For ideas check out favorite restaurants drink menus — many have creative and fun mocktails. For example, one of our favs

If held in February actually ask guest to join you for mocktails to celebrate Dry February.

I quit drinking years ago because of warfarin and my favorite non alcoholic beer is Athletic brewing company’s Hazy Day IPA . My still drinking English breed beer loving DH even likes it.

Mojitos are my favorite mocktail. fresh lime juice, a honey simple syrup and muddled mint. Can add a splash of seltzer too if you desire a little fizz but it does not need it.

Have fun!

Different perspective: My challenge with most mocktails is that they are often high in sugar. If I’m not having a cocktail or wine, I’m happy with club soda and lime.

Mtn have you tried any of the Ritual zero proof beverages?

No, I have not and would not. I do not like the taste of alcohol or wine. I drink Prosecco with juice if I want to be "celebratory." Never Prosecco alone and I no longer have wine unless someone serves it with dinner and I feel obligated to try it. If I didn't want a buzz from Prosecco, I would mix juice w sparkling water.

I like the taste of certain mixed drinks, especially those made with fresh squeezed juices. Hibiscus Paloma at a favorite restaurant we frequent is my go-to. When I order them, I ask them to go light on the alcohol; they put half. They also have it as a mocktail but in that particular case the taste is better w a little alcohol IMHO.

A friend put me on to Töst. It comes in a wine type bottle and is white or rosé. It's sparkling tea. I really like it. For NYE we had a get together and one gal was alcohol free so I gave her some while we toasted with prosecco. She really liked it too.

Another favorite is raspberry/lime seltzer with a squeeze of lime and some cranberry juice. No idea if it has a name, but it's like an alcohol-free cape codder.

We often drink mocktails and have generally liked the Ritual brand. We do a take on Moscow Mules, but with the Ritual rum. We have done margaritas with the Ritual tequila and also a non-alcoholic triple sec, I think with the Lyres brand. These don't really taste like the actual cocktails, but that's fine with me because I'm not much of a cocktail drinker. I haven't tried non-alcoholic wine, mostly because I do really like good wine. The Ritual aperitif substitute isn't my favorite, but I would imagine it would make a decent Aperol spritz.

IMO, the best of the fake spirits is Pentire Adrift. It's a gin substitute, but really has it's own nice flavor. We just drink it with a dash of tonic and a wedge of lime.

My challenge with most mocktails is that they are often high in sugar

Most of the mocktails we make have no sugar at all, with the exception of the ones I make with ginger beer. I cut out processed sugar years ago and rarely touch it.

I have tried a number of nonalcoholic wines and frankly they're all terrible. What they do is filter the alcohol out of the wine, which reduces the volume. To make it back up, they add grape juice. Ugh. They are very sweet and IMO yucky. The reds are slightly better than the others, but not by much. Frē is what we buy most often. DH mixes it with regular wine to halve the alcohol content. But he'll drink anything so it works for him. Me, not so much.

Like Annie, I do not like the faux wines. I did have a dealcoholized Prosecco on NYE that I would not have know was not real but I did not purchase it and forgot the brand.

I drink a mock madras often. 1/3 oj, 1/3 cranberry, 1/3 seltzer with a wedge of lime.

I'm digging back in the old brain cells, but I thought we used to make a mock "tequila sunrise" with seltzer, orange juice and grenadine...very festive.

Also for wording, your "free spirits" suggests lots of booze...instead try "spirit-free".

Then again, there was that time that a work mate at a business party ordered a gin and tonic sans gin, and the young bartender said, "Sorry, I don't think we have that brand"!!!

I've tried French Bloom, an alcohol-free sparkling wine, and enjoyed it very much, as did my guests. We preferred Le Blanc to Le Rosé. Sugar is about 6g per 3.5 oz.

My favorite ”mocktail” is just something I made up: any berry-type seltzer with a splash of tart cherry juice.

If I’m not drinking, then I’m personally not interested in pretending to drink, if that makes sense. I am happy with some variety of seltzer with maybe a lemon or lime slice.

Maybe could have a ”Bubbly Bar” with seltzers and a few different juices. Cherry, pomegranate, pineapple, etc.

I guess I'm a little confused - is the purpose of the party to have a cocktail party that is alcohol free or is it to taste test mocktails and other alcohol free drinks.

I would definitely use the word mocktails (or similar) in your invitation. If I got an invite that said alcohol free (which I agree is basically the same) I'd be afraid that the only things to drink would be Buble and pop and I drink neither.

But even with mocktails I wouldn't know if they are a good substitute or not. My drinking amounts to 3-4 glasses of white wine a year.

I would definitely attend a mocktail party. It would be a fun way to sample new alcohol free drink ideas. I also really like idea of a “bubbly bar”! Also, it would be fun to have little recipe cards for guests to have for specialty mocktails so guests could make at home.

I would simply word the invitation as a Mocktail party. I think people would understand what to expect. Not sure you can control what someone might bring as a hostess gift, however.

Sounds like fun - can’t wait for my invitation to arrive 😉

When I was catering parties I liked offering sparkling water, good quality fruit syrups in pump bottles and pretty fruit and herb garnishes so guests could mix their own spritzer.

I don’t often drink cocktails but my feeling is the alcohol tones down sweetness.

Right now I’m drinking Synergy Kombucha Strawberry Lemonade and like it because it is tart and sort of ’dry’.

If I were invited to an alcohol-free party, I'd be pretty depressed if all there were were seltzers/juices types of things. I hate those. One thing I like about the mock-alcohol products is that they don't actually taste like/substitute for alcohol, but they better ones (to my taste) are a bit more sophisticated/complex in terms of flavor.

If I were doing an alcohol-free event, I'd do a combination of seltzer/juice type drinks and have a few "house" special mocktails and of course some wine/beer options. I think this would pretty much cover all tastes.

I no longer drink alcohol at all because of a health issue, so over the past several years have experimented with non-alcoholic beverages. My biggest complaint about "mocktails" is that most of them are sweet and I just don't like sweet drinks -- they don't pair well with savory food. When I drank alcohol I prefered scotch or whiskey with a splash of water. Now I opt for sparkling water instead of a sweet drink.

When I want an adult-tasting beverage I drink non-alcoholic beer. There has been an explosion of offerings in the past few years so you might want to try several and see which ones you want to offer at your party. For the less expensive beers I think the German brands are the best -- they've been doing non-alcoholic versions for a long time.

I haven't tried non-alcoholic wines yet because the reviews I've read aren't great. I'd love to find a decent, affordable, dry white wine to drink with an evening meal.

I think your party idea is a good one. Once you stop drinking you realize how much socializing in our culture revolves around alcohol, and it can be a challenge to work around that. I serve alcohol in my home but your idea to elevate alcholol-free socializing is wonderful. I predict your friends will love it. Good luck!

Sounds fun to me! I've been alcohol free since last May, so I've tried a few things. The wine is questionable, but I have found sparkling ones to be my best bet. I like this one best of the ones I've tried - Sparkling Chardonnay. It's more dry and doesn't taste so much like juice, which is what I've found most taste like.

I think all N/A beers are pretty good if you like beer. Stella is probably my favorite, DH likes Blue Moon, The Athletic ones are good too.

My favorite mocktail of sorts is Fever Tree graprefruit mixer with Pellegrino or other fizzy water and a lime.

Thanks for all these responses and the picks and pans!

Einportlander has pretty much nailed my thoughts.. I want to have a fun party without alcohol for fun, mainly, and to give people the opportunity to try dofferent drinks and brands and —if for no other reason—just to prove it’s possible😎

My plan is to have a bar set up where people can mix their own cocktails (if they want, but we will also have a bartender) probably with a few selected choices of mixers and zero proofs. I’ll have the ingredients list and a couple of recipes on a blackboard. Maybe printed on the cocktail napkins!

Annie I will try out the teas you mention although I would not serve them at this do; I find far more people are caffeine free than not especially at night.

I too dislike sweet drinks of any kind (I drink diet coke but like it with a slice of lime) so I’m hoping the shrubs I’ve ordered are more on the tart side than sweet. The wines are mostly from Noughty, which seem to have the best overall reviews. For years I’ve mixed seltzer with whatever juice or concentrate was in the house, and I used to experiment quite a bit with flavored seltzers I made myself. I would like these drinks not to be ”fake” alcohol or dupes or ”mocktails” (for some reason I really hate that word). I was thinking about riffing on the idea of a “virgin” drink on the invitation…. if I can think of a clever way to word it.😉 Don’t worry, it will be clear the party is booze free; I took the phrase Free Spirits from a brand I’m trying and see the double entendre could be misleading.

Legomom that Chardonnay is one I ordered.

I don’t mind ”mocktail” but intensely dislike the term ”sober curious!”

Have fun with your party. I like the idea of a bubbly bar.

I may have a glass of prosecco a few times/year. Ever since being diagnosed with systemic mastocytosis, I rarely drink (not that I drank a lot before the diagnosis).

I used to enjoy drinking craft beers with my SO - but don't anymore. When I was pregnant with my second daughter, I had this craving for darker beers (which was funny because I didn't drink dark beer prior to being pregnant). My ex husband bought some amber non alcohol beer - and it tasted good at first - but the after taste was blah. That was many years ago - I imagine that there have been improvements since back then,.

I've ALWAYS HATED the taste of hard liquor - so, I wouldn't want to find a substitute for that!

I would change the wording for your party also - "free spirits cocktail party" did make me click on the post - I wanted to know what it meant!

kswl, according to Töst, the caffeine is less than a cup of decaf coffee....

I would come because it’s a night out! Sounds fun to me, just to be invited. I drink so infrequently that it would not make a difference to me. It’s just fun to get together. I would have the invite say…….In the spirit of Dry January, come join us for Mock Tails, Food and Fun!

I would not change the name, it is eye-catching.

Clearly any reader would need further explanation; that can go in a sub headline.

eg

Free Spirits Cocktail Party

... free of spirits, that is. Join us for a fun trip to the light side, learning about and tasting non-alcoholic wines, beers and custom cocktails, in the "spirit" of dry January

🤪I just read party in February or March

When I was in Ireland last year, many bartenders told us that the younger crowd does not spend all day in the pub like the older men do, and the NA Guinness is very popular. I've tried it and it's a dead ringer to the alcohol one.

My friend's son is a sale rep for Athletic beer and we have it in our house all the time. Athletic makes true craft beers, IPAs, Octoberfests, Porters, Pilsners and Lites. It has really taken off!

One thing that can be hard for folks who are cutting back on alcohol is finding other things to drink, so your party could be a good learning experience for everyone.

Annie, thanks for that info, I am definitely trying it.

Also looking for Athletic beer, I haven’t seen it around here but I’m going to look next time I am in Atlanta.

Mtn thanks! That’s perfect, just how I was thinking of the party and it strikes the right lighthearted note.

I am impatient for all my new drinks to arrive !

I am not a huge fan of shrubs. The few that I have tasted have been too vinegary for my tastes(and this from a person who has a few sipping vinegars - I love vinegar).

I am a big fan of bitters. I own several different ones, and my favorite non-alcoholic mocktail is seltzer, a bitter, and a fruit(or veg). Rosemary bitters and muddled cucumber, Orange bitters, and amarena cherry, maple bitters and muddled apple these are combos I like.

I learned about shrubs from a local restaurant that makes it and have made my own a few times. were these fresh made?

I am thinking about a white balsamic vinegar / nectarine (or peach) / honey shrub, possibly with a bit of nutmeg.

I like trader joes limeade in the refrigerated juice area, as the base for mojitos, both mock and real. I’m a big fan of spindrift sparkling seltzers and they just released a new flavor: Cosnopolitan (with an N) that is orange, cranberry and lime. I could only order it on their website so far and the case just arrived today, so I havent tried it yet, but am thinking it would be a good base for a mocktail.

I used to enjoy virgin mary too, though I made mine with V-8 which I preferred to tomato juice. Lots of variations, but I liked mine with worcestershire sauce, a squeeze of lemon and a dash of tobasco with a celery stick.

Trader Joe's fruit flavored sparkling water is good and they have several flavors.

Their sparkling lemonades are good too. They also used to have a very good sparkling berry drink, but I don't see it on their website.

Finally the medical professionals are saying what I have been saying for years! I was never a big drinker and pretty much stopped when I had my kids. When we go to parties I will bring the expected bottle of wine for the hostess, but I also bring several bottles of fruit flavored sparkling water.

We do have friends that do not drink, a few like an alcohol free beer but none seem to gravitate toward wines or spirits, maybe they have not tried them or at least not found one that they enjoy. Many enjoy special fruit mocktails with a variety of mixers and ingredients, think adult Shirley Temple.

Your alcohol-free party sounds like fun, a great opportunity to try new options.

Love it, how fun. Define "neighbors." Like the same coast?

I would definitely attend. I hope both events are a hit!

Good question, Mtn! “Neighbors“ in our 55+ planned community means those homes in one’s phase of development (“POD,” for short). Most neighborhoods are 40 to 80 homes comprising a clearly defined building area or phase. Each has an elected captain responsible for delivering the monthly magazine to each home, and each has people in charge of emergency alerts and info, social events, newcomers welcome committee, etc. Participation is completely voluntary, of course, but since most people move here from some other town or state or country it’s a good way to give people have a clear mechanism for integration into the life of the community. We are very lucky that our pod is just 25 houses and they are the largest floor plans— a happy combination of circumstances that allows us to have our parties in one of the homes, not the club or amenity center or outside in one of the park areas. Some neighborhoods split up into smaller affinity groups for golf, dinner clubs, etc . to make them more manageable.

There are lots of classes (exercise, yoga, several types of dance, art, tai chi, etc) and interest groups (veterans, Dems, GOP, retired pilots, knitters, travelers, bible study, niche book clubs) and sports (huge softball leagues for women and men, golf leagues, bowling, bocce, tennis, pickleball, basketball, water volleyball) that connect people also. We have a couple of choirs (they sing more contemporary music, not my jam) and an acting group that puts on plays in our theater. People naturally gravitate in and out of different groups at different times but the neighborhood monthly social events remain a constant stable social network.

There are two mocktails that I enjoy that are simply two normal cocktails without the alcohol.

Moscow Mules w/out Alcohol

• Ginger beer (non-alcoholic like Reed's)
• Lime juice (usually a lot ~ half a lime)

Tonic and Lime

• Tonic water
• Lime juice (again usually a lot ~ half a lime)

You can probably see a pattern. I love a fizzy drink with lots of lime. I've made the former for family who do not drink, but I've only made the latter for myself. Sometimes I just don't feel like alcohol but want something fizzy and a little sharp.

Missed the original post as I was away. I would 100% be excited to be invited to such an event.

We are not big drinkers at all. Pretty much the only time we drink at all is on vacation. Even then, during the day I typically have mocktails. Usually a virgin strawberry daquiri when lying in the sun. Every once in a while an alcoholic mudslide because yum. Then we might have a cocktail in the evening, either before, with, or after dinner. But one drink is enough for us. I cannot think of a single time we had more than 1 drink in the evening.

Looking forward to hearing how the parties go!

I was angling for an invite and teasing you. But it sounds nice!

You jave a standing invitation Mtn!

Pricklypear, I like a good fizzy limey drink too, and have ginger beer for just that mule.

In 2015 (I think) we had a cocktail party for more than 100 people and the signature drink was an Irish Mule… I don’t even remember how many bottles of Jameson we went through. The times they are a changin’.….

My favorite drink on our cruise was called 'Fashionista'. Thought you'd all appreciate the name. Pineapple vodka, raspberries, lemon or lime juice (don't remember) and soda water. It was light and refreshing and delicious. It would probably be good with pineapple juice (maybe diluted) instead of vodka too.

That gives me an idea for a pineapple shrub! Thank you Jsk!

We are on a similar journey and here are my three favorite na drinks

If a group a punch bowl with equal parts diet ginger ale (or not diet if you prefer), orange juice, and cran-whatever

For an individual cocktail ginger beer with fresh squeezed citrus added (I’m in the south so we have easy access to grapefruit etc right now)

Finally fever tree has a lovely blood orange ginger beer- no augmentation needed.

Here's a pic of the drink. It was pretty as well as delicious. I think next time, I might try it on the rocks.

pic by DH. When I asked him if he took a pic, he sent it with the comment: thank you to the dork taking food and drink pics. Ha!

Love your invitations Kswl! We are kinda neighbors, right???

Oh yes we are, Ruby!

Hallett thanks for the recommendations, and Jsk that's a very cosmopolitan looking drink!

San pellegrino is what we prefer. Quit drinking several years ago.