Make mine a mocktail!

Ditching alcohol for Dry January? Going sans spirits doesn’t have to be boring as area restaurants zero in on zero-proof cocktails.

Ditched alcohol for Dry January (or altogether)? Take heart, teetotalers! Going sans spirits doesn’t have to be boring as area restaurants zero in on zero-proof cocktails.

“We’re getting a lot of people who are saying, ‘I don’t want liquor, but I want something nicer than a soda or iced tea,’” explained Jeff Thistle, general manager of ChopHouse Grille in Exton. “They want to feel like they’re consuming a cocktail.”

His solution: handcrafted seltzers with house-made syrups and juices.

“The flavors are fresh and bright,” Thistle added. “I like the fact that we can change them seasonally as the fruit comes in.”

Same goes for White Dog Cafe in Wayne, Haverford and University City.

“A lot of the inspiration comes from the regular cocktail menu,” said Len Boris, beverage director for Fearless Restaurants. “The Easy Street is one of my favorites. It’s very simple.”

Blood orange juice and lemonade create “citrus on top of citrus,” while the Temple Tea “has a Shirley Temple reference.”

Wayne’s Autograph Brasserie mixes mocktails too. And so does Boardroom Spirits in Lansdale, giving nondrinkers the same “elevated in-house experience.”

“Just having the option and the availability is nice,” described Boardroom’s Marat Mamedov, who offers “the flavor, the glassware, the garnish – all of the fun stuff that comes with having a cocktail.”

Putting the ‘mingle’ in mocktails

Restaurants aren’t the only places pumping up the volume on virtuous nonalcoholic drinks. Also making a splash: bottled Mingle Mocktails, the brainchild of Berwyn’s Laura Taylor, aka Chief Mingle Officer.

“This is my fun and fancy drink that makes me feel like I’m having something as special as the dinner I’m eating,” she said. “More than 30 percent of Americans don’t drink. And it is an underserved market.”

Find her creative combos like Blackberry Hibiscus Bellini and Cranberry Cosmo at 800-plus stores (and counting).

“I have a sentimental connection to the Cranberry Cosmo because it’s the first mocktail I created in my kitchen with my daughter,” Taylor recalled. “It tugs at my heartstrings, but otherwise I love them all.”

Lavender Grapefruit Seltzer INGREDIENTS

1⁄2 ounce fresh lemon juice 2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice Lavender syrup (see below) Seltzer

Lavender syrup:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lavender blossoms

INSTRUCTIONS

Recipe courtesy of ChopHouse Grille

Easy Street INGREDIENTS

1 ounce blood orange juice 2 ounces lemonade

INSTRUCTIONS

Stir, top with soda and serve in a mason jar. Garnish with an orange wedge.

Recipe courtesy of White Dog Cafe

Temple Tea INGREDIENTS

4 1⁄2 ounces iced tea 3⁄4 ounce lime juice 1⁄2 ounce five spice grenadine 1⁄2 ounce honey simple syrup

INSTRUCTIONS

Stir together and serve in a mason jar. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Recipe courtesy of White Dog Cafe

Brand New Life INGREDIENTS

2 ounces lemonade 2 ounces apple cider 1⁄4 ounce cinnamon honey syrup 1⁄4 ounce lemon juice Ginger beer

INSTRUCTIONS

Add first four ingredients to a mason jar. Add ice, stir. Top with a splash of ginger beer and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Recipe courtesy of White Dog Cafe

Pear Palmer INGREDIENTS

3 ounces iced tea 1 ounce lemonade 3⁄4 ounce pear nectar 3⁄4 ounce maple syrup 1⁄4 ounce lemon juice Dash saline solution

INSTRUCTIONS

Add ice to a soda glass and then add lemonade, pear nectar, maple syrup, lemon juice and saline. Shake, top with iced tea and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Recipe courtesy of White Dog Cafe

Juicy Berry Boi

INGREDIENTS 1 OUNCE BLACKBERRY SHRUB (SEE BELOW) 1⁄2 ounce lemon juice Club soda Blackberry shrub:

2 3⁄4 cups blackberries 3 cups water

1 1⁄2 cups white sugar 3⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

Shrub: Add blackberries, water and sugar to a medium saucepan and cook on low until the berries are soft (10 to 15 minutes). Stir occasionally, slightly mashing the berries each time you stir. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh basket strainer then return to the saucepan. Discard solids. Add balsamic vinegar. Increase the heat to medium-low and bring the mixture to a low boil. Take off of the heat after it reaches a low boil and let it cool. The shrub should be cold before using it.

Mocktail: Mix blackberry shrub. Add to a collins glass over ice and top off with club soda.

Recipe courtesy of Boardroom Spirits

“We’re getting a lot of people who are saying, ‘I don’t want liquor, but I want something nicer than a soda or iced tea. They want to feel like they’re consuming a cocktail.”

— Jeff Thistle, general manager of ChopHouse Grille in Exton

-PHOTO COURTESY OF PAU HANA PRODUCTIONS FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP Mingle Mocktails: “Making drinking occasions fun for everyone!”

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHOPHOUSE GRILLE - FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP ChopHouse Grille’s six nonalcoholic seltzers include Tuscan Frizzante and Lavender Grapefruit.

PHOTO BY EMILY RYAN - FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP This Dry January coincides with the 100th anniversary of Prohibition, which started in January 1920.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WHITE DOG CAFE - FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP At White Dog Cafe, try this blood orange lemonade dubbed Easy Street.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LAURA TAYLOR - FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP Laura Taylor calls her line of bottled mocktails “a realty fun, festive and healthy option.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF BOARDROOM SPIRITS FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP Boardroom Spirits’ Juicy Berry Boi features house-made blackberry shrub.