Best Non-Alcoholic Lemon Cocktails and Mocktails

Non-alcoholic doesn’t have to mean an afterthought. A good lemon mocktail, with the right balance of tart, sweet, and fizz, holds its own next to anything with alcohol in it, and it’s a lot easier to make a pitcher of for a crowd. Here are 16, sorted by style.

Sparkling and fizzy

The category that reads most like a “real” cocktail, thanks to the carbonation.

• Ginger Lemon Fizz, sharp ginger and bright lemon over sparkling water.
• Raspberry Lemon Spritz, fruity and pink, good for a summer gathering.
• Sparkling Lemon Elderflower Spritz, floral and elegant, a good stand-in for a celebratory toast.
• Sparkling Lemon Ginger Mocktail, warmer and spicier than a straight fizz.
• Sparkling Lemon-Mint Mocktail, cool, herbal, and refreshing.
• Lemon Mint Mojito Mocktail, all the muddled mint and lime-lemon brightness of a mojito, no rum required.

Classic lemonades

Simple, familiar, and always a crowd-pleaser at a casual party.

• Old-Fashioned Lemonade, the reliable base recipe worth having memorized.
• Basil Lemon Lemonade, herbaceous and a step up from standard lemonade.
• Lavender Lemonade, floral and a little more sophisticated, good for a bridal or garden party.
• Pomegranate Lemon Lemonade, deep red-pink and tart-sweet.

Iced teas

For a lower-key gathering, or an afternoon party rather than an evening one.

• Honey-Lemon Iced Tea, a classic combination that works for almost any crowd.
• Lemon Mint Iced Green Tea, lighter and more herbal than a black tea base.

Coolers and slushes

The most casual, refreshing options, good for a backyard gathering in hot weather.

• Cucumber Lemon Cooler, clean and hydrating, a nice palate cleanser between other drinks.
• Iced Lemon Basil Cooler, herbal and light.
• Strawberry Lemon Refresher, fruity and bright red, popular with kids and adults alike.
• Watermelon Lemon Slush, blended and icy, best for the hottest part of summer.

Building a mocktail bar for a party

If you’re hosting and want to offer more than one option, set up a simple mocktail bar instead of pre-mixing everything:

1. Pick one base syrup (a simple syrup works for most of these) and keep it in a pitcher.
2. Set out fresh lemon juice, sparkling water, and a couple of mix-ins like fresh herbs, berries, or ginger beer.
3. Let guests build their own, which also solves the “make everything ahead” problem, since only the base needs prepping in advance.
4. Garnish generously. A lemon wheel, a sprig of mint, or a sugared rim makes any of these look and feel like a proper cocktail, which matters more than people expect for guests who are skipping alcohol.

Whichever you choose, these all scale easily into a full pitcher, so there’s no need to mix drinks one at a time once the party actually starts.

Hosting a bigger crowd? Skip the single glasses and see our non-alcoholic lemon punch recipes, our big batch lemonade chart, or the guide to how much punch per person.