Camera-Ready Fancy Virgin Mocktails That Taste as Good as They Look

Live the decadent life. The glitter life. A life with sparkle and pizzazz. And do it all with fun virgin cocktails. The point is: turn life on its head with fancy nonalcoholic drinks and live adventurously. Make decorative, lavish mocktails that'll kick traditional cocktails to the curb. Grab your heels, or those cute sandals, and get shaking. Then snap some photos because you're going to want to share these beauties with the world.

Fancy Glitter-tini Mocktail

A little edible petal dust goes a long way to make a cranberry mocktail martini that'll shimmer its way right into your heart.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces cranberry juice
• ¾ ounce freshly squeezed orange juice
• ½ ounce simple syrup
• ⅛ teaspoon pink petal dust
• Ice
• Rosemary sprig for garnish

Instructions

1. Chill a martini glass or coupe.
2. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, cranberry juice, orange juice, simple syrup, and pink petal dust.
3. Shake to chill.
4. Strain into the chilled glass.
5. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.

Queen's Cucumber Mocktail

Smooth, refreshing, soft. This basil and cucumber mocktail is fancy enough for the Queen, but perfect for an average Thursday happy hour. Cheers!

Ingredients

• 3-4 cucumber wheels
• 1-2 fresh basil leaves
• 2 ounces nonalcoholic gin
• 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 ounce simple syrup
• Ice
• Tonic water to top off
• Basil sprig and cucumber slice for garnish

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the cucumber wheels with simple syrup.
2. Add ice, basil leaves, gin, and lime juice.
3. Shake to chill.
4. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
5. Top off with tonic water.
6. Garnish with a basil sprig and cucumber slice.

PG-13 Dirty Shirley

A little more than the average Shirley Temple kiddie cocktail but not so bold as to be boozy, this PG-13 version is the adult dream as a fancy mocktail.

Ingredients

• ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• ¾ ounce grenadine
• ⅛ teaspoon red petal dust
• Ice
• Ginger ale to top off
• Cherry for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Chill a martini glass or coupe.
2. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, lime juice, grenadine, and red petal dust.
3. Shake to chill.
4. Strain into the chilled glass.
5. Top off with ginger ale.
6. Garnish with a cherry.

Cinderella's Castle Mocktail

Fancier than Cinderella herself, this mocktail pairs well with castles, royalty, and talking animals.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces nonalcoholic tequila or rum, optional
• 3 ounces pineapple juice
• 2 ounces cranberry juice
• ¾ ounce grenadine
• ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• Ice
• Pineapple wedge and flower for garnish

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, grenadine, and lime juice.
2. Shake to chill.
3. Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and an edible flower.

Fancy Floral Pegu Club Mocktail

Make this with or without the nonalcoholic gin; pop in a splash of rosemary simple syrup in its place and top off with tonic water to make a fancy and floral mocktail.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces nonalcoholic gin
• ¾ ounce nonalcoholic orange liqueur
• ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• ½ ounce honey syrup
• Ice
• Daisy for garnish

Instructions

1. Chill a coupe or Nick and Nora glass.
2. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, nonalcoholic gin, orange liqueur, lime juice, and honey syrup.
3. Shake to chill.
4. Strain into the chilled glass.
5. Garish with a daisy, anchoring to glass with a small cocktail clip.

Fancy Fauxjito Mojito Mocktail

A pinch of edible glitter will give the already regal virgin mojito a sparkling makeover. #GlitterLife

Ingredients

• 3-5 fresh mint leaves
• 2 ounces nonalcoholic silver rum
• 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• ½ ounce simple syrup
• 1 pinch silver edible glitter
• 1 pinch green edible glitter
• 1 lime wedge
• Crushed ice
• Club soda to top off
• Mint sprig, lime wheel, and powdered sugar for garnish

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, muddle mint leaves with simple syrup.
2. Add crushed ice, silver rum, lime juice, simple syrup, glitter, and lime wedge.
3. Shake to chill.
4. Pour, do not strain, into a highball glass.
5. Top off with club soda.
6. Garnish with a mint sprig and lime wheel, sprinkling just a pinch of powdered sugar on top.

Elderflower Collins Mocktail

There's some leg work, shopping, and planning involved with this simple-at-first-glance Collins mocktail. Unless you're a pro at spotting and harvesting wild elderflower buds to make your own elderflower simple syrup, store-bought is just fine. Ina Garten says so.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces nonalcoholic gin, optional
• 1½ ounces elderflower syrup
• 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2-3 dashes orange bitters
• Ice
• Club soda to top off
• Two cherries for garnish

Instructions

1. In a Collins or highball glass, add ice, nonalcoholic gin, elderflower syrup, lemon juice, and orange bitters.
2. Top off with club soda.
3. Garnish with two cherries, pierced with a cocktail skewer.

Ways to Add Fancy to Your Mocktail

There are all sorts of ways you can make your mocktail super fancy and camera ready.

• Whip up some meringue (whip egg whites with a touch of sugar until stiff) and float it on top of your drink. Lightly brown the meringue with a kitchen torch and sprinkle with glitter, flower petals, or finely grated citrus zest.
• Get some food-grade dried edible flowers such as violets, lavender, and hibiscus. Use whole flowers as garnish, or you can sprinkle an egg white foamed top (see tip above) with them.
• Use fancy, reusable cocktail skewers to hold your garnishes.
• Clip a dried citrus wheel to the rim with a cute, tiny clothespin.
• Use a rosemary sprig as a skewer for fruits or other garnishes.
• Finish with a sprinkle of edible glitter.
• Stir in petal dust.
• Rim the glass with sprinkles, colorful sugars, cookie crumbs, or other edible goodies that look and taste good.

Fun and Fancy Nonalcoholic Mocktails

Take a dive into the finer, fancy life without the booze. Glitter, fresh garnishes, and rich ingredients flip the script on everyday mocktails to those that are notable. And for sure envy-worthy. Don't forget, the camera drinks first.