The Best Mocktail Books (For Chilling, Entertaining, or Showing Off)

My partner recently pointed out that I often tell friends, “Let’s grab a beer,” even though I don’t like beer that much. I rarely drink it. I thought about it for a while, and realized that for me, “grabbing a beer” just means getting together for a drink. The drink could be wine, or a non-alcoholic cocktail, or even coffee—it doesn’t matter that much. I just like chilling with the gang. The best non-alcoholic cocktail books embody this same spirit, i.e. that “having a cocktail” can truly mean anything. 

In the olden days (aka before, like, the last six to eight years), the options for N/A drinking were pretty bleak. N/A wines were barely a thing, and N/A beers were just straight up gross. I think if you’d walked into most bars in 2014 and asked for their list of N/A cocktails, you’d simply have gotten your ass beat. Now, however, bar programs and restaurants pride themselves on sourcing the world’s finest N/A beers and wines, and bartenders painstakingly concoct brilliant, spirit-free drinks that look and taste amazing. Some great N/A drinks depend on alcohol-free spirits made by brilliant distillers; others see mixologists taking everyday ingredients and transforming them into something really cool and unexpected. 

Similarly, the best N/A cocktail books show us how to make transcendent drinks at home without the risk of a 1 a.m. Domino’s order, a regrettable hookup, or a last-minute sick day (though I do believe that all people, regardless of their relationship to alcohol, should experience all those things from time to time). The books below run the gamut from simple, throw-together bevvies to weekend projects that involve many ingredients and moving parts. Whether you’re here to find out where to learn some killer Tiki mocktails, a bunch of neat N/A drinks from the world’s greatest bars, or Michelin-star-level projects that will blow your tongues and socks off, there’s something here for you. Here are the best mocktail books. 

Julia Bainbridge’s Good Drinks is a book that celebrates the fun of cocktails without alcohol. She makes it pretty easy to dive in—there’s even a “Commitment Level” indicator for each drink, so you don’t end up getting yourself into something too challenging when you really just want a breezy afternoon sip. For a review last year, I made the Get Well Soon, a toddy-like bev that combines lemon, apple cider vinegar, cayenne, and hot water with a turmeric-honey-ginger syrup. I also enoyed the super fun Don’t Touch My Car Keys, a Tiki riff with coconut syrup, lime, soda, bitters, and mint. This is a great place to begin your N/A cocktail journey—it’s full of things you’ll enjoy mixing for your buds or whipping together for yourself.

If you’ve ever been to one of Grant Achatz’s restaurants, you know that this man is doing it differently. His restaurant group’s Chicago bar, The Aviary, takes all the wacky, twisted, mind-blowing magic Achatz pulls off at his three-Michelin-star restaurant Alinea and channels it into cocktails that are just, like, really fucking cool. There’s nothing like it. And the drinks in Zero allow you to recreate the experience at home… if you’re willing to work for it. Many of these bad boys have a ton of complex components that involve molecular gastronomy—turning spirits, juices, and produce into weird ices and such, while transforming their textures and looks into something completely unexpected. Take the Breakfast Stout, a drink that looks and reads like a heavy-duty beer, but isn’t, despite including beer-evoking ingredients like hop pellets, barley, malt extract, and oats; or the What Would Honeydew, which features a mint honeydew ice (among other things). You’ll definitely have to hunt down some unusual ingredients (like specific N/A spirits and unique bitters, as well as things like citric acid and powdered malt extract), but if you’re serious about this stuff, it’s just part of the game.

For this excellent volume, author Elva Ramirez talked to bartenders from some of the world’s best cocktail spots (including New York haunt Death & Co. and the aforementioned The Aviary). Within, Ramirez offers a compelling look at how the N/A movement has evolved over the past century or so, as well as recipes for 90 drinks invented by pros. The Child’s Play comes from Death & Co.’s Denver outpost, and requires a homemade “psychocandy” cream soda syrup, “acid-adjusted” orange juice, and Fever-Tree club soda (I haven’t made this, but it sounds incredible). 

Clare Liardet’s Dry has been a celebrated book since it came out in 2018, making it one of the earlier explorations of mocktails. Liardet doesn’t go too hard in the paint with homemade syrups and ices; rather, she shows us how regular, old household ingredients can make truly masterful and delicious beverages. Consider the Peach and Lemongrass Cup, a sweet and aromatic blend of peach, apple juice, lemon, lemongrass, and mint, or the Blueberry Julep, with blueberries, mint, lime, sugar, and ginger beer. There are some more complex combos here, like the Espresso Mint Martini or the Chile and Lime Margarita, but on the whole, these recipes are extremely approachable and chill.

Cheers, mates, and remember: You don’t need to be drunk to text your ex or order pizza. Anyone can do it!

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.