Mocktails · Holiday Mocktails
Six festive Christmas mocktails with real flavor: a cranberry rosemary spritzer, pomegranate nojito, candy cane white hot chocolate, sparkling punch, and more. Kid-friendly, with spiked twins.
Festive mocktails should feel like a celebration, not a consolation prize. These six Christmas mocktails have real color, real flavor, and a garnish worth talking about, whether you’re pregnant, driving, cutting back, or pouring for the kids’ table. Each is alcohol-free as written, and if some guests want a spiked version, tap 🍸 Cocktails at the top and every card flips to its spirited twin.
The secret to mocktails that don’t taste like juice is simple: something bitter or tannic, plenty of fresh citrus, a herb, and a dry fizz instead of a sweet one. You’ll see those four tricks in every recipe below.
The easiest festive mocktail there is. Cranberry and orange juice, a spoonful of rosemary syrup, a squeeze of lime, and plenty of soda. It’s ruby red, lightly piney, and not too sweet.
Make the rosemary syrup once and use it all month: it’s in half the drinks on this page.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Cranberry, orange, and rosemary syrup lengthened with soda.
Garnish: Orange wheel, rosemary sprig, cranberries
Garnish: Orange wheel, rosemary sprig, cranberries
How the swap works: More rosemary syrup gives the herbal, piney bite vodka would sharpen, and a squeeze of lime keeps it crisp rather than juicy.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
A mojito without the rum, made Christmassy with pomegranate. The extra pomegranate juice matters. Its tannin gives the drink a backbone so it doesn’t taste like minty lemonade.
Press the mint gently with the back of a spoon or a muddler. Shredded mint turns bitter and grassy.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Mint, lime, and pomegranate over crushed ice.
Garnish: Mint bouquet, pomegranate seeds, lime wheel
Garnish: Mint bouquet, pomegranate seeds, lime wheel
How the swap works: Extra pomegranate juice brings tannin and body to fill the rum's place, so the drink still has backbone under the mint.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
This is the one the kids ask for every year. White chocolate melted into steaming milk with a crushed candy cane stirred in, and more candy cane on the rim and on top. A pinch of salt keeps it from being cloying.
Crush the candy canes in a zip bag with a rolling pin; it’s a job any five-year-old will happily volunteer for.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Creamy white hot chocolate with crushed candy canes.
Garnish: Whipped cream, crushed candy cane, mini candy cane
Garnish: Whipped cream, crushed candy cane, mini candy cane
How the swap works: Melting a spoonful of candy cane into the milk gives the mint the schnapps would, and a pinch of salt keeps white chocolate from tasting flat.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
One dispenser, the whole party covered. Cranberry and orange juice with a squeeze of lime, lengthened with ginger ale and a little sparkling grape juice. Freeze cranberries and orange slices ahead; they chill the punch and look beautiful.
Tap Punch bowl · 16 on the card for party quantities, and add the fizzy ingredients only when guests arrive.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Cranberry and orange with frozen cranberries for ice, topped with prosecco.
Garnish: Frozen cranberries, orange slices, rosemary
Garnish: Frozen cranberries, orange slices, rosemary
How the swap works: Ginger ale adds the gentle spice and dryness prosecco brings, while a splash of sparkling grape juice keeps the wine-like fruitiness.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
The grown-up choice. Fresh blood orange juice, a touch of rosemary syrup, and tonic water over ice in a big wine glass. The tonic’s bitterness makes it taste like a spritz, and it’s the least sweet drink on the list.
Blood oranges are in season from December through March. Regular oranges work too, with a splash of pomegranate for color.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Blood orange, rosemary, and bitter aperitivo with bubbles.
Garnish: Blood orange wheel, rosemary sprig
Garnish: Blood orange wheel, rosemary sprig
How the swap works: Tonic's quinine gives the bitterness the aperitivo brings, and rosemary adds the herbal note. It's the least sweet drink on this list.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
Put this on the stove when guests arrive and the whole house smells like Christmas. Apple cider and cranberry simmered with clove-studded orange, cinnamon, and star anise. Keep the pot alcohol-free and let adults add a splash of spiced rum to their own mug.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Apple cider and cranberry simmered with orange and spice.
Garnish: Clove-studded orange slice, cinnamon stick
Garnish: Clove-studded orange slice, cinnamon stick
How the swap works: A star anise adds the warm, vanilla-licorice depth that spiced rum brings. Keep the pot alcohol-free and add rum per mug.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
Pick one batch drink (the punch or the mulled cider), one showpiece (the nojito or the blood orange tonic), and the hot chocolate for the kids, and you’ve covered everyone. For drinks built as cocktails first, see our Christmas cocktails. Every one has a mocktail twin too.
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The Sparkling Christmas Punch and Hot Mulled Cranberry Cider both batch easily for a crowd. For a sit-down dinner, the Blood Orange Rosemary Tonic and Pomegranate Nojito feel the most grown-up.
More Christmas batch drinks →The Candy Cane White Hot Chocolate, Sparkling Christmas Punch, and Cranberry Orange Rosemary Spritzer are the biggest hits. Skip the tonic drink for little ones; its bitterness is an acquired taste.
Kids' mocktails →Add something bitter or tannic (tonic, black tea, pomegranate), keep the acid up with fresh citrus, use herbs like rosemary or mint, and lengthen with dry soda instead of sweet soda.
How to make mocktails that taste like cocktails →Mix the juice bases up to a day ahead and refrigerate. Add ice, soda, or sparkling juice only right before serving so the bubbles stay lively.
Christmas colors (cranberry red, rosemary green), a warm spice or mint note, and a garnish with a bit of theater: sugared cranberries, a candy cane, or a clove-studded orange.
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