My mother was quite a vibrant lady who had many interests and passions. One thing she really enjoyed was a glass of wine or a cocktail at Happy Hour…and other times of day, too!

I have walked in her footsteps (in some ways), and enjoy visiting wineries, having a nice drink at a great restaurant or making cocktails for family and friends to serve on my patio. (See my post on setting up your patio for summer!)

For little girls, the fun, grown up cocktail of choice is typically the Shirley Temple with lemon-lime soda and cherry juice (and of course, the maraschino cherry on top!). But as my girls grew older, I learned how to turn some of my favorite cocktails into fun mocktails.

It is really special for their birthday dinners to make or get them a fancy adult-like drink!

Cocktails and Mocktails for Summer!

Making mocktails taste and look as fancy as your standard cocktail is fun. Choose martini and hurricane glasses for the full effect.

Here are some classic cocktail recipes with ways to take out the alcohol for non-drinkers.

Margaritas. I love a classic lemon-lime on the rocks, and rimmed with salt. In my Mexican Dinner party post, I have the easiest recipe EVER, below.

You can skip the tequila and double the soda for a virgin option. 

Basic Margarita Recipe

• One can of frozen lime juice
• One can lemon-lime soda
• One can tequila
• Blend with ice, or serve on the rocks
• Serve in a martini glass rimmed with simple syrup (buy this, or make yourself by boiling one part each of water and sugar, until a syrup forms) and salt or sugar

Margarita flavors have exploded the last few years, which you’ll see if you’re out anywhere with a bar. Some flavors we like are watermelon, strawberry, and mango. Instead of lime juice in the recipe above, just add a can of frozen puréed fruit of your choice.

I also like to buy the pre-mixed bottles, especially if I have more people for dinner. You can throw the margarita mix into a blender with ice for the frozen variety.

As an aside, an easy way to satisfy both alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktail drinkers, is to buy (online or in the grocery store) a pre-mixed non-alcoholic drink- like Bloody Mary. A super easy idea for a party (say a brunch with Bloody Marys), is to set up a station so people can add fixings (celery, pickles, olives, etc) and make their own, with or without vodka.

Mojitos. I have a bunch of mint growing naturally in my yard, and thought it would be fun to re-create the mojitos we had on our trip in 2022. You can’t get a much easier recipe, and just skip the rum for a virgin.

Mojito Recipe (2 servings)

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup simple syrup
• 1 cup white rum
• 15 sprigs of fresh mint
• 2 cups crushed ice
• Blend together and serve in hurricane glasses with a sprig of fresh mint and wedge of lime.

Check out my post on a throwing a Mexican Dinner party for some menu ideas to serve with these wonderful Mexican cocktails!

Martinis. It might be no surprise, since I’m a fan of briny raw oysters (see my post on preparing and serving them), that my favorite martini is an extra-dry dirty with vodka. The classic recipe is made with vodka (or gin), a tad of vermouth and olive juice.

Since I’m a lover of this classic version, I’m confused as to how some sweeter ‘martinis’ can even be called martinis. I guess since they are all shaken with ice in a shaker and served in a martini glass?

Either way, I’m happy for non-drinkers that new martini flavors lend themselves very well to mocktail versions. Just replace the alcohol with juice, cream, or flavorings.

For example, a regular espresso martini is made with 1 oz each:

• Vodka
• Coffee liqueur
• Espresso coffee
• Shake with ice in a shaker, strain out ice and serve in a martini glass

An espresso martini MOCKTAIL is made with 1 oz each:

• Espresso coffee
• Heavy cream
• Simple syrup
• Shake with ice in a shaker, strain and serve in a martini glass

Some other popular martini flavors are lemon drop, appletini, and peach. To me these are more like desserts, but that’s ok!

It’s fun and elegant to rim your martini glasses with the flavor of the drink. Dip your martini glass in some simple syrup, then put your rimming mix on a plate to dip. Ideas for the mix are rock salt, or sugar mixed with things like espresso coffee, lemon or orange zest, or jalapeño peppers. I use chocolate sauce and crushed peppermint sticks for an incredible Christmas martini. You can be really creative with this!

Pina Colada. If you’ve had these when vacationing on a beach somewhere, you know how sweet and creamy these are, with coconut milk and pineapple. You honestly cannot really taste the rum anyway, so making this a virgin option makes complete sense.

Pina Colada Recipe

• 1 part Coconut Rum (leave it out for the mocktail)
• 1 part pineapple juice
• 1/2 part cream of coconut
• 1/4 part lime juice
• Ice
• Fill the shaker with ice and add ingredients. Shake and strain into a hurricane glass. Garnish with a pineapple slice.

Malibu Sunrise. When in the Bahamas with my oldest daughter, it felt like every drink (even sodas- Goombay Punch) had the flavors of pineapple and coconut. And every one of them was refreshing and delicious. There are a bunch of these cocktails that are made with coconut rum and yummy fruit. The Bay Breeze, Blue Hawaiian, and Bahama Mama are a few others you might want to also try!

Malibu Sunrise Recipe

• 2 parts coconut rum
• 1 part orange juice
• 3 parts pineapple juice
• Ice
• Layer ingredients in a hurricane glass filled with ice cubes. Top with a pineapple wedge and lime.

A note about wines.

I’ve made mention that I love Sauvignon Blanc. (See my post on the best brands for value and taste!)

It is my go-to summer wine because the crisp and refreshing flavor pairs beautifully with light summer meals like salads (see my posts on some great recipes) and seafood. But my daughters, even now a bit older, still cannot get into dry wines like this. So I keep some bottles of fruitier wines on hand.

Barefoot and Yellow Tail make some very good blended wines that are surprisingly inexpensive, and come in varieties like tropical prosecco or mixed fruit. Although these do have alcohol, it is much less of a percentage than regular wine.

To further reduce the alcohol level and make wine more palatable for young adults and others, you can opt to mix wine with flavored seltzer or lemon-lime soda to make a spritzer. Or add some fresh fruit and make your own sangria. These are ways to lighten up and sweeten the wine a bit more so that your adult children may enjoy it more.

I hope you enjoy some of these cocktails and mocktails this summer! Let me know if there are any others that you and your family enjoy!