Here Are The Best Mocktails We Made During Dry January

    Including a booze-free old fashioned and an IG-worthy 'gin' and tonic!

    by
    Amy Glover
    by Amy Glover

    BuzzFeed Staff

    ,
    Valeza Bakolli
    by Valeza Bakolli

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Hi! We're Amy and Valeza, and we've been trying out a *lot*of non-alcoholic alternatives this Dry January. That included trying some CleanCo booze-free spirits for cocktails – here are some of our fave recipes that we'll still be using way past January!

    three bottles on ice next to three completed cocktails
    Amy Glover / BuzzFeed

    Amy: For some context, I was looking for a *truly* convincing alternative to my usual faves – I really love my regular cocktails, so I was mostly after something that'd make me feel like I wasn't giving up too much throughout the month!

    Valeza: I don't drink very much unless it's a special occasion, so I'd say I've become somewhat of a mocktail connoisseur over the years. One thing that's always bugged me though is how inelegant some non-alcoholic drinks can be (yes, concoction of juices with a dash of red syrup, I'm looking at you!). So I was super excited to try out this stylish selection of alcohol-free spirits from CleanCo.

    Gin and tonic

    a bottle of clean g next to ingredients for a gin and tonic including a sliced lime some mint and a glass full of ice and tonic water
    Valeza Bakolli / Via BuzzFeed

    Recipe: We filled our glass with ice, added 60ml of Clean G 'gin', and topped up the rest with twice as much tonic. Then, for a garnish, we added a slice of lime and some fresh mint! 

    Here's what we thought:

    a g&T complete with ice mint a lime slice sitting on a chopping board and surrounded by lime and orange slices
    Amy Glover / BuzzFeed

    Amy: NGL, I was a little bit skeptical about this because 1) I love my booze and 2) I ESPECIALLY adore my G&Ts. I was surprised by how well this turned out, though – the gin genuinely smells more or less the same as my fave brand, and it wasn't too sickly sweet either! Oh, and obviously this is incredibly easy to make – the effort-to-payoff ratio was incredible.

    Valeza: Unlike Amy, G&Ts are probably my least favourite alcoholic drink as I find them too bitter, so I didn't really have high hopes for this mocktail. I was pleasantly surprised though! The more subtle taste of the 'gin' allows the botanical notes to really shine through and I could appreciate the crisp feel that makes the G&T so iconic.

    Winter gin and tonic

    a box filled with ingredients for a winter gin and tonic including an orange juniper sprigs a deep red cordial and a bottle of tonic water
    Valeza Bakolli / Via BuzzFeed

    Recipe: we added some ice to our glass again, chucked in 60ml of CleanG 'gin', and then popped in 10ml of (delicious-smelling) blackcurrant cordial before filling the rest of the glass with 90ml of tonic water. Then we added an orange slice, some juniper sprigs, and a dash of black pepper – trust us, it works!

    Here's what we thought:

    a winter gin and tonic complete with an orange slice and a hand pouring in some pepper from a satchet
    Valeza Bakolli / Via BuzzFeed

    Valeza: Now, I knew I'd like this faux G&T even more than the last, since it features the addition of a sweet cordial and orange slice! The black pepper and juniper garnishes really tied the whole drink together and made it feel more ~fancy~ to boot.

    Amy: The gin was just as great in this one as it was in the last, and I LOVED how IG-worthy the finish was. I genuinely think I'd order this in a bar to pace me out outside of dry January, and if there's a chance to replace my blood with that fruity cordial stuff, I'll 100% take it.

    Marmalade Rumfashioned

    a glass half filled with liquid and a teaspoon of marmalade ready to be stirred in
    Valeza Bakolli / Via BuzzFeed

    Recipe: We added some ice to a tumbler, put in 90ml of CleanCo's 'rum' (straight from the fridge), mixed it with a teaspoon of marmalade, threw in a couple of drops of Angostura bitters, and added a twist of orange peel and a stick of cinnamon.

    Here's what we thought:

    a completed marmalade rumfashioned in a short tumbler glass with ice and a cinnamon stick sitting in the drink
    Valeza Bakolli / Via BuzzFeed

    Valeza: Whenever I do have a drink, rum-based cocktails are usually my go-to, and I cannot express to you how much CleanR smells like the real deal! I loved how luxe this mocktail felt to drink. The marmalade and 'rum' provided a sweet and smooth base while the dash of bitters added a gentle hum in the background – delicious.

    Amy: There is literally no time at which I do not want to drink this. It was rich, fruity, and spicy, and the CleanR smells exactly like rum! I loved how impressive the prep was too despite being really easy – I'm *definitely* going to be trying that orange trick on my cocktails from now on.

    Lynd martini

    a completed martini in a tall martini glass with three slices of apple sitting on top
    Valeza Bakolli / Via BuzzFeed

    Recipe: we used 60ml of CleanV, 40ml of CleanG, 40ml of sweet Vermouth, and 30ml of fridge-cold apple juice. Then we thinly sliced an apple for a garnish!

    Here's what we thought:

    the four completed cocktails sitting on a table top with a hand reaching out to grab the lynd martini
    Amy Glover / BuzzFeed

    Amy: Okay, so technically this one was a mixed drink instead of strictly non-alcohol, but it tasted *way* more convincingly boozy than it actually was. It's amazing, and the 'vodka' and 'gin' genuinely tricked me – I had to double-check the label to make sure it was genuinely alcohol-free. It was another simple one to prep too (how cute are those deceptively easy-to-chop apple slices?), and the balance of sweet-to-tangy was 10/10.

    Valeza: This was one of my favourite tipples to make (and drink!). Like Amy, I was super impressed with the flavour of the spirits. This cocktail took me on a sharp-yet-smooth journey – exactly what I'd expect from a classic martini.

    Final thoughts:

    the four completed cocktails sitting on a kitchen counter
    Valeza Bakolli / Via BuzzFeed

    Amy: I couldn't get over how much these spirits fooled me. They smelled and tasted the *exact* same as my usual faves, and I'm going to be using these mocktail recipes for the foreseeable!

    Valeza: Overall I'm a huge fan CleanCo's booze-free spirits and the endless elegant mocktails that can be made with them. I strongly believe that a drink doesn't have to contain alcohol to feel ~refined~ and these sophisticated 'spirits' prove that!

    You can find loads more cocktail recipes using their clean spirits right here!  

    Got any more delicious mocktail recipes? Share them in the comments below!