• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Mitten Girl
  • Cocktails
    • Cocktail Syrups
    • Stock Your Bar
  • Recipes
  • My Book
  • Work with Me
    • Portfolio
    • About
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Cocktail Recipes
  • Recipes
  • My Book
  • Work with Me
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recent Posts » Holidays

    How to Set Up a DIY Cocktail and Mocktail Bar Your Guest Will Love

    Published: Nov 9, 2021 · Updated: Dec 6, 2021 by Katy McAvoy

    I love when you share my recipes!

    • 78

    Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I make a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my business!


    Creating a cocktail and mocktail bar for your guests is a delicious way for them to craft the exact drink they want while you enjoy hosting and not bartending.  

    DIY Cocktail and Mocktail Bar

    Whether you’re celebrating the holidays, a birthday, or just the weekend, it’s so much fun to host friends and family. But spending the night pouring drinks and making sure everyone’s sipping something delicious is decidedly less fun. 

    Setting up a cocktail and mocktail bar provides your guests with (1) something to do, (2) something to talk about, and (3) a way to pour exactly what they want to sip. It’s also a share-worthy activity, so if your party has a hashtag, it should have a DIY cocktail and mocktail bar!

    There’s often a stigma around not drinking alcohol - especially if most guests are imbibing. Letting everyone craft their own drink at a well-built cocktail and mocktail bar allows those not having alcohol to simply leave out the liquor and enjoy a delicious drink. 

    Buy Homemade Happy Hour

    What You Need To Set Up A Mocktail/Cocktail Bar

    Lots and lots of ice. Super serious about the ice. Don't skimp on the ice!

    Drink Syrups

    • Brown sugar syrup
    • Honey syrup
    • Berry Syrup 
    • Apple Cider Syrup
    • Cranberry Orange Syrup
    Drink syrups and mixers

    Mixer Options

    • Club soda or sparkling water
    • Tonic Waters - Plain and/or flavored
    • Ginger beer or ginger ale
    • Lemon lime soda
    • Cranberry juice
    • Grapefruit Juice (fresh squeezed if possible)
    • Orange Juice (fresh squeezed)
    • Lemon Juice (fresh squeezed)
    • Lime Juice (fresh squeezed)

    Fresh Produce

    • Mint
    • Rosemary
    • Citrus wedges (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit)
    • Berries (blueberries, sliced strawberries, blackberries)
    Fresh ingredients for your cocktail and mocktail bar

    Liquors 

    • Vodka 
    • Gin 
    • Bourbon or whiskey
    • Brut champagne or prosecco
    • White rum or silver tequila
    Vodka being poured into a glass from a jigger

    Tools

    • Variety of glassware
    • Jiggers an/or shot glasses
    • Straws and/or stir sticks 
    • Cocktail napkins 
    Glassware for a cocktail and mocktail bar

    Drink Recipes  

    • Honey syrup + club soda + fresh orange + mint (add gin)
    • Brown sugar syrup + fresh lemon + ginger ale + mint (add bourbon)
    • Cranberry juice + ginger ale + fresh lime (add vodka)
    • Apple cider syrup + fresh orange + club soda (or prosecco)
    Get my Drink Menu Template in Canva
    Holiday Cocktail and Mocktail Bar Menu

    How to Set Up Your Cocktail and Mocktail Bar

    Give yourself as much room as possible, and set up your cocktail and mocktail bar as if it was a buffet of food. Glasses and ice go first, followed by syrups, mixers and liquor. Follow that with fresh herbs and sliced citrus

    Don’t have a lot of space? Size-down your offerings to fit! You don’t need dozens of items if you don’t have the space. Stock large bottles of tonic, club soda, ginger beer, and drink syrups so you only need to set out one bottle at a time. 

    Try These Cocktail and Mocktail Recipes 

    Apple French 75
    Apple French 75
    Adding cranberries to a Cranberry Orange Mocktail
    Fizzy Cranberry Orange Mocktail
    Bee's Knees
    Bee's Knees Cocktail
    Blueberry Mojitos
    Blueberry Mojitos (+ mocktail option)

    Tips on Creating your Cocktail and Mocktail Bar

    Be careful not to go overboard.

    You do not need to offer all of the alcohol or all of the options that you own. Stick to a small number of easily recognizable liquors, a few drink syrups, some mixers, and a small variety of fresh ingredients. Just make sure they all go well together. 

    Pay attention to mocktails.

    Everyone deserves a delicious drink, so don’t leave your guests who don’t drink alcohol with the options of water or soda pop. Set up your cocktail and mocktail bar to give ALL of your guests  - whether they’re drinking alcohol or not - a variety of drink options. Flavored tonic waters, sparkling water, flavored syrups, fresh herbs, and slices of citrus fruits are all delicious ingredients in any kind of drink. 

    Provide drink suggestions. 

    Print up a short menu that guides your guests through creating a few different cocktails and mocktails. The easiest way is to have mocktail recipes that can easily have a small amount of alcohol added to them if guests desire. >Download my Canva Drink Menu Template

    Pay attention to ice

    Ice is a critical component to any drink. Set out a large ice bucket with tongs next to the glasses and keep it full all night. You can slowly run out of a lot of ingredients throughout the night (Really! It’s OK!), but ice is not one of them!

    Set out a variety of glassware.

    Providing different styles of glasses - highball glasses, rocks glasses, champagne flutes, wine glasses - lets people choose what they want to sip out of, making drink creation even more creative. And don’t worry if you don’t own lots of specialty glassware. You probably have some kind of tall drinking glasses and short juice glasses in the cupboard. Those work great in place of highball and rocks glasses. 

    Chill your mixers. 

    Whatever mixers you choose to set out, make sure they’re cold before you serve them. Ice and cold mixers should be the very last items you set out before guests arrive. Set out your glassware, liquors, and (covered) sliced citrus ahead of time, but save your well-chilled mixers and ice until the last minute. 

    Buy Homemade Happy Hour

    The entire goal of a DIY Cocktail and mocktail bar is to HAVE FUN! This shouldn’t be stressful and should be something you enjoy building and your guests enjoy using. 

    Pouring a drink
    « Cranberry Orange Simple Syrup for Cocktails and Mocktails
    Prickly Pear Cinnamon Gin Cocktail is Perfect for Fall »

    I love when you share my recipes!

    • 78

    About Katy McAvoy

    Katy is the author, photographer, home cook, mixologist, and Michigander behind MittenGirl.com. Since 2017, she's been crafting easy-to-make cocktails and delicious meals, along with sharing her love of all things Michigan (a.k.a. The Mitten)!

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    Katy McAvoy

    Hi! I’m Katy. I’m an author, photographer, home cook, mixologist, Michigander, and lover of all things food and drink. I never turn down a good happy hour and believe that a couple hours of meal prep pays off for daaaaays. Follow me on Instagram to check out what I’m working on next!

    More about me →

    Search

    Buy Homemade Happy Hour, a Cocktail Book

    Weekly Newsletter

    Join my email list and get 5 CLASSIC COCKTAIL RECIPES sent to you immediately!

    Subscribers receive a new and delicious recipe in their inbox each week.

    Most Searched Recipes

    • Mocktails for Kids are Fun, Easy, and Festive
    • Easy, Creamy Bean Dip (No Cream Cheese)
    • Lavender Bee’s Knees Gin Cocktail (Video)
    • Easy and Delicious Mocktail Recipes for Non-Alcoholic Cocktails
    • How to Set Up a DIY Cocktail and Mocktail Bar Your Guest Will Love
    • Chocolate and Peanut Butter Whiskey Cocktail
    • Easy Tomato Rice and Beans
    • Refreshing Grapefruit and Elderflower Gin Cocktail
    • Strawberry Pineapple Martini with Vanilla Vodka (Video)
    • Grapefruit Tequila - DIY Infused Liquor

    Footer

    Connect with Me

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Copyright © 2022 · Mitten Girl LLC || Privacy Policy || Disclaimer || Terms & Conditions