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Five alcohol-free cocktail recipes from top London bars

Some of London’s finest bars are pouring, shaking and stirring creative alcohol-free cocktails for Dry January and beyond – we asked five of our favourites to share their recipes

Words by Louella Berryman

low and no alcohol cocktails

Whether you’re taking part in Dry January, acting on New Year’s resolutions or simply fancy a change of drink, going booze-free at a cocktail party needn’t be boring with the right alcohol-free cocktail recipes to hand. The discerning teetotaller might have already tried the new wave of low and no alcohol spirits with a touch of tonic or a splash of soda, but the world of sophisticated alcohol-free cocktails is often unexplored territory.

With more and more top bars including inventive low and no cocktails on their permanent menus, there’s plenty of choice for those on the lookout for low-ABV drinks. Join these bars by getting creative at home and combining cordials and tea infusions, or choose low and no alcohol spirit alternatives with traditional cocktail ingredients for a simpler drink.

There’s nothing ‘mock’ about this new scene of grown-up alcohol-free cocktails. Here’s how to get involved at home – or alternatively, you can pay each of the below bars a visit and enjoy these drinks at their very best.

Five London bars share their alcohol-free cocktail recipes

swift low and no alcohol cocktail

Swift’s Tempest

  • 100ml Real Darjeeling kombucha
  • 10ml elderflower cordial
  • 10ml lemon sherbet (see ingredients below)
  • 10ml honey mixed with 5ml water
  • 2 dashes lemon bitters
  • 1 dash celery bitters
  • Ice cubes
  • Grapefruit peel, to garnish
  1. Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker or beaker along with a handful of ice cubes. Stir until the mixture is completely cold.
  2. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a grapefruit peel twist.

For the lemon sherbet

  1. Peel two lemons, then rub the peels in 100g dry sugar and leave for 30 minutes.
  2. Add 100ml lemon juice, stir to dissolve, then strain. (The liquid is the sherbet.)

Find out how to visit Swift here.

claridges low and no cocktail

Claridge’s Beetroot Lassi

  • 75ml pink grapefruit juice
  • 30ml Greek yogurt
  • 10ml lime juice
  • 10ml agave syrup
  • Crushed ice
  • 10ml beetroot juice
  • Grated lime zest, to garnish
  1. In a cocktail shaker, shake all the ingredients, except the beetroot juice, with ice cubes, then fine strain into a chilled highball over crushed ice.
  2. Float the beetroot juice on top, add more crushed ice and then garnish with grated lime zest.

Find the The Claridge’s The Cocktail Book here. Find out how to visit Claridge’s hotel’s bars here.

three sheets low and no cocktail

Three Sheet’s Apple Soda

  • 30ml Bramley apple cordial (see ingredients below)
  • 5ml verjus
  • 2.5ml apple cider vinegar
  • Ice cubes
  • Soda water, to top
  • Orange slice, to garnish (optional)
  1. Add all ingredients except the soda water to a highball and fill the glass with ice.
  2. Stir to combine and chill ingredients, add more ice to fill the glass and top with the soda water.
  3. Stir the drink to combine the ingredients thoroughly, then garnish with an orange slice, if using.

For the Bramley apple cordial:

  • 1 bottle Duskins Bramley Apple Juice (1 litre of juice)
  • 500g caster sugar
  1. Strain the apple juice through a coffee filter or a J-cloth.
  2. Once strained, add the caster sugar and stir until all sugar has dissolved.
  3. Decant back into the empty juice bottle. (Keep for up to one month.)

Find out how to visit Three Sheets here.

dishoom low and no cocktail

Dishoom’s No Permit Collins

  • 100ml non-alc lager
  • 30ml lapsang & green tea
  • 20ml lemon juice
  • 20ml maple syrup
  • Ice cubes
  • Lemon wedge, to garnish
  1. Mix all ingredients together in a highball glass with ice and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Find out how to visit Dishoom’s Permit Room bar here.

connaught bar low and no cocktail

The Connaught Bar’s Wine for Soul

  • 100ml bergamot and cocoa tea
  • 45ml Martini Vibrante
  • 30ml Three Spirits
  • 20ml soda water
  • 15ml black cardamom syrup
  • Angel Hair chilli, to garnish
  1. Stir all the ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice
  2. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice cubes, and garnish with Angel Hair chilli.

Find out how to visit The Connaught Bar here.