10 Spirit-Free Sips Perfect for Sober October

Thirsty consumers are increasingly looking for more out of their mocktails. No longer does it just have to be void of alcohol, but it also has to provide other benefits to the body and mind. Ridgewells Catering is meeting that demand with Zen Zero, which it describes as a “burst of fresh citrus that brightens your senses—and your spirits.” Here’s what you’ll need:

0.5 oz. ginger juice
1 oz. lime juice
0.25 oz. simple syrup
1 can LaCroix Pamplemousse-flavored seltzer
1 fresh grapefruit
1 rosemary sprig
Fill a glass with ice and add the ginger and lime juices and the simple syrup. Stir to combine before topping with Pamplemousse seltzer, then garnish with a fresh grapefruit slice and a rosemary sprig.

Nothing says “hello, fall” quite like a crisp apple. And for that day post-apple-picking when you have too many Honeycrisps lying around, Ridgewells Catering advises that you turn it into a spirit-free drink it likes to call the Opulent Orchard. Its recipe features a homemade tart syrup that can also be used in a slew of other comforting seasonal recipes. Here’s how to make it:

2 Honeycrisp apples
4 oz. POM pomegranate juice
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup organic cane sugar
Ginger ale
Dried apple slice
Start by making an apple-pomegranate shrub by grating one Honeycrisp apple into a large Mason jar, then add the pomegranate juice, apple cider vinegar, and cane sugar. Shake everything well and refrigerate this mixture for at least 48 hours before using it in the Opulent Orchard.
To then make the mocktail, fill a shaker with ice, add 2 ounces of the shrub, and shake to chill. Then pour the mixture into a glass, top with ginger ale to taste, and garnish with an apple slice.

Nonalcoholic “social tonic” company Hiyo launched in 2021 and has experienced seismic growth in recent years off the back of its goal: to create a drink that produces the same stress-relieving effects people seek out when they turn to alcohol with good-for-you ingredients. Among Hiyo’s fall flavors to “go functional” with ingredients like cortisol-regulator ashwagandha, calm-inducing L-theanine, and antioxidant-rich lion's mane is its Peach Mango Sans-gria. This is what you’ll need to make it at home:

2 cans peach mango Hiyo
3 cups nonalcoholic white wine
0.5 cup apricot nectar
0.5 cup ginger ale
0.25 cup cinnamon-flavored simple syrup
Half an orange and half a green and red apple, cubed
0.5 cup frozen peaches, sliced for garnish
4 cups ice
Fill a pitcher with ice. Pour in the peach mango-flavored Hiyo, nonalcoholic white wine, apricot nectar, ginger ale, and cinnamon syrup, then stir to combine. To serve, Hiyo recommends filling a wine glass with fresh ice and chopped fruit before pouring the sans-gria mixture and garnishing with sliced peaches.

Marcia Selden Catering & Events has an offering out of its “Liquid Kitchen” that’s holding onto the last of summer, and it’s this Cucumber Chiller. Here’s how to make it:

½ lime, juiced
8 cucumber slices to muddle and long cucumber slices, sliced on mandoline for garnish
1 tsp. superfine sugar
6 mint leaves, plus additional for garnish
4 oz. tonic water
2 oz. Sprite
Add the lime, cucumber slices, and mint to a shaker and muddle them together. Then, add the sugar and ice, close the shaker lid, and shake vigorously for up to 30 seconds. Prepare glass with long cucumber curls and fresh ice before straining in the drink mixer, topping with tonic and Sprite, and garnishing with mint sprigs.

Consider lavender as a healthier alternative for taking the edge off, as it has proven powers to improve sleep, anxiety, and pain. Turn it into a simple syrup and combine it with lemon for a mocktail that makes for the perfect thirst quencher during the day—or soothing sip come happy hour. From the Liquid Kitchen of Marcia Selden Catering & Events, here’s how to make a glass of Lavender Lemonade:

For the simple syrup: 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup water, and 1 Tbsp. dried lavender
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice from approximately 5 lemons
4 cups water
1 cup lavender simple syrup
Ice
Lavender and lemon slices for garnish
Start by making the lavender simple syrup: Simply add the sugar, water, and dried lavender to a small pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer for about 2 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved, then let the syrup rest for 15 minutes before running it through a mesh strainer. Then make the Lavender Lemonade by stirring together the lemon juice, water, and simple syrup in a cup of ice. Then garnish with sprigs of fresh lavender and lemon slices.

Alexandra Garrett of Rickhouse in San Francisco is the mastermind behind The First Date, a photo-worthy mixed drink that was inspired by spooky season. Thank Purple Lune for its alluring, deep purple hue, as the nonalcoholic, botanical aperitif made by De Soi—the zero-proof beverage brand co-founded by Katy Perry and Morgan McLachlan—contains adaptogens like ashwagandha and tart cherry that’s designed to fight off fatigue while mellowing the mind. Get some for yourself and add these ingredients to try The First Date for yourself:

4 oz. De Soi Purple Lune
0.5 oz. mint syrup
Muddled cucumber
Ice cubes
Mint and cucumber slices for garnish
Muddle the cucumber in a cocktail shaker, then add all of the other ingredients and shake away before pouring over ice and garnishing with mint and cucumber slices.

Design Cuisine out of Washington, D.C., in the spirit of autumn, curated a zero-proof mixed drink called the Autumnal Bloom that pairs perfectly with sweater weather. Among its main ingredients is a cranberry saffron shrub. It’s this shrub—a vinegar-based syrup that often replaces citrus in a nonalcoholic cocktail—in particular that gives this drink its cozy vibes. But to really get the full effect, the catering company goes so far as to recommend glassware, noting that a rocks glass is most suitable. Here’s everything else you need to know to make an Autumnal Bloom of your own:

1.5 oz. cranberry saffron shrub (made with 1 cup frozen cranberries, 0.5 cup water, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, and ⅛ tsp. saffron powder)
4 oz. soda water
2 dashes orange blossom water
Edible mini marigold flower
To start, make your shrub by combining all of the ingredients in a saucepan and letting it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cranberries have broken down. Then let the mixture cool completely before blending it until smooth, adding more water if a thinner consistency is desired. Then refrigerate the shrub. Once cool, fill a rocks glass with ice, then pour over the cranberry saffron shrub and top with soda water to taste. Stir, then add two dashes of orange blossom water and garnish with the mini marigold flower.

Fight the flu with tea and a blend of warm spices this season—exactly what’s needed to make Design Cuisine’s nonalcoholic Penicillin offering. Here’s how to do it:

2 oz. smoked black tea, cooled to room temperature
0.75 oz. ginger syrup
1 oz. lemon juice 2 dashes nonalcoholic bitters
Candied ginger or lemon twist for garnish
Combine the tea, ginger syrup, and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until properly chilled. Then, strain the mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with either—or both—candied ginger or a lemon twist.

Design Cuisine’s nonalcoholic ode to the bergamot-infused Italian liqueur Sangue di Bergamotto is an alcohol-free drink by the same name. Here’s how to achieve the drink’s same sweet and sour notes of citrus without the hard stuff:

2 oz. hibiscus tea
1 oz. ginger syrup
1 oz. bergamot puree
Shake all of the ingredients together in a shaker filled with ice. Then, simply strain the tasty mixture into a coupe glass and enjoy.

Not all alcoholic beverages require shaking or stirring, so neither should their zero-proof counterparts. Enter independent Texas brewery Shiner Beer, which recently released its first-ever nonalcoholic brews, the Rode0 Golden Brew, Rode0 Red Amber, and Rode0 Citrus Wit—now available in a variety pack. The flavors are styled after a classic American lager, amber ale, and Belgian wit, respectively, complete with the same notes of malt and crisp layers of either hops, caramel, or orange zest. A six-pack of the virgin brews will run customers $11.99 at select stores across the U.S., which customers can find using Shiner’s online store locator.