So I don’t drink alcohol – never have and never will. But I really like a good mocktail or speciality non-alcoholic drink. I order them everywhere I go and my husband even knows to look at the menu for a tasty drinks if he gets there before I do. You could say I’m a mocktail aficionado or just a sucker for a good drink that’s something other than lemonade (unless it’s this creamy lemonade or strawberry lemonade) or fruit punch. I pretty much drank all of the speciality drinks in Disneyland (and there a lot) doing research for my best Disneyland food post! I’ve tried a lot of mocktails in the past ten years including some of the best I’ve ever had in Phoenix. In fact, drinking mocktails even made my top things to do in Phoenix list! I also love re-creating the mocktails I try at home. And I love serving a good fancy drink at all of my parties, especially if the party is happening on a hot day!
Why You’ll Love This Mocktail
This strawberry mocktail recipe was originally created as part of the Clinton Kelly Make Over Your Margarita challenge! I was asked by Clinton Kelly’s team to make a margarita and since I don’t drink alcohol, I made one of my favorite mocktail recipes to resemble a strawberry margarita mocktail instead!
Sweet flavor – This mocktail recipe uses two of my favorite summer fruits together – strawberry and citrus! The combination of the two makes for a nice sweet (but not too sweet) flavor. Strawberry puree – rather than just using a strawberry soda or strawberry juice as the base, this recipes uses both a strawberry simple syrup and the leftover “strawberry puree” to add strong strawberry flavor. Strawberry limeade alternative – if you want something with similar citrus strawberry flavors that you’ll find in a strawberry limeade without the actual limeade, this is a great alternative! You could even serve this alongside a homemade limeade – they’re different enough that no one will care!
Strawberry Citrus Mocktail Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Strawberries – I recommend using fresh strawberries but if you only have frozen, you can thaw and drain them so the additional liquid from thawing doesn’t dilute the drink. If you can get sweet strawberries, that’s even better! Limes – you’ll need lime juice (fresh is always best) as well as actual fresh limes to add lime slices as a garnish. Lemon-lime soda – I personally like to use Sprite but you could also use 7-Up or another lemon-lime soda if you want. This just gives the drink a bit more sweetness and also that bubbly flavor. Sugar – make sure you’re using just regular white granulated sugar so that it dissolves into the simple syrup correctly.
How to Make a Strawberry Mocktail
This citrus strawberry mocktail is absolutely perfect for the summer. It’s a little sweet, fruity, and 100% refreshing. I’ll definitely be making these at some of my upcoming outdoor parties as the perfect way to cool down on a hot summer day. They’d also be a great way to cool off at a baby shower after playing these hilarious baby shower games!
1 – make a strawberry simple syrup
I love starting things with a simple syrup – it’s such an easy way to infuse flavor and sweetness into a drink! And they’re so easy to make. Start by chopping up the majority of the strawberries into small pieces – you could also do this in the blender and just pulse a few times to get them chopped into small pieces. Just don’t run the blender too long because you still want pieces of strawberries, not strawberry juice! Mix sugar, water, and strawberries together in a pot and heat the pot over medium heat until it’s boiling. Mix the ingredients together while boiling until the sugar is completely dissolved. You can use your stirring utensil to smash the strawberries in, creating muddled strawberries. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, pour the mixture into a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and strain out the strawberry simple syrup. Keep the muddled strawberries for later! They’re one of the best ways to add extra flavor to this drink because they soak up the simple syrup and sugar! You can either keep the simple syrup in a bowl or put it in a jar if you’re not planning on using it all right now. Simple syrup of any kind actually stores really well in the refrigerator if you want to use it in an upcoming drink!
2 – Mix the Strawberry Mocktail
Combine one tablespoon of simple syrup (more if you like your drinks sweeter) with one cup lemon-lime soda, one teaspoon of lime juice, and one cup of the macerated strawberries. I like to do this in a cocktail shaker so I can really combine the flavors together. You can also muddle strawberries into the juice mixture more in a shaker jar than in a glass.
3 – Garnish the Glass
Garnish a glass with fresh fruit like lime slices and any remaining strawberries. Line the rim with lime sugar. Add a fun colorful straw. There are a ton of different ways to garnish a mocktail! The goal is to make it look as fun as you would if it were a good cocktail! I like to garnish the glass before adding the ice and actual citrus strawberry mixture so I’m not getting my hands all over the drink when I’m garnishing!
4 – Pour the Mocktail
Fill the garnished glass half full with ice cubes – pellet ice is my favorite but if you don’t have one of these nugget ice machines, regular ice works too! Pour the citrus strawberry mixture over the ice to finish the strawberry mocktail Top with a little bit of additional muddled strawberries to give the drink more color on top. Finish it off with any additional garnishes you’d like. Serve immediately or if not serving immediately, keep chilled until you’re ready to serve. Serve with fun straws or drink mixers so people can mix the strawberry puree and lime slices into the drink if they choose.
Expert Tips
Another few notes for making this one of the best mocktails you’ve ever tried! Add more of the simple syrup and macerated strawberries for a sweeter drink. I just prefer to stick with a little less in case people don’t want their drink quite as sweet. Make the simple syrup ahead of time and keep it in the fridge in an airtight container until you’re ready to pour the drinks. In fact, I recommend doubling the strawberry simple syrup anyway and using half of it in this strawberry mocktail and using the leftovers in this strawberry poke cake! Garnish the rim with lime sugar. Mix lime zest with sugar until you get a good consistency. I typically like to do the zest from one lime with a 1/4 cup of sugar. Wet the rim of the glass with a bit of water (or a little lime juice) then dip it firmly into the lime sugar. This should coat the outside of the rim, making for a really fun mocktail garnish and additional flavor! If you run out of limes, you could also do this with lemon zest, it just won’t be quite the same flavor.
More Fruity Drinks
Want to try some other delicious alcoholic drink recipes? These are some of our other favorites when you’re looking for the next recipe to try!
Homemade fruit punch – if you like fruit juices, this is the drink for you! Tons of delicious flavors combined to make one delicious drink! Blueberry lemonade recipe – try out this delicious flavored lemonade that combines lemon juice with blueberries for the perfect drink for the summer! Christmas punch – a non-alcoholic Christmas punch full of delicious fruit flavor that’s perfect for the holidays! Caramel apple drink – the ultimate fall combination in one yummy drink! Summer punch – a sweet and slightly tart drink that uses soda, raspberry sorbet, and limes for the perfect summer flavor!
