The strawberry daiquiri is the culmination of everything fun in a cocktail. As such, its mocktail equivalent has big boots to fill. Do your kids want a non-alcoholic drink to match their parents? Or maybe you’ve gone sober, but those fond memories have you craving this beautifully blended, slightly nutty, mostly fruity strawberry beverage? Everyone…
Read More
Mai Tai as a mocktail is part of the upper echelon among its alcohol-free peers. And among this recipe’s peers, it stands high as well. I’ve tasted many virgin Mai Tais as a beverage writer, and I wanted to provide everyone looking to get into virgin cocktail making with some senior knowledge. What should you…
Read More
Virgin Sunset is a mocktail to be reckoned with. This fruity, layered, alcohol-free mixed beverage has grown dramatically in popularity with hotel bars and pool lounges alike. The particular rendition of Virgin Sunset here comes from Jumeirah beach in Dubai, where I find many American tourists take a liking to it. I particularly find the…
Read More
When you think Valentine’s Day, you think drinks. But where this holiday of love goes against the grain is with our preferred beverages. They’re classy––defined by elegant mixed drinks, cocktails and now, mocktails. With so many Americans going alcohol-free, how can they make this occasion special? Mocktails can vary in quality. A fresh, handcrafted spritzy…
Read More
Mojitos, sangrias, punches––the most popular summer mocktails in Dubai. I tried each of these at SOL Sky Bar, a fun summer-themed rooftop bar with one of the friendliest bartending staff in Dubai. Wait, but it’s January, the depth of winter! Dubai can provide a summer experience in the middle of winter. That’s why you’ll find…
Read More
These may be the best mocktail images I’ve taken in Abu Dhabi. Nay! The Beach House, the most lavish local seaside mocktail paradise I’ve found, may be host to the most beautiful zero-proof cocktails ever. Park Hyatt’s The Beach House spotlights the traditional Mediterranean flavors near Abu Dhabi’s seaside. Sweet mango with vibrant blackberry purée. A…
Read More
Mocktails are the new cocktails––and that’s especially true in San Diego. San Diego is a town whose bar scene deeply understands the mocktails trend. It’s not about having any mixed beverage or replacing a buzz with a sugar high. Who doesn’t want a cocktail’s elegance without its unpleasant side effects? Zero-proof cocktails are a delicate…
Read More
Time is the rival that my efforts endeavor to overcome. Of the tools against age and decay, tradition is among the most effective. I sometimes view new customs, untested by the destructive rhythm of passing centuries, as a threat to the traditions that have been passed to me from my family. While time marches forward…
Read More
The Century Plaza Hotel is the centerpiece of Century City, which in turn is the center of Los Angeles. It’s the city’s on-call backdrop. You know the building Bruce Willis swung off in Die Hard? That’s here, in perfect view. And the Plaza staff is proud of it. But from hidden in this labyrinth of…
Read More
In Decorah, a trendy college town in Iowa, residents enjoy their drinks and calming farmland ambiance. The local watering hole, La Rana Bistro, may be another weekend meetup for these folks, but city slickers coming into town will be surprised. It’s no order-a-drink-watch-tv-and-leave type of bar. It has a small-town kind of friendliness––regional Iowa cocktails…
Read More