How can I make mocktails that actually taste like non-fruity cocktails?

Question

My partner is a teetotaler and I have oral allergy syndrome, which means I am allergic to almost all raw fruit juices.

We want to try making some mocktails that we can both drink that actually resemble cocktails along the lines of an Old Fashioned, rather than glorified fruit punch. However most resources I've been able to find only discuss making very sweet, simple drinks, often using fruit juice as the major ingredient.

What ingredients and techniques that fit our restrictions (non-alcoholic, no raw fruit) will produce mocktails that are on the complex/sharp end of the flavor spectrum?

Could I get some constructive criticism from the downvoter? Question-improvement would be great. — RSid, Mar 16 '13 at 19:47
AS asked this question is very broad, that is to say "not constructive" per the [faq]. There would be no way to determine a *right* answer; it is a poll or opinion question. — SAJ14SAJ, Mar 19 '13 at 23:07
@SAJ14SAJ You (and the OP) might want to have a look at [Good Subjective, Bad Subjective](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/09/good-subjective-bad-subjective/). It's a good resource to look at when you're writing a question like this, and a good one to think about and point people at when you're thinking of voting to close. In this case, the core of the question is somewhat subjective (very briefly, "how do I approach making a mocktail") and while asking for resources isn't a great way to ask it (see Divi's answer) asking about techniques is a better direction (see endowdly's answer). — Cascabel, Mar 21 '13 at 01:51
@Jefromi You give more credit than I do for underlying intent; I tend to respond to the question as written. I point out this question is a good example of one that I would change the rules to include, but right now, I see it outside the rules because all answers are equal in a list of resources question. — SAJ14SAJ, Mar 21 '13 at 01:53
@SAJ14SAJ It's more about helping guide questions to a point where they're good questions that generate useful content (for the OP and others), regardless of the original intent - often this is essentially helping people find what they really should have asked. It's of course not required when downvoting or voting to close, but I try to be friendly when I have the time! — Cascabel, Mar 21 '13 at 01:56
@Jefromi I'm all about fixing questions rather than closing them, if possible, so comments help. Quick q - lots of SE sites allow questions that are intended to produce a list of useful resources, like this one (because I figured asking how to approach making mocktails was too subjective). I assumed from the 'resources' tag that those were in here. Not so much? — RSid, Mar 21 '13 at 16:37
@RSid The general summary is that anything that produces an essentially unlimited list of answers is off-topic. This should be true anywhere - for example, we've closed list of cookbooks questions here just like StackOverflow long ago closed many list of programming books questions. All this discussion aside, you probably do want to edit your question before a few more people come along and close it, and then I'll clean up all these comments! — Cascabel, Mar 21 '13 at 16:44
@RSid I changed the title too; I think it's good now. I will also add that you don't always want to accept an answer right away - I imagine there's a lot more to be said than what's been said so far. — Cascabel, Mar 22 '13 at 21:08
@Jefromi D'oh, thanks. Forgot about that. And duly noted - didn't seem to be a terribly happening question, but I'll shift my accept/upvote answers if people have interesting things to say. — RSid, Mar 22 '13 at 21:12
Please read the [ingredient-selection tag wiki](http://cooking.stackexchange.com/tags/ingredient-selection/info) before adding that tag. In addition, is "incorporation-techniques" somehow different from "mixing"? — Aaronut, Mar 23 '13 at 00:41

score 3 · Accepted Answer · edited Mar 21 '13 at 01:49

3

You're going to want to look for classic cocktail recipes and mixers. Get a base of cocktail knowledge, then fill in the alcohol with a nuetral filler. Teas and smokey coffees can replace the flavor profile of some bourbon or scotches. Club sodas or flat tonics can replace some grain spirits. Angostura, orange bitters, vermouth, tinctures, demerara syrups are all classic mixers you'll want to use... usually Imbibe Magazine has some pretty good resources and make-your-own bitters and mixers. Sometimes Bon Appetit has a good classic drink. I know a couple months ago they explained how to make your own vermouth.

Another good resource is to find a local cocktail bar that simple specializes in high end cocktails and just talk to a bartender. They'll have lots of knowledge and resources to share!

A website I like to use sometimes is Cocktail Codex.

edited Mar 21 '13 at 01:49

Cascabel

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answered Mar 19 '13 at 20:40

endowdly

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Last I checked, vermouth is alcoholic. :) – Marti Mar 20 '13 at 01:19
Touche! However, you can make a mild vinegar that has a similar flavor to sweet vermouth. ;) – endowdly Mar 20 '13 at 02:10
Thanks! These are some good ideas, and I think I have a jumping off point here. – RSid Mar 21 '13 at 16:41
No problem, best of luck! – endowdly Mar 25 '13 at 20:49

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 16 '13 at 02:10

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These links have some nice recipes with and without juices, so they cater for both your allergies and to anyone else at your party:

answered Mar 16 '13 at 02:10

Divi

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Thanks for the answer; I'm going to wait a bit and see what other suggestions I get, since most of these still have the fruity-sweet flavor profile that we've been trying to avoid. (Also the overwhelming majority of these still require fruit, though #5 is more varied) – RSid Mar 16 '13 at 19:55

How can I make mocktails that actually taste like non-fruity cocktails?

2 Answers2