A night at a bar and a good drink go hand and hand. In my case this usually means paying for an overpriced soda with way too much ice. And while I order this with no shame, I do get jealous of the cool drinks my friends get to order. As an aesthetically driven person I love a herbal or fruit garnish. My go-to Sprite order only comes with a lemon wedge (sometimes)... which is just not as fun.
I turned going out into a little experiment by challenging bartenders to create a fun non-alcoholic drink. I'f they were willing I'd allow them to surprise me and hope they slide me something to rival the Moscow mules and margaritas my friends had the privilege of showing off.
Each night I went out I was met with a mix of results. Most of bartenders would welcome the challenge and quickly pull out the newest mixers the bar had just gotten in. But there were the were the bartenders didn't understand the request or were too green to be of any help. One issue I ran into (which you might if you attempt this) was that there was already alcohol added to their mixers. Thankfully I was able to come out of it with a few options for future sober nights out.
Virgin Mojito
This dink is nothing new under the sun but it is SO underrated. A lovely lady behind the bar at a show viewing suggested at the beginning of my journey and I found myself making it at home for a week straight. Just in case your bartender has been living under a rock her are ingredients for this classic:
Fresh Lime Juice
Honey Simple Syrup
Fresh mint leaves
Sparkling water
Berry Muddle
Berry Muddle isn't the actual name of this drink. One of the enthusiastic bartenders whose eyes lit up when I told him to surprise me came up with this tasty concoction. It's so simple yet so good! Ask for:
Soda water
Muddle berries
Simple syrup
Shirley Temple
Originally I didn't want to put this list because it's something I've ordering since I was a kid and I assumed everyone knew about Shirley Temples. But after several friends expressing curiosity over this classic drink I realized it may not be so common. So when it doubt order a good ole Shirley T and ask for a garnish or two on top of the cherries!
Grenadine
Ginger ale or lemon lime soda
Maraschino cherrie
HONORABLE MENTION
Topo Chico Lime Mineral Water w/ a Tajin Rim
Whatever you reason is for ordering a drink sans alcohol, you deserve something fun to look at and full of flavor. I encourage you to order one of these the next time your out or be a bit bolder and ask the person behind the bar to whip up something fun. Interacting with the bartender in a way they aren't expecting will start your night out in a fun way AND give you some gram worthy photos!
If you have any non-alcoholic drink suggestions please share them in the comments.
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