Whether you are celebrating Dry January, practice sobriety on the regular or simply like to occasionally skip the booze, mocktails are ideal for imbibing.
The possibilities are limitless for mocktails, it's really about your personal tastes – like when you go to Bryant's Cocktail Lounge and realize there's no menu and the bartender asks you what your favorite flavors are and goes from there.
However, you're probably doing a fair share of mixing up your NA (or non-NA) drinks at home these days, and if you want to support a Milwaukee business at the same time, here's a list of mocktail recipes made with Milwaukee products.
Sprecher Root beer mocktails
Sprecher Zinger
- Bottle or can of Sprecher Root Beer
- Lime
- Small ginger pieces
- Pinch of mint
- Lime and/or mint for garnish
Muddle the ginger and the lime. Add mint, shake and pour into a glass full of ice. Pour root beer over ice, garnish and enjoy.
NA Butterbeer That Made Milwaukee Famous
For the Butterbeer:
- 4 bottles of Sprecher Cream Soda
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons butterscotch sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter (softened)
In a small bowl, combine the cream, spices, butterscotch and softened butter. Whisk for 2 minutes until mix thickens. Place bowl in freezer for 15 minutes. This is the batter topping.
For the beer, fill a glass (frosty is best) 3/4 full with the cold cream soda. Hold a spoon over the glass, scoop side down, and slowly pour the batter over the back of the spoon so it flows in the glass. Drink up, wizard!
Top Note Ginger Beer Mocktail
NA Milwaukee Mule
- 1 1/2 cups crushed ice
- 1 cup Top Note ginger beer
- 2 medium limes juiced
- 1/3 cup club soda or sparkling water
- fresh mint and lime wedges for garnish
Fill two copper mule mugs 2/3 full with ice. Top with Top Note ginger beer, lime juice and club soda. Stir, garnish and slurp.
Rishi Tea Mocktail
Hot Not Toddy
- 7 ounces hot Rishi tea of your choice
- 1 tablespoon Kallas honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or 1 cinnamon stick)
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Lemon wedge for garnish
In a mug, add the honey, lemon juice and spices. Top with hot, freshly brewed tea. Stir well. Garnish with a lemon and take a sip when cool enough.
Lynn’s Creations Lemonade mocktail
MKE Basil Lemonade
- Lynn's Creations Lemonade
- Ice
- Fresh basil
- Seltzer or club soda
- Lemon slices
Muddle 2 tablespoons of torn fresh basil leaves in the bottom of a tall glass. Add ice and fill the glass halfway with Lynn's Lemonade. Top the glass off with seltzer and stir. Garnish with lemon slices and a sprig of fresh basil.
Lemonade Kiwi-sconsin mocktail
- 4 ounces Lynn's Creations Lemonade
- 2 ounces limeade
- 4 peeled kiwi slices
- 3/4 ounce simple syrup
- Garnish with kiwi or lime slice
Muddle the kiwi and simple syrup in a shaker. Add ice, lemonade and limeade. Shake well. Strain over highball glass of ice, garnish and cheers!
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.