Fun Nonalcoholic Drinks to Make at Home, From Bartenders

• Business Insider asked bartenders for their best nonalcoholic drink recipes.
• All the bartenders were inspired by nostalgic childhood ingredients, like tamarind and juma.
• Sherbert, juice, and nonalcoholic vermouth come together to make a booze-free punch.

Nonalcoholic beverages have the highly alluring benefit of being hangover-free.

However, it can sometimes be hard to capture the vibe of a specialty cocktail without the liquor.

If you’re looking for inspiration, Business Insider spoke with three international bartenders about their favorite recipes for nonalcoholic drinks to make at home.

Bring some Afro-Caribbean flavors to your kitchen with a tamarind-forward mocktail

Erika Flowers, the lead bartender at Compère Lapin in New Orleans, wants to celebrate a fruit that’s plentiful in her home country of Belize: tamarind.

The sweet-and-sour fruit, also known as tambran, is popular in many tropical countries’ cuisines, from Asia and Africa to the Caribbean. Flowers grew up watching her mother and aunt enjoy tamarind candies while she sipped on tamarind juice, so it’s also a personal ingredient for her.

The award-wearing bartender calls her tamarind mocktail a Tambran Caye in honor of the small collection of islands off the coast of Belize.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ ounces of tamarind syrup
• 1 ounce of pineapple juice
• ½ an ounce of fresh lime juice
• 4 ounces of club soda

If you can’t find tamarind syrup at the store, look for a can of tamarind pulp (Goya sells one).

Method

1. Make the tamarind syrup by combining an equal amount of tamarind pulp and cane sugar in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Once cooled, add 1 ½ ounces of the tamarind syrup to the pineapple and lime juices in a cocktail shaker with ice.
3. Shake until the tin frosts over, and then attach the strainer to the opening.
4. Pour the mixture into a Collins glass and top it with the club soda, ice, and a lime wedge.

Liven up a party with a sparkling nonalcoholic punch

Marie Amelie Fabre, head bartender at Punch Room Barcelona, loves nonalcoholic twists on classic drinks like Negronis, martinis, and punches.

She has her own take on a Garibaldi punch, which she calls Il Risorgimento punch.

It’s a tribute to her Italian grandmother, who served her sparkling water with fruits as a child. However, the spiced punch also holds some local significance in her region of Catalonia since Barcelona is a major port city connected to ancient spice-trade routes.

Ingredients

• Nonalcoholic red vermouth (like Martini Vibrante)
• Orange juice
• Grapefruit sherbet
• Soda water

The quantities of each ingredient depend on how many people you’re serving, but you can play around with ratios until you find something you like.

Method

1. Combine the Martini Vibrante, orange juice, and grapefruit sherbet.
2. Add ice and shake well to chill.
3. Strain the mixture into a glass filled with ice before topping it with soda water and stirring gently.
4. Garnish with an orange slice or a twist of grapefruit peel.

Some mocktails may even have added health benefits

Bina Nuraga, the beverage R&D manager at Desa Potato Head in Indonesia, likes to honor the long-standing cultural and holistic traditions around low-to-no-alcohol beverages.

“Jamu is a traditional Indonesian herbal drink made from roots and spices like turmeric, ginger, and galangal,” Nuraga said.

At its base, the drink can be as simple as turmeric and water, but there are ways to add more medicinal herbs and flair. The bartender’s take on the beverage called a Jamu Sling, pays tribute to his childhood in Bali.

He grew up drinking lolo (a Balinese version of jamu), which his mother mixed with things like cemcem leaves and tamarind for a before-school drink or cinnamon, water, and salt to aid with stomach aches.

Ingredients

• 15 milliliters of jamu
• 60 milliliters of coconut water
• 10 milliliters of coconut nectar
• 50 milliliters of tonic water

There are a number of places to buy jamu in the US, including DJAMU, an Indonesian-owned business based in NYC that ships nationally. Alternatively, you can make your own with things like turmeric, ginger, tamarind, lemon, honey, and water.

Method

1. Shake the jamu, coconut water, and coconut nectar together.
2. Top the mixture off with tonic water.
3. Serve in a wine glass with a garnish of edible flowers or cinnamon sticks.