5 Festive New Year’s Eve Mocktails for Dry January Prep
Celebrating New Year’s Eve and going into Dry January is a challenge. But with festive mocktails, you can still be the party host with the most without segregating party hosts who choose to abstain from drinking alcohol. A good mocktail has the flavor and appearance of an alcoholic beverage but without the alcohol and hangover the next morning. Virgin Pina Colada and virgin flavored daiquiri are common mocktails, but going into 2026, add one of the mocktails below to your New Year’s Eve party.
Lemon Drop Martini
If your go-to drink is a lemon drop martini, for Dry January, order your favorite drink, but make it a lemon drop martini mocktail. The mocktail is refreshing, with the exact citrus taste of the real drink, but the alcohol is replaced with club soda, making it light and refreshing, and sure to be a party favorite all year round.
Shopping List
1 1/4 oz lemon juice
2 1/2 oz chilled club soda
3/4 oz simple syrup
Directions
Fill the cocktail shaker with the simple syrup and lemon juice. Next, fill the shaker with ice and shake until the shaker is chilled. Strain or pour the mix into a chilled martini glass, then top it with club soda. Add a lemon slice and sugar rim to give the mocktail the appearance of a real lemon drop.
Apple Cider Mocktail
In the fall, when the weather starts to cool, apple cider is a staple drink. The apple cider mocktail turns fall’s favorite drink into the perfect New Year’s Eve party drink on a chilly night. The drink tastes like an Angry Orchard Hard Cider apple flavor, reminiscent of a warm apple pie. The mocktail calls for four ingredients, and no bar tools are needed.
Shopping List
1 ½ ounce apple cider
1 ounce lemon juice
½ ounce pure maple syrup
3-4 ounces ginger beer or ginger ale
Directions
Fill a glass with ice, then add apple cider, lemon juice, and maple syrup. Stir together, then add the ginger beer or ginger ale last.
Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail
Another popular flavor for the wintertime is cranberries. Take the last of the cranberries from Christmas and make a sparkling cranberry mocktail for New Year’s Eve. The festive mocktail is a mix of fruit juices with ginger ale. Add a sugar rim and cranberries to the glass, and you have a quick, fruity drink that guests will love.
Shopping List
1 cup cranberry juice
¼ cup orange juice
1 cup ginger ale
cranberries
lemon wedges or a whole lemon
Directions
Combine the cranberry juice, orange juice, and ginger ale into a pitcher and stir. That’s it, refrigerate the juicey mocktail for an hour or until you are ready to serve. To prepare the glass, use a lemon wedge to trace the rim, then dip the rim in sugar. Add ice, pour your sparkling mix into a glass, and add cranberries.
Pineapple Ginger Beer Mocktail
Everyone loves pineapples, and the next drink is basically a pineapple mule minus the alcohol. The golden color and bubbly mocktail are perfect for a New Year’s Eve toast, replacing champagne. If pineapple flavor isn’t a hit in your house, this mocktail drink juice can be easily swapped out to fit your taste.
Shopping List
6 oz ginger beer
1 oz lemon juice
2 oz pineapple juice (or your own juice preference)
Directions
In a cocktail shaker, combine ice, pineapple juice, and lemon juice. Shake together and pour into a glass over ice or a champagne flute, if you are feeling festive. Last, add the ginger beer on top.
Shirley Temple
A classic mocktail without trying too hard is a Shirley Temple. Basic yes. But with the stress of the holiday and planning to welcome the New Year, a holiday drink should be the last complication. A Shirley Temple is a drink that everyone can enjoy, featuring two ingredients that are easy to make with kid-friendly directions.
Shopping List
1 ounce grenadine syrup
A 6-ounce can of lemon-lime soda
Directions
In a glass filled with ice, pour the grenadine first, then the lemon-lime soda, add cherries, and you are done.
Celebrate New Year’s Eve Soberly
Drinking is not a requirement to celebrate the New Year. A delicious mocktail is a great way to practice sticking to your commitment before the ball drops. If you are not the host of the New Year’s Eve party, bring your own mocktail with you or pass your favorite recipe to the party host.
