Mocktails vs. Cocktails

What words should we use to describe what we drink?

While some bristle at the word “mocktail,” we at Dry Atlas embrace it.

Today’s open-minded drinker can be confident in their choice to drink booze-free; they understand the word “mock” doesn’t have to mean inferior to an alcoholic drink. Indeed, we sometimes find mocktail to be a helpful, commonly-recognized shorthand for non-alcoholic cocktail, which has seven syllables and doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.

Also, like “sober curious,” mocktail is catchy. It’s futile to fight catchy.

Here are some definitions to help you navigate related terms:

Alcohol alternatives – sophisticated drinks for adult palates that don’t contain alcohol. Some alcohol alternatives are functional and/or psychoactive, and some are not.

Alcohol-free – Dry Atlas uses the American convention for alcohol-free, i.e,. containing less than 0.05% alcohol by volume. Every product on Dry Atlas is non-alcoholic (see below), but not every product on Dry Atlas is alcohol-free.

Booze-free – Since 2020, Spirited Away in New York has used and preferred the term booze-free as synonymous with non-alcoholic. While it lacks the precise regulatory definition that non-alcoholic has in many jurisdictions, booze-free is pithier and much more fun to say.

Cocktail – New Orleanians will tell you that the cocktail, invented there, is derived from the French word “coquetier,” meaning egg cup, the vessel in which the very first cocktails were served. Although the first cocktail, the sazerac, was and is alcoholic, alcohol is not necessarily fundamental to what makes a cocktail a cocktail. The word cocktail implies merely that the drink is made from a mixture of several ingredients. So technically both alc and non-alc mixed drinks fit definitionally into “cocktails.” That said, a long tradition of using alcoholic spirits to make cocktails leads us to typically differentiate between alcoholic cocktails and non-alcoholic cocktails, or mocktails.

Fun Little Beverage (FLB) – Most non-alc ready-to-drink cocktails can be FLBs, but not all FLBs are cocktails. See Treat Culture. We here at Dry Atlas drink a lot of FLBs that our site doesn’t catalog, such as Poppi, bubble tea, iced matcha, etc.

Modern, adult non-alc – The category that Dry Atlas covers can be described as modern, adult non-alc.

“Modern” differentiates our space from “first wave” non-alc, e.g. O’Douls. Nothing against O’Douls, but a greater focus on the craft of brewing and distilling has resulted in finer options for more discriminating palates.

Related to palates, “adult” differentiates the flavor profiles of the drinks on Dry Atlas from those enjoyed by children. Modern, adult non-alc drinks often feature more subtle nuances, less sweetness, more bitterness, umami, uncommon botanicals, smokiness, tannins, and/or terroir.

We also sometimes refer to these as “evening, social” beverages, as they tend to be consumed after hours and in social settings. There are many sophisticated sodas, wellness drinks, and sparkling waters on the market that are not included on Dry Atlas due to the “evening, social” distinction.

Non-alcoholic – Dry Atlas uses the American convention for non-alcoholic, i.e. containing less than 0.5% alcohol by volume. Every product on Dry Atlas is non-alcoholic, but not every product on Dry Atlas is alcohol-free (see above).

Unleaded – In Germany and elsewhere in Europe, it’s common to choose a cocktail, then to specify whether you want it leaded (with alcohol) or unleaded (without). This is an advanced approach.

The ideal way to make an unleaded cocktail (as is done in Germany) is to forgo the alcoholic ingredients and, crucially, to replace each one of them with a non-alcoholic alternative. If the cocktail called for a bitter Italian-style amaro, the non-alcoholic version might use Wilfred’s to the alcoholic version’s Campari, for example.

Unfortunately, the all-too-common way to make an unleaded cocktail is simply to forgo the alcoholic ingredients. You don’t have to be a mixologist to realize that a Dark & Stormy without the rum is just ginger beer with lime. 

The magic of the Dark & Stormy is the contrast of the dark rum’s caramel, vanilla, and spice notes with the ginger beer’s bite. Rum alternatives enable mixologists professional and amateur alike to keep that complexity in their unleaded variations.

Zero Proof – Like booze-free, zero proof is a non-technical term that doesn’t imply a precise ABV. That said, most use it to mean non-alcoholic and not necessarily alcohol-free. I’d be interested to hear what our friends at ZeroProofNation and The Zero Proof have to say here. 

Relatedly, Host by Tori appears to have been the first to coin the phrase “zero-proof forward,” which resonates nicely with our vibe here at Dry Atlas.