Ingredients 4 Person(s)
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Step 1: Make the base simple syrup
Combine 200 g (1 cup) caster sugar and 240 ml (1 cup) water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly for 3-4 minutes until the sugar fully dissolves and the liquid turns clear, then remove from the heat straight away so it doesn't caramelise.
Step 2: Steep mint into half the syrup
Pour half the warm syrup (about 120 ml/1/2 cup) into a heatproof jug and add 15 g of the mint leaves, bruising them lightly with a spoon first to release their oils. Leave to steep for 10 minutes while the syrup is still warm so the mint flavour fully infuses.
Step 3: Strain and cool both syrups
Strain the mint syrup through a fine sieve into a clean jar, pressing the leaves gently to extract every drop, then discard the spent mint. Set both the plain and mint syrups aside to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes, before using them — hot syrup melts ice too fast.
Step 4: Chill glasses and prep garnishes
Put four sturdy glasses (highball or hurricane style) in the freezer for 10 minutes so they're frosty by serving time. Meanwhile slice the orange peel and pineapple wedges and keep the cherries within reach, so each mocktail comes together in under a minute once you start pouring.
Step 5: Muddle mint and lime for the virgin mojito
In the first chilled glass, add 6-8 fresh mint leaves and all of the lime juice (30 ml/2 tbsp). Muddle gently for 10-15 seconds using a muddler or the back of a spoon — just enough to bruise the leaves without shredding them, or the drink turns bitter.
Step 6: Sweeten with mint syrup
Pour in 30 ml (2 tbsp) of the cooled mint syrup and stir briefly to combine with the muddled mint and lime. Taste at this point and add another 15 ml (1 tbsp) syrup if you prefer it sweeter.
Step 7: Fill with ice and top with soda water
Fill the glass to the brim with ice cubes, then slowly top with 120 ml (1/2 cup) chilled soda water, pouring down the side of the glass to preserve the fizz. The drink should turn pale and cloudy with mint leaves visible near the surface.
Step 8: Stir and garnish the mojito
Give the drink one gentle stir from bottom to top with a long spoon to distribute the mint without knocking out the bubbles. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and a lime wheel wedged on the rim, then set aside.
Step 9: Build the Shirley Temple spritz
In the second chilled glass, fill three-quarters full with ice cubes. Packing the ice in first keeps the coming layers distinct instead of diluting immediately.
Step 10: Pour in cranberry juice and ginger beer
Add 125 ml (1/2 cup) cranberry juice, then top with 125 ml (1/2 cup) alcohol-free ginger beer, pouring slowly over the back of a spoon so the two liquids stay layered rather than blending on contact.
Step 11: Add the grenadine sunset
Drizzle 15 ml (1 tbsp) grenadine syrup down the inside edge of the glass and let it sink to the bottom on its own over 20-30 seconds, creating the classic red-to-orange gradient. Don't stir yet — the layered look is the whole point.
Step 12: Garnish and serve the Shirley Temple
Top with a maraschino cherry and a thin orange wheel wedged onto the rim. Add a straw so drinkers can stir the layers together themselves, or give it one light stir if you prefer it fully blended before serving.
Step 13: Blend the pina colada base
In a blender, combine 200 ml (3/4 cup) pineapple juice, 100 ml (1/3 cup) coconut cream and 250 g (about 2 cups) ice cubes. Blend on high for 30-45 seconds until completely smooth and slushy with no visible ice chunks.
Step 14: Check the consistency
Stop the blender and check the texture — it should coat the back of a spoon thickly but still pour easily. If it's too thick, add 15-30 ml (1-2 tbsp) more pineapple juice and blend for another 10 seconds; if too thin, add a handful more ice and blend again.
Step 15: Pour into a chilled glass
Pour the blended mixture into the third chilled glass right away, while it's still thick and frosty — left sitting, it starts to separate and thin out after about 10 minutes at room temperature.
Step 16: Garnish the pina colada
Top with a pineapple wedge and a maraschino cherry skewered together on a cocktail stick and balanced across the rim. Serve immediately with a wide straw to handle the thick texture.
Step 17: Fill a glass for the citrus ginger spritzer
Fill the fourth chilled glass three-quarters full with ice cubes, ready for the last of the four non alcoholic drinks recipes in this batch.
Step 18: Pour in orange juice and ginger beer
Add 100 ml (1/3 cup) orange juice, then top with the remaining 125 ml (1/2 cup) alcohol-free ginger beer, pouring gently over the ice to keep the fizz intact.
Step 19: Top with soda water and stir gently
Finish with a 60 ml (1/4 cup) splash of soda water for extra sparkle, then stir just once with a long spoon — over-stirring flattens the bubbles fast.
Step 20: Garnish and serve all four mocktails together
Twist a strip of orange peel over the glass to release its oils, then drop it in as a garnish. Line up all four finished drinks on a tray for an instant mocktail bar and serve immediately while they're cold and fizzy.
Pro Tips for the Perfect Drink
Taste your syrup before you mix it into any glass, since limes and mint vary in strength batch to batch — stir in an extra 15 ml (1 tbsp) syrup if it's too sharp. Muddle mint gently for 10-15 seconds rather than pounding it, or the leaves bruise into bitterness and cloud the glass with dark flecks. Freeze your glasses for 10 minutes before serving so the ice inside melts slower and the drink stays properly diluted, not watery. Always pour fizzy mixers like soda water and ginger beer down the side of the glass at the end, never first, to keep every bubble intact.
Make It Ahead and Batch Tips
Both the plain and mint simple syrups keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, so make a double batch on a Sunday and every mocktail on this list is ready in under a minute for the rest of the week. Juice your limes up to 3 days ahead and store the juice airtight in the fridge rather than squeezing to order. Keep fizzy ingredients — soda water and ginger beer — unopened and chilled until the moment you pour, adding them last so nothing goes flat before it reaches the table. For a party, set out the syrups, juices and garnishes in labelled jugs with a stack of glasses and let guests build their own drink from this non alcoholic drinks recipes bar.
These 20 easy non alcoholic drinks recipes turn one mint syrup into four crowd-pleasing mocktails, ready in under 20 minutes with fresh fruit and fizz. For more non alcoholic drinks inspiration, browse the full Non Alcoholic Drinks board — every idea there is written for real home kitchens, not professional bakers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the components hold up well even though the finished drinks don't. Both simple syrups keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, and lime juice keeps airtight for up to 3 days, so most of the prep can happen well in advance. Only assemble the drinks with soda water, ginger beer and ice right before serving, since the fizzy elements go flat and the ice dilutes everything within about 20 minutes of pouring.
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