5 Cozy Fall Mocktail Recipes

Welp, Summer is over. Fall is here. We all know what that means: The Earth gets cool, and the Earth’s colors get waaaay cooler. Okay, technically, Fall colors are considered “warm colors,” but whatever. The point is that this shift of the seasons is always a sight to see. If you happen to have front-row seats to the Fall foliage then you probably want to cozy up with a cocktail while you take it all in. But if mixed drinks don’t mix well with you, there are ways to “Fake it while you Make it.” Here are Five Moonshine Mocktail Methods to help you have your own MoktoberFest.

1) Pineapple Ginger Beer Mocktail with Fresh Ginger

Image Credits: cupofzest.com

This first one is a Fall fusion with a twist of Tropical thanks to the Pineapple juice you’ll use as the drink’s base. Throw in some mint, lime, and ginger (to give it a bit of bite), and you’ve made yourself a cup of fresh Fall weather sunshine.

What You Need:

• Pineapple Juice

• Ginger Root

• Mint Leaves

• Cinnamon Sticks

• Lime Juice

• Sugar

• Water

Mixology:

• Combine the Cinnamon, Sugar and Water in a pan and cook until it becomes syrup

• Grind the ginger, mint and lime together

• Add the Cinnamon syrup and Pineapple juice

• Give it a “Bartender Shake” and then add ice

• Strain into a cup

• Add Ginger Beer

View Detailed Instructions Here

Perfect Occasion To Drink This:

Honestly, right now. Seriously. Just look at those ingredients!

But this one is also perfect for “Blue Monday”—the third Monday of January, which science has identified as the most depressing day of the year. Too much cold and too little sun—especially in Calgary! Thankfully, this mocktail is like a mock summer day. For a good half hour, as you slowly sip this spicy tropical sweetheart, you’ll feel like you’re sunbathing on the inside!

2) Pumpkin Apple Cider Mocktail

Image Credit: healthylittlevittles.com

If beautiful Fall foliage had a flavor, this would be it. It’s the pumpkin-apple combination—two fruits that flourish this time of year. Yes, pumpkin is actually a fruit, although it sort of, kinda looks like it has dreams of becoming a vegetable when it grows up. Whatever. All that matters is that when pumpkins and apples put their heads together, good things happen. Exhibit A…

What You Need:

• ¼ cup of Pumpkin puree

• ¼ cup of Pumpkin pie spice

• ½ teaspoon of Vanilla extract

• ½ cup of Apple cider

• Kombucha (apple or lemon), sparkling water, or ginger ale—your choice!

• Ice

Mixology:

• Add all the above ingredients into a cocktail shaker.

• Shake!

• Pour into a glass

• Add Kombucha (or sparkling water, or ginger ale)

• Strain into a cup

• Top off with a thin apple slice, for effect.

View Detailed Instructions Here

Perfect Occasion To Drink This:

This one sounds like the ideal drink for Halloween. You know how you carve all those scary pumpkin faces? Well, you can do the same thing with a bushel of apples. You can also poke a few holes into your thin apple slice garnish to make it into a spooky face. Either way, you’ve got yourself a Halloween Mocktail ready to enjoy for the holiday. Wait… is October 31st even considered a holiday???

3) Blackberry & Sage Spritzer

Image Credit: Gina Eykemans

Maybe it’s the rosy red finish, or maybe it’s the French noir feel of all things blackberry (the French call it mûres. It’s the same word for “ripe,” or “mature.”); whatever it is, there’s just something romantic about this mocktail. Fall weather is romance weather. While Spring is the season of new love, Fall is the time for Spring lovers still together. That’s mature romance—mûre amour!

What You Need:

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1/2 cup water

• 3 to 4 fresh sage leaves

• 1 pound fresh blackberries

• Ice

• Sparkling water

• Extra blackberries and sage leaves for garnish (optional)

Mixology:

• Cook the honey and water in a pan

• Add the sage and blackberries to your honey mix

• Stir

• Add to a blender, and blend, baby, blend!

• Add ice and spritzer to suit your taste

• Add spark sparkling water

View Detailed Instructions Here

Perfect Occasion To Drink This:

Three words: “DIY Date Night.” ‘Nuff said.

4) Chai Harvest Mocktail

Image Credit: mybartender.com

There’s a famous movie trope where a cowboy walks into a bar—where only hard booze is served, to be sure—and orders… a glass of milk. This brings everything and everybody to a dead stop. Even the pianist hits the wrong note. They're all looking at the cowboy because NOBODY orders a glass of milk at a bar. Especially not a cowboy. Well, we’re from Calgary, where there’s plenty of cowboys. And we’re officially calling for a new trope where the same cowboy walks right up to the bartender and says... “Give me one Chai Harvest… On the rocks.” By the way, Chai Harvest is made with almond milk.

Here are the other ingredients…

What You Need:

• 3 oz Almond milk

• 3 oz Chai tea cooled

• ½ oz honey

• Ground cinnamon (for garnish)

• Cinnamon sticks (for garnish)

Mixology:

• Combine the almond milk, cooled chai tea and honey

• Add ice

• Stir

• Sprinkle the ground cinnamon

• Garnish with a cinnamon stick

View Detailed Instructions Here

Perfect Occasion To Drink This:

If you happen to find yourself wearing a cowboy hat, go for it!

5) Grapefruit Rosemary Mocktail

Image Credit: andrea janssen

This one has been called the “Baby Shower Beverage” because of its gentle appearance. There’s certainly something fresh and celebratory about the way this mocktail meets the eye. It’s even better when its bitter-sweet tang tickles the tongue. The grapefruit gives this mocktail a certain amount of kick, especially when you underscore it with some ginger. If you’re looking to freshen up your Fall evening with something sweet-n-sour, you can’t go wrong here.

What You Need:

• Rosemary sprigs

• 1 cup of water

• 1 cup of sugar

• Ginger

• Grapefruit juice

• 1 pinch of sea salt (optional)

• 2 cups of sparkling water

Mixology:

• Cook rosemary sprigs, water, sugar and ginger in a pan

• Stir until sugar dissolves—this is your rosemary syrup!

• Allow to steep for 30 minutes

• Mix ¼ cup of grapefruit juice and ⅛ cup of rosemary syrup in an ice-filled glass.

• Add sparkling water

• Add a pinch of salt

View Detailed Instructions Here

Perfect Occasion To Drink This:

Welllll… There’s a lot of Vitamin C in grapefruit, so if you experience the first signs of seasonal sniffles then it’s probably your body telling you to throw down a few glasses of this Medical Mocktail.

6) Bonus Tip!

We all get that lazy Fall feeling. Cool weather is chill out weather So in the event that you don’t feel like whipping together your own mocktails, then it’s time to Dine Find a place that will mix that mocktail for you. The Dine Find web app is all about finding eateries for people with dietary restrictions. If living free for you means living alcohol-free, then use Dine Find to find out which cafes and bars are serving up your lifestyle.

Happy Moktober, folks!