Non-alc 101: Your non-alcoholic cocktail starter kit
I often talk to people who are just getting started with non-alcoholic drinks and are excited about making their own cocktails (or “mocktails”) at home. Just as with alcoholic drinks, it’s not totally straightforward to know what to buy. What kinds of non-alcoholic spirits or ingredients make for a good “starter kit” and allow me to make a variety of drinks, without breaking the bank? The New York Times just published a great list to help you get started, so I figured I should finally publish this draft I've had for a few months and share my own thoughts!
In this post, I’ll cover some suggestions for non-alcoholic spirits and other ingredients that will help you kick off your non-alcoholic bar at home and enjoy delicious non-alcoholic drinks. Scroll down to the bottom for a list of all products I mentioned along with links to the Minus Moonshine online shop. They're a lovely independent bottle shop in Brooklyn and offer same-day delivery in parts of Brooklyn, and ship everywhere in the US!
What spirits should I buy?
Generally, I would say what to pick really depends on the types of drinks and flavors you enjoy as well as your budget: Do you prefer botanical/herbal, fruity, creamy, “spirit-forward”, or bubbly drinks? Here’s what I suggest to give you several options that you can easily adapt to your tastes depending on the mixers you choose:
Non-alcoholic whiskey, e.g. Ritual Zero Proof is a solid staple, BARE Zero Proof is a little more spicy, or Spiritless Kentucky 74 for a great caramel-y bourbon.
Non-alcoholic tequila, e.g. Ritual again, BARE Zero Proof is very spicy which is a great base for spicy margaritas, )
Some type of botanical liqueur-style spirit: If you want to go all out, I would suggest getting a non-alcoholic amaro (eg The Pathfinder), aperol-style aperitif (eg Wilfred’s), and vermouth (Finest Roots Divino Rosso). Otherwise just an aperitif and vermouth will also work.
Non-alcoholic cocktail bitters, e.g. All The Bitter or El Guapo (check which ones are non-alcoholic).
What mixers and garnishes do I need?
Mixers: Club soda, ginger beer, fresh limes and lemons
Simple syrup: You can make your own simple syrup from plain sugar (see the recipe here) or buy simple syrup in pretty much any grocery store.
Garnishes: Simple lemon, lime, or orange slices or twists go a long way! If you want to get fancy, you can by dehydrated citrus fruit online, or use mint or rosemary sprigs to garnish your drinks.
This should come to around $200 (around $30-40 per bottle of spirit). It’s not terribly cheap, but if you look at making non-alcoholic cocktails as a new hobby, I'd say it's okay to spend money on hobbies sometimes - and you're saving on booze for sure! If you personally don't like the taste of whiskey or tequila, I would say the non-alcoholic versions aren't as strong as their alcoholic counterparts, so you could still give them a try. Of course, if you absolutely can't stomach them, I would recommend either getting a different spirit (there are great gin and rum alternatives, too) or just experimenting with the botanicals.
What drinks can I make with this?
Here are some examples of pretty simple drinks you can make with these ingredients. I would recommend looking up specific recipes online for measurements - you can find non-alcoholic versions of pretty much all of these on the web!
Whiskey + simple syrup + bitters = old fashioned
Whiskey + amaro + vermouth = boulevardier (a Negroni variation)
Whiskey + ginger beer = whiskey & ginger (duh)
Whiskey + lemon + simple syrup + egg white or aquafaba = whiskey sour
Tequila + lime juice + simple syrup or agave nectar = margarita
Tequila + grapefruit juice + simple syrup + club soda = paloma
Amaro or aperitif or vermouth + club soda = spritz
Aperitif + non-alcoholic sparkling wine + club soda: "aperol spritz"
Amaro + cold brew concentrate + whiskey + simple syrup + bitters = espresso martini
These are obviously all approximations and may need some tweaking (you can always add simple syrup, bitters, or lime/lemon to taste), but I think that’s the fun part! I recommend doing half measures of every recipe you find when experimenting so you don’t end up with too much waste if it doesn’t taste great.
Keep in mind that non-alcoholic spirits are usually more subtle than alcohol and don’t handle dilution very well, see also my previous blog post on this. Make sure to chill your ingredients and shake only very briefly when using ice and and serve over packed ice or a large ice cube.
Another thing to note is that non-alcoholic spirits are also not meant to be used neat and most don’t taste that great on their own - they’re definitely better in mixed drinks. Check out my previous post on non-alcoholic spirits for details!
What tools should I get?
If you don't have any tools yet to make cocktails at home, here's a short list of the basics for you to get started:
A bar mat. This sounds boring, but a simple bar mat really helps keep spillage in check!
A cocktail shaker and strainer. You can either get a Boston shaker and a strainer, or a Cobbler shaker with a built-in strainer. Totally up to you, I don't have a strong preference.
A jigger. A simple 1oz / 0.5oz jigger for measuring ingredients will do.
A citrus press, small knife (for garnishes).
Ice cube trays. Get some big ice cubes to prevent melting and dilution of your drinks (see below).
There's a bunch of other stuff you could get, but the above items will be sufficient for you to make most drinks! You can usually get a whole kit with a shaker, jigger, and a bar spoon for under $20 online.
Glassware
I love serving drinks in pretty glasses! You really just need a few types of glasses, assuming you already have a few of these at home:
Rocks (or old fashioned) glasses: Short tumblers, great for stirred drinks without carbonation, with a large rock (e.g. an old fashioned, hence the name!)
Coupe glasses: Beautiful stemmed glasses for drinks that are served without ice
Wine glasses: Great for a spritz
Highball or collins glasses: Regular tall glasses for carbonated drinks like a whiskey & ginger or a Paloma.
I usually recommend hitting up a thrift shop, garage sale, or flea market to get glassware at a really affordable price.
Conclusion & online shop
I hope this has given you an idea of where to start with your non-alcoholic cocktail bar cart! Here are examples of all the products I mentioned and links to the Minus Moonshine online store, so you can easily order them online:
Mixers: Q club soda, ginger beer, tonic water (you can also find Q or Fever Tree mixers at any grocery store)
Cheeky simple syrup (you can also buy simple syrup at the grocery store or make it yourself)
Feel free to email me at thirdplacebarnyc@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram @thirdplacebarnyc if you have any questions!