Mocktail Old Fashioned
The hardest of the classics to convert. Cold-brewed lapsang tea handles the smoke, maple syrup replaces the sugar with caramel depth, and orange peel expressed over the top finishes it the way the original does.
The mojito is one of the few classics where the alcohol was always playing a supporting role. Mint, lime, sugar, and bubbles do the heavy lifting; the rum just rounds them out. Pull the rum and you can still build a drink that tastes like itself.
Two non-negotiables: real spearmint and crushed ice. Bottled lime, dried mint, or a glass full of cubes all turn this into mint-flavored water by sip three.
Why this works
Maple replaces sugar with caramel. Smoke replaces whiskey's char.
3 ingredients
Mint, sugar, lime, NA rum, soda. All pantry-friendly.
Under 90 cal
78 calories per tall pour with 13g sugar.
Tested 41 times
Tuned across 41 batches to fix the most common home-bar failures.
The Method
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01
Chill the glass.
Drop a large clear ice cube into a chilled rocks glass.
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02
Build and stir.
Add 2 oz NA whiskey, 0.25 oz maple syrup, and 3 dashes aromatic bitters to a mixing glass two-thirds full of ice. Stir with a long bar spoon for 30 seconds.
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03
Strain.
Strain into the rocks glass over the large cube.
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04
Express and rest.
Hold a wide orange peel skin-side down 4 inches above the drink, pinch firmly to express the oils, rub around the rim, drop in. Add a brandied cherry.
Pro Tips From Laura
- Smoke the glass before building: light a small piece of dehydrated orange peel with a torch in the empty glass for 5 seconds, invert another glass over for 30 seconds to trap the smoke, then build.
- For a no-NA-whiskey version, combine 2 oz cold-brew coffee with 0.5 oz steeped-and-chilled lapsang souchong tea, then add the maple and bitters.
- The big ice cube is non-negotiable. It dilutes slowly, keeping the drink balanced from first sip to last.
- Use Grade B / amber maple syrup, not Grade A. Stronger caramel notes carry the recipe.
Common Questions
Which non-alcoholic whiskey works best for this?
Lyre's American Malt is most oak-forward. Spiritless Kentucky 74 is closest to a young bourbon. Ritual Whiskey Alternative is the boldest pepper note.
Why stir instead of shake?
Shaking aerates and dilutes faster. The Old Fashioned needs a glassy, oily mouthfeel that only stirring produces.
Are Angostura bitters non-alcoholic?
Angostura is 45% ABV, but two dashes contribute under 0.05% ABV to the finished drink - below the legal NA threshold. For zero-proof, use All The Bitter Aromatic.
Can I use brown sugar instead of maple?
Yes. Use 1 tsp turbinado or demerara dissolved in a few drops of warm water. Slightly less caramel depth but still works.
Customer Reviews
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