Dry January mocktails: 7 easy recipes

By The Softer Hour Editorial Team

A mocktail gives a dry evening the same small ritual a cocktail did: ice, citrus, something fresh and a glass you like holding. Five of these recipes start with a can from Botanical Brewing Co. and use one can per drink, so one glass is one serving. The last two have no botanicals at all, for nights you want something simple or guests who'd rather skip them. Part of our Dry January guide.

Every elixir color in one boxElixir Variety 12-Pack$102 · 12 cans

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1. Orange Dream creamsicle spritz

Orange and vanilla over ice. The easiest kava drink to like.

You need:

• 1 can Kava Orange Dream, chilled
• 1 oz fresh orange juice
• 1/4 oz vanilla syrup (check the label: vanilla extract contains alcohol, syrup usually doesn't)
• An orange wheel
• Ice

Make it:

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Add the orange juice and vanilla syrup and stir.
3. Pour the can over the top slowly.
4. Garnish with the orange wheel.

2. Tutti Frutti sherbet float

A dessert drink for a Friday night in.

You need:

• 1 can Kava Tutti Frutti, chilled
• 1 small scoop of rainbow or orange sherbet
• A few berries

Make it:

1. Put the sherbet in a wide glass.
2. Pour the can over it slowly, because it will foam.
3. Top with berries and serve with a spoon.

Every kava flavor in one boxKava Variety 12-Pack$102 · 12 cans

Shop at BBCo →

3. Blueberry lemon thyme smash

Muddled fruit makes it taste like a bar drink.

You need:

• 1 can Red Elixir Blueberry Lemonade, chilled
• A small handful of blueberries
• 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• Ice

Make it:

1. Muddle the blueberries, lemon and one thyme sprig in a rocks glass.
2. Fill with ice.
3. Top with the can and stir gently.
4. Garnish with the second thyme sprig.

4. Island Breeze mojito-style

Mint, lime and crushed ice: everything you liked about a mojito except the rum.

You need:

• 1 can White Elixir Island Breeze, chilled
• 6 to 8 mint leaves
• 1/2 lime, cut into wedges
• 1 tsp simple syrup, optional
• Crushed ice

Make it:

1. Muddle the mint and lime (and syrup, if using) gently in a highball glass. Bruise the mint, don't shred it.
2. Pack with crushed ice.
3. Top with the can and stir from the bottom.
4. Slap a mint sprig between your palms and set it on top.

5. Tiki Apple cider fizz

A cold drink that still tastes like winter.

You need:

• 1 can Green Elixir Tiki Apple, chilled
• 1 oz non-alcoholic apple cider (unfiltered apple juice)
• A squeeze of lemon
• Cinnamon sugar for the rim
• Thin apple slices
• Ice

Make it:

1. Wet the rim of a rocks glass with lemon and dip it in cinnamon sugar.
2. Fill with ice and add the cider and lemon.
3. Top with the can.
4. Fan the apple slices on top.

6. Grapefruit rosemary tonic (no can)

Bitter, bright and grown-up. The one for guests who skip botanicals.

You need:

• 2 oz fresh grapefruit juice
• 4 oz tonic water
• 1 rosemary sprig
• A pinch of salt
• Ice

Make it:

1. Fill a wine glass with ice.
2. Add the grapefruit juice and the pinch of salt.
3. Top with tonic and stir once.
4. Slap the rosemary and tuck it in.

7. Spiced cranberry spritz (no can, serves 4)

A pitcher for game day or a dinner with friends.

You need:

• 2 cups cranberry juice
• 2 cups sparkling water
• 1 oz cinnamon or ginger syrup
• 1 orange, sliced into rounds
• A handful of fresh cranberries
• Ice

Make it:

1. Add the orange, cranberries and syrup to a pitcher.
2. Pour in the cranberry juice.
3. Add the sparkling water last and stir gently.
4. Pour over ice.

Got a kanna can?

We have a whole page for it: kanna mocktails: 5 easy recipes, including a pomegranate rosemary spritz and a holiday punch.

Tips for better mocktails

• Chill everything. A cold can over plenty of ice holds its fizz.
• Add the can last. Pour slowly at the end so the bubbles survive.
• Fresh citrus only. Bottled juice makes every drink taste flat.
• Use the good glass. Half the ritual is how it looks in your hand.

Mocktail rules

• One can per glass. Mixing doesn't change the serving. One can is one drink.
• One botanical per glass. Don't combine two different cans in the same drink.
• Keep it alcohol-free. Don't turn these into cocktails. Kava doesn't mix with alcohol, and the cans are the swap, not a mixer.
• Keep the cans away from kids. Label botanical drinks at parties and keep them separate from the soft drinks.
• Know who should skip them. See below.

Related: Dry January guide · Kanna mocktails · Dry January week by week · Non-alcoholic drinks for a party