You don't need to purchase a copy of Good Drinks By Julia Bainbridge if you’re not ready to commit. But don’t let it stop you from drinking well while you experiment with non alcoholic drinks. These Instagram accounts and websites list ingredients and methods for making great tasting mocktails without spending a cent.
Zero Proof Cocktails
Elva Ramirez is the author of Zero Proof, a cocktail book dedicated to 90 non alcoholic drink recipes for mindful drinking. As a journalist at the epicentre of the sober curious movement (aka New York City), she knows a thing or two about the subject and is well placed to glean ideas for well-crafted alcohol free cocktail from some of the worlds best bartenders. Of course you need to get her book to get hold of some of this intel, but if you visit her Instagram account, you can pick up a few pointers for free.
@zero_proof_cocktails
The Wagon
Helping you stay on, not fall off, these guys do pop-up events in London pairing non alcoholic cocktails with music and the outdoors. So it’s hyper local, but their Instagram account is a good place to pick up recipes and product reviews. We also love the interesting information about ingredients, processing techniques and flavour profiles. It feels like they’re targeting people who have evolved knowing that drinking is a choice not a given, aka Millenials. But for those of us who only recently discovered that we can go out not drink alcohol (mind blown) can get a lot from this resource.
@thewagonaf
Imbibe Magazine
This is a great place to go online to get access to a list of great non alcoholic cocktails for free. Most of them don’t rely on buying bottled spirits either. Having said that, because they are such well-crafted drinks, there’s a bit of work involved in creating the syrups and sourcing the ingredients to concoct them. If you don’t mind making a little effort, they’re worth the trouble. Or give them to you bartender so they can up their game!
The Mindful Mocktail
Nat is an Australian who has made the switch to non alcoholic drinks, and loves to inspire others with easy mocktail recipes and drink recommendations. She turned her journey of giving up drinking into a project to create new drinks. Now she shares these through her Instagram account, as well as tips for managing mindset.
@themindfulmocktail
Alcohol Free Spirit
“Drink the rainbow” implores the bio of this Instagram account, and the photos reflect it. These are some of the most colourful non alcoholic cocktails we’ve ever seen. There’s not a heap of posts (the last one was uploaded in 2020), but every post contains a recipe. That’s 32 free to use recipes using simple ingredients, just a few clicks away.
@alcoholfree.spirit
Zero Proof Love
The tagline for this Instagram account reads: “Adventures in alcohol-free imbibing. Former cocktail enthusiast looking for some zero proof love. Trying all the AF things I can find. SF Bay area, CA.” It’s an account filled with drinks pics (not to be confused with…), and the captions contain not only recipes for zero proof cocktails (we imagine the account holder gets gifted some free product from time to time with which to craft these lovelies), but some good references to classic cocktails and how to adapt them using non alcoholic spirits, sparkling and other alcohol free liquids. Can’t quite tell who’s behind the account yet but it’s written from a first person perspective with small tidbits about the drinking escapades of an alcohol free enthusiast. There’s a web address at the link in bio but it’s not active - apparently the website is coming soon.
@zeroprooflove
The Mocktail Project
Hailing from Louisville, Kentucky, Jesse is one of the few men we’ve come across who is building a platform to share a love of non alcoholic drinks. In fact, making a move away from alcohol is what gave rise to his businesses, both of which exist in the non alcoholic space. When he’s not serving up bespoke zero proof drinks from his custom mobile van at events across the US, he’s lending his voice to the alcohol free community. He wants you to feel as fulfilled as he is, so he’s giving you all the deets on what to fill your glass with. Some sophisticated and unusual concoctions to find here. He often teams up with mixologists, brands and bars to share collab recipes.
@themocktailproject
Want more drink-making inspiration? Check out our free recipes!