Best Places for Mocktails in Orange County
Whether you're abstaining from alcohol due to pregnancy, to be a great designated driver for your friends or simply because you don't like the taste of liquor, mocktails can be the perfect substitute for fruity summer cocktails. While any drink can be made into a mocktail by leaving the alcohol out, these Orange County restaurants have unique, custom-crafted mocktails available right on their menus.
Stonehill Tavern
1 Monarch Beach Resort North
Dana Point, CA 92629
(949) 234-3200
www.michaelmina.net
Located within the Monarch Beach Resort, Stonehill Tavern is known for its use of seasonal ingredients and luxurious twists on favorite American dishes. The same can be said for their cocktails, which blend classic and modern flavors and techniques. They are crafted exclusively with locally grown produce and hand-squeezed fruit juices. Their menu features two mocktails, which they call "0° Cocktails". The first, called Life of Eloise, consists of muddled strawberries, mint leaves, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and soda. The second is called Clockwork Orange and it is made with orange and lemon juices, simply syrup and a touch of cream. Each of these mocktails runs for nine dollars.
P.F. Chang's
514 Spectrum Center Drive
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 453-1211
www.pfchangs.com
This Chinese food chain was founded by two restaurateurs, inspired by one of their mother's traditional recipes used in her own restaurant. Although they have expanded tremendously, they continue to make their food from by hand from scratch. The same passion is put into their mocktails, of which the menu has three. The first—Ginger Beer—sounds alcoholic, but doesn't actually contain any beer. This house-made mocktail is created with fresh ginger and lemon juice and mixed with pure cane sugar. For a refreshing drink, try the Strawberry Cucumber Limeade, a blend of muddled strawberries and cucumbers with fresh lime juice. They also offer the Chang's Coconut Cooler, which consists of coconut milk, coconut water and pure cane sugar.
Duke's Huntington Beach
317 Pacific Coast Highway
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
(714) 374-6446
www.dukeshuntington.com
Named for Duke Kahanamoku—the Hawaiian Olympic swimmer who introduced the sport of surfing to California in 1925—Duke's Huntington Beach is an embodiment of Surf City U.S.A.'s beachy lifestyle. Whether you plan to eat something from their fish-filled menu or not, grab drinks from the restaurant's Barefoot Bar. Their mocktails, listed on the menu as Virgin Tropical Drinks, adds to that lifestyle even more. While they offer Bundaberg ginger beer and guava soda, they have two offer alcohol-free drinks that are perfect for sipping. The Volcano is made with blended coconut and strawberry, similar to a Lava Flow. They also offer the Tropical Smoothie, which contains a blend of strawberry, banana and passion fruit juice.
BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse
600 Brea Mall Drive
Brea, CA 92821
(714) 990-2095
www.bjsrestaurants.com
Known for their pizzas, brews and famous Pizookies, BJ's is also a great place for refreshing cocktails full of flavorful ingredients and innovative flavors. Their Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade is always a favorite. It is comprised of Monin raspberry syrup, Sierra Mist and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Another mocktail, the Berry Sweet Limeade, blends Sierra Mist and lime juice with Monin pomegranate syrup. Monin Blackberry and Monin White Peach are blended with iced tea to create the Peachberry Iced Tea. They also offer an Orange Twist, made up of Monin White Peach and Monin Blood Orange, cranberry juice, lime and orange cream soda. For a blended drink, try the Virgin Strawberry Splash—it's basically a pina colada mixed with strawberry puree. Yum!
Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar
1150 Magic Way
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 781-3463
www.disneyland.com
As part of the Disneyland property, it's no wonder that this bar has some stellar mocktails. Located inside the Disneyland Hotel, Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar is inspired by the theme park's Jungle Cruise ride. This tropical tiki bar is home to colorful cocktails, flickering torches and Polynesian décor. They offer three different mocktails, listed on the menu as Sam's No-Booze Brews. The Schweitzer Falls is made with a blend of juices and sprite mixed with Sam's Gorilla Grog, which is a mixture itself. It contains passion fruit, guava, pineapple, orange and lemon juices mixed with spices and clove-esque syrup. Their Polynesian Punch is a blend of the Gorilla Grog and hibiscus grenadine. The third drink, the Skipper Sipper, blends tropical juices with agave nectar as well as mint, lime juice, soda water and falernum.
Babette's
7962 East Coast Highway
Newport Coast, CA 92657
(949) 715-9915
www.babettesnewportbeach.com
Though they sell food as well, Babette's has its own juice bar where they offer a variety of juices and smoothies. Juice bars are the perfect solution for those looking for mocktails because they have plenty of delicious, fresh ingredients and often allow you to customize your order. This year, they introduced their new raw, cold-pressed juice cocktails, which can easily be crafted into mocktails. Make sure to just get them without the vodka, rum or tequila. There are four of these refreshing mocktails, all made with raw fruits and vegetables. The Green Machine features kale, cucumber, celery and lime. The Pineapple Express consists of pineapple, lime and cilantro. The last two are 24 Karats—a blend of carrot, lime and ginger—and Just Beet It, which is filled with beet, lime and Serrano pepper.
Nekter
3505 East Chapman Avenue
Orange, CA 92869
(657) 217-3048
www.nekterjuicebar.com
Sold exclusively at Nekter stores and on the Nekter website, Nekter on the Rocks is a line of cocktail mixers that have everything within except the alcohol. Therefore, they're the easiest way to make mocktails at home. All you have to do is pour. There are three different flavors available. New this summer, the Summer Squeeze is a blend of pineapple, orange, raspberry and lemon. Add some soda water and mint to make a tropical virgin mojito. The Beach Berries and Arizona Sunset mixers are back as well. Beach Berries is filled with strawberry and blackberry juices, agave, basil and lemon—perfect for sangria. Arizona Sunset can be made into a tasty martini, comprised of grapefruit, blood orange, peach and agave nectar. Nekter on the Rocks is great for groups. Add alcohol to some and leave the others as they are to create a mixture of cocktails and mocktails to please everyone.