Non-Alcoholic Margarita Mocktail on the Rocks

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A mocktail margarita is a delicious non-alcoholic option for a hot day or any Taco Tuesday. We’re skipping the non-alcoholic margarita mix from the grocery store in favor of fresh fruit in this delicious virgin margarita.

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Ingredients
How to Make a Non Alcoholic Margarita
Recipe Tips
More Non Alcoholic Drink Recipes
FAQs and Substitutions
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Non-Alcoholic Margarita Mocktail Recipe

Alcoholic drinks are not always the best idea on hot summer days where it’s easy to sip too many of them while out in the sunshine. But I still want to sip a fun drink while poolside or sitting by the lake! This margarita recipe is the idea non-alcoholic substitute for the classic drink, using fresh ingredients found at your local grocery store.

The secret ingredient in this margarita mocktail recipe is orange blossom water which, when added with the fresh orange juice, does a great job of creating the orange liqueur or triple sec found in traditional margaritas.

When testing this recipe, a few ingredients found in a lot of mocktails were immediately scrapped - like club soda, tonic water, and lemon juice. Margaritas are never fizzy, so the club soda and tonic water didn’t make sense in the drink. And the lemon juice overpowered the fresh lime juice, giving the mocktail more of a lemonade taste than margarita.

I’m also skipping zero proof liquor, like Ritual tequila alternative, in the recipe because they tend to be very expensive and most people don’t have them on hand. If you do happen to have a zero proof tequila in your home bar, add 1.5 oz to this margarita recipe.

Ingredients

Limes
An orange
Simple syrup
Orange flower water
Coarse sea salt (for garnish)

How to Make a Non Alcoholic Margarita

Place salt in a shallow dish. Run a piece of lime around the rim of a rocks glass.

A hand running a lime slice around the rim of a rocks glass.

Dip the rim of your glass into the salt.

A hand dipping a rocks glass in course salt.

Fill the glass with ice. Set aside.

Add lime juice, orange juice, simple syrup, and orange flower water to a cocktail shaker that’s half filled with ice cubes.

Simple syrup being poured into a cocktail shaker.

Shake well.

Strain into your prepared rocks glass.

Margarita mocktail being poured into a rocks glass.

Garnish with a lime wheel or lime wedge.

Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

Make your simple syrup at least a few hours before you want to make your drink. Simple syrups last for at least a couple of weeks, so make some when you have a few minutes to spare and put it in the refrigerator to be ready whenever you want to mix up a drink.
If you really don’t want to squeeze fresh juices, be sure to buy quality bottled juice. The juices available in the refrigerated section of your store are more fresh tasting than those on the shelves. Look for phrases on the label like “100% juice” and “not from concentrate.”

More Non Alcoholic Drink Recipes

FAQs and Substitutions

Do I have to use fresh juice?

The most delicious drinks contain fresh squeezed juice, so for the best-tasting mocktail you should be using the real thing and juicing fresh limes and oranges. There is a short list of ingredients in this margarita mocktail. Don’t skip juicing the fruit.

Where do I buy simple syrup?

Make your own simple syrup! Combine equal parts hot water and sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, let the mixture cool, and voila! Simple syrup. Get complete instructions on my Simple Syrup for Drinks page.

Where can I find orange flower water?

You can buy a bottle or orange flower water online or find it in your local liquor store. It’s usually kept by the bitters. (The bottles look the same.) Even though it’s sold with cocktail ingredients, orange flower water is 100% alcohol free.

What can I use instead of simple syrup?

Agave syrup will work well in this drink if you don’t have simple syrup or aren’t consuming white sugar. Skip the maple syrup and honey - the flavors of those sweeteners will overpower the citrus juice.

Why aren’t you using a margarita glass?

I prefer my margaritas in rocks glasses because they’re easier for me to drink out of and I’m much less likely to spill them. If you’re more graceful than me, feel free to use stemmed margarita glass instead of a rocks glass for this mocktail.