the chamomile teabag, mint leaves, lemon zest, cloves and rosemary before topping the jug up with 500ml of cold water.
• Leave it in the fridge for between two and four hours to infuse.
• Strain the infused water and pour in 50ml into each glass you wish to serve. Top up the drinks with tonic water and ice, garnishing with mint leaves and pomegranate seeds to serve.

 

5. Tropical Punch Cups

A fruit salad is an inventive and tasty way to treat guests at a party. A simple twist that combines the joy of a mocktail and a bite-sized treat to refresh the palate.

Ingredients

• Cut half a pineapple into chunks
• Peel 2 mangoes and cut into chunks
• Slice 2 starfruit
• 50ml of ginger beer
• 150ml tropical fruit juice of your choice

Recipe

• Take all of the fruit you have prepared and mix it together in a large bowl, adding the tropical fruit juice. Chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve your easy mocktails.
• Right before you do serve to guests, pour the ginger beer over the top and serve with small cups or bowls alongside it, allowing for extra spooning of fruit or drinks into it as you wish.

5. Frozen Apple Margarita

This is one of those easy mocktail recipes that can be made as both an alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink with a simple switch of ingredients. All you need to do is add extra apple juice instead of the 250ml of tequila that would be called for in the alcoholic version.

Ingredients

• Half of 1 lime
• 500ml of fresh sparkling apple juice (for a flavour twist why not try pineapple, strawberry or other combinations of juice)
• 2 teaspoons of grated lime rind
• 2 tablespoons of lime juice
• Handful of ice cubes
• 4 slices of green apple
• Lime zest
• Salt

Recipe

• Put the salt on a plate, run the cut lime around the rim of the serving glass and dip into the salt.
• Add the lime rind, sparkling apple juice and ice into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture between the glasses evenly.
• Decorate with the lime zest and apple slices.

6. Peach And Mint Iced Tea

Iced tea is always a refreshing and delicious non-alcoholic option during the summer months and should always be included on your list of easy mocktails.

Ingredients

• English breakfast tea bags (2 bags)
• Passionfruit with hibiscus infusion tea bags (2 bags)
• 1 litre of boiling water
• Half a cup of torn fresh mint leaves
• 2 chopped peaches
• 125g strawberries
• Chilled lemonade – enough for 2 cups

Recipe

• Put the tea bags into a large jug and pour in boiling water. Let it stand for 20 minutes to allow for all the flavours to develop before removing the tea bags. Set this aside for another 15 minutes – enough time for it to cool down.
• Once the liquid has cooled, add in the peach and mint and place in the fridge for around an hour or until it is completely cold. Then add strawberries and lemonade before serving with some mint.

6. Pink Lemonade

One of the more colourful and fun easy mocktails on the list, this pink lemonade recipe is a refreshing way to cool down on a hot summer day.

It is also an incredibly versatile recipe, as the raspberry syrup can be kept in the fridge to be used as part of other drinks or even as a tasty syrup over some ice cream on particularly hot days.

Ingredients for the raspberry syrup

• 250g of frozen raspberries
• The juice of half a lemon
• 100g of caster sugar

Ingredients for the lemonade

• The juice of 3 and a half lemons
• The juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons of raspberry syrup (from the above ingredients)
• 100g caster sugar
• Ice

Recipe

• For the raspberry syrup, take the raspberries and add to a saucepan along with 2 tablespoons of water. At a medium heat, bring it to a simmer and stir the berries occasionally until they begin to soften, and the juices are released. Cook for 5 minutes or until you have completely broken down the berries.
• Strain the berries for a couple of hours over a bowl to make sure you get as much of the delicious juices as possible. You should be left with around 150ml of juice.
• Add this juice to a saucepan along with the caster sugar and lemon juice. Cook this mixture over a medium heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour this into a jam jar and leave to one side. This mixture can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
• For the lemonade, mix together the lemon juice, lime juice, caster sugar and raspberry syrup and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add 575ml of water and as much ice as you like.

7. Apple Elderflower Cooler

An easy mocktail to make for a light summer evening, this elderflower cooler is perfect for a quick refreshment or even for a drink you can sip throughout a long, hot day.

Ingredients

• The juice of half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon of elderflower cordial
• 125ml of apple juice
• Sparkling water
• Mint sprig

Recipe

• Mix together the lemon juice, apple juice and elderflower cordial into a mocktail shaker that you’ve already filled with ice. Shake it for around 10 seconds and then pour everything into a glass.
• Top up the drink with as much sparkling water as you personally like and add a sprig of mint as a garnish to finish off the drink.

 

We hope you enjoyed these recipes for easy mocktails! There’s nothing like a nice refreshing mocktail in the hot weather, we’d definitely recommend it to cool you down. If you’re wanting some tips and tricks on how to make the most of university, click here to read our blog for some top tips.