Non-Alcoholic Watermelon Mojito cocktail recipe

Contrary to popular belief, a cocktail isn’t all about the alcohol you swoosh around in it. A (well made) cocktail is about balance and flavour, with or without the kick.

We hear a lot about low-ABV drinks and non-alcoholic drinks these days, but the non-alcoholic cocktail is nothing new. Dating as far back as the 1800s, the non-alcoholic cocktail or ‘temperance drink,’ as it was called back then, was extremely popular. The first written evidence of the temperance drink was in Jerry Thomas’ 1862 book The Bar-tender’s Guide, with a whole section dedicated to liquor-less refreshments. They were so popular that an 1892 article in the Journal and Tribune of Knoxville, stated that “temperance drinks are almost as infinite in variety as intemperate drinks.” And we absolutely agree.

The non-alcoholic cocktail became particularly popular during Prohibition in New York as bars and clubs struggled to stay relevant. Interestingly, instead of using the tried-and-true Jerry Thomas temperance drink recipes, which consisted of various coolers and lemonades, many bars made non-alcoholic versions of popular cocktails, like the virgin Bronx cocktail.

Today, we see the same sort of reinventions, but made with very artisan, very chic and very interesting alcohol substitutions. Just like this Non-Alcoholic Watermelon Mojito. 

We love a standard Mojito. They’re fresh, they’re tangy, they’re fruity – and, best of all, they’re adaptable. This means you can change it up any way you want. For this recipe, we’ve added in some watermelon for sweetness and colour.

Our only tip for making Mojitos is to please leave your mint as intact as possible. Over-muddling will bruise and break up your mint leaves, leaving you with tiny bits of mint floating around your drink. Treat your mint gently and you’ll be rewarded with lovely aromatics and perfect flavour.

If you’d like to try your hand at turning other great Mojito riffs into non-alcoholic versions, grab your preferred non-alc spirit and follow our recipes for the Strawberry Mojito, Mango Mojito and Passionfruit Mojito.