30 Winter Mocktails To Get Cozy With
With the holiday season approaching and many a holiday party on the horizon, you might be looking for some nonalcoholic festive drink options to enjoy yourself or provide for others. No dinner party menu is complete without NA options in my opinion. And is it just me or are readymade NA drinks getting as expensive as alcohol? Making mocktails yourself is so easy as fun! All the innovation of mixology, without the ABV. Here are a slew of recipes to try out or pull inspiration from — some of them warm, some of them merely wintry in their flavors, some lending heat by way of spice. All of the following recipes are alcohol-free. Some feature NA spirits, but most are made with just regular, easy-to-find ingredients.
This post was originally written in January 2023 and republished in November 2024.
Not Toddies
Yep, you guessed it: These are winter mocktails that are riffs on hot toddies. Get your cottagecore vibes on with these warming, spice-filled drinks.
It’ll give you a bit of a caffeine buzz, too, if that’s what you’re looking for. But you could also make it with a decaf green.
Doesn’t get more classic than this take.
This hot toddy uses either Lyre’s American Malt or Spiritless Spiced Kentucky 74, which you can find in most liquor stores these days.
This also sounds like a cold remedy.
Hot Stuff
a.k.a. more hot winter mocktail options that go beyond the hot toddy for inspiration! Some of these are alcohol-free versions of classic hot cocktails, and some are just recipes for wonderfully reliable non-alcoholic hot drinks like savory cocoa and chai.
Pineapple isn’t something I usually associate with this season, and yet! This mocktail! It sounds so buttery, warming, and surprising.
Note: This recipe is made with Nespresso pods, but you could easily sub in regular espresso. Also, check out this recipe for alcohol-free Irish cream.
You can mull anything with the right mixture of warming winter spices!
Spicy hot chocolate is a go-to winter beverage for me.
There are a lot of nonalcoholic eggnog recipes out there, and of course you can also just get NA eggnog from the store, but this recipe is super simple, so give it a whirl!
Okay, I’m stretching the definition of “mocktail” by including chai, but it wouldn’t be a list of beverage recommendations by me if it didn’t include chai. And a lot of the best takes on a cup of chai really do feel like mixology. Everyone in my family, for example, makes masala chai a different way, but this is a good starter recipe that you can then build on.
This one would be fun for parties.
Turmeric and vanilla join forces to make this creamy drink.
See also: ube latte! A personal favorite, and I can’t wait to try to make one at home.
Pear is one of the most under-rated fruit flavors imo! Pear cider deserves as much attention as classic apple.
Tis the season for spicy drinks (for the record, I say this about every season).
Cold 4 Cold
Winter mocktails don’t have to be warm! If you live in a hot, seasonless place (like I do, in Florida) and still want to channel winter vibes while drinking something refreshing and cool in the winter sun or if you keep your place so toasty in the winter that you wanna sip something icy, here are some nonalc recipes full of citrus, spice, and minty goodness.
Orange really is the fruit of every season if you think about it. Good in summer and also good with wintry spices, especially when the peel is incorporated.
Sangria isn’t just for summer! And sangria is easy to make alcohol-free. Go all in on the sliced fruits to make them feel extra fancy.
Spritzes also often get associate with summer, but a nice nonalcoholic winter spritz is great to have on a cozy day in.
Yes, basically cold brew in a coupe glass, but this recipe also incorporates an NA spirit for an added flavor layer.
The color on dragonfruit-based mocktails is so fun.
These would be fun as a “welcome drink” for a party you’re hosting.
Really super simple! But that makes it ideal for batching for a gathering. If you don’t have an ice round, you can still create a cool ice effect by adding edible flowers or berries to normal ice molds.
A take on an old fashioned but made with cold brew!
In a pinch, I like to just muddle lime and jalapeño in club soda.
Use whatever your favorite hot sauce is to spicy this up and add a pop of color.
Made with a mix of NA spirits, this take on a “phony Negroni” or “NAgroni” is perfect to sip fireside.
Okay, I also just want to start the day with one of these?
A real low effort, high reward situation here — final product is so elegant despite being super simple.
Maple syrup indeed makes an excellent sweetener for winter mocktails.
They really will make a martini out of anything these days.
Make any good wintry mocktails lately? Shout em out in the comments!