Summer Mocktails: 10 Refreshing Drinks That Aren't Just Sugar

Most summer mocktails are sugar in a fancy glass. Syrup, juice from concentrate, a splash of soda, and a mint leaf for the photo. They taste great for one sip and cloying by the bottom of the glass.

A good mocktail does what a good cocktail does. It balances sweet against sour and bitter, so it stays interesting. That usually means less sugar, not more, and real ingredients doing the work. Here are ten that hold up in the heat, most of which you can batch for a crowd.

The bright and citrusy ones

Spritz and tonic. A splash of Jo's botanical tonic syrup over ice, topped with sparkling water and a citrus wheel. Bitter, bright, and low in sugar because the quinine and citrus carry it, not syrup. This is the summer afternoon drink.

Paloma mocktail. Grapefruit, lime, a pinch of salt, and soda. The salt is the trick. It cuts the sweetness and makes the grapefruit pop. Full build in the paloma mocktail.

Virgin mojito. Lime, mint, a little sweetener, and soda. Muddle the mint gently so it perfumes the drink instead of turning bitter. See the mojito mocktail.

The fruity ones

Coconut pineapple cooler. Pineapple, coconut, and lime over crushed ice. Tropical without being a milkshake. The coconut and pineapple mocktail has the ratios.

Watermelon cooler. Fresh watermelon, lime, and a pinch of salt, blended or muddled. Almost no added sugar needed because ripe watermelon is sweet enough.

Berry shrub soda. A spoon of fruit shrub over ice and soda. Tart, complex, and barely sweet. If you have not made a shrub, the shrub drink guide walks through it.

The savory and unexpected ones

Virgin Bloody Mary. Yes, in summer. Over plenty of ice it drinks like a cold savory snack. Use Stu's concentrate with tomato juice and lime, skip the vodka, and load the garnish.

Cucumber cooler. Muddled cucumber, lime, a little tonic syrup, and soda. Clean and green and endlessly refreshing.

Iced hibiscus tea spritzer. Brewed hibiscus, citrus, and soda. Tart, deep red, and gorgeous in a pitcher.

Citrus aperitivo. A non-alcoholic aperitivo splash with soda and an orange slice. The grown-up, bittersweet option. More on this in aperitivo hour.

How to make these for a crowd

Summer entertaining usually means a group, so batch them. Most of these scale into a pitcher easily. Build the base ahead, keep it cold, and add the soda or sparkling water per glass so nothing goes flat. The full method is in batch cocktails and mocktails for a crowd.

The reason a concentrate or a tonic syrup works so well here is simple. It is a finished base, so a pitcher comes together in seconds and one bottle makes a dozen drinks. Set it out with ice, citrus, and soda, and your guests build their own. Same setup serves the people drinking and the people not.

For more no-proof ideas year round, see our easy mocktail recipes. If you want the boozy versions too, the summer cocktails guide covers those.

FAQ

What are some good summer mocktails?

A spritz and tonic, a paloma mocktail, a virgin mojito, a watermelon cooler, and a berry shrub soda are all refreshing and low in sugar. Each balances sweet with sour or bitter so it stays interesting in the heat.

How do you make a mocktail less sweet?

Add acid and a little bitterness. Fresh citrus, a pinch of salt, a bitter tonic syrup, or a shrub all cut sweetness and make a mocktail taste like a real drink instead of soda.

Can you batch summer mocktails for a party?

Yes. Build the base in a pitcher ahead of time, keep it cold, and add soda or sparkling water per glass so it stays fizzy. A concentrate or tonic syrup makes batching almost instant.

What is the most refreshing mocktail?

A spritz and tonic or a paloma mocktail. Both lean on citrus and a bitter edge rather than sugar, which is what makes a drink genuinely refreshing rather than just sweet.