When we see Margarita, Cosmopolitan, Martini or similar alcoholic drinks in a menu, we know those are cocktails. But what about mocktails?
Well, as the name suggests "mock" refers to fake and in this sense it indicates a fake cocktail aka mocktail.
But why create a fake version of cocktails?
This is because mocktails are far more visually and aesthetically appealing drinks than the usual soft drinks. Just because someone opts to go alcohol-free doesn't mean that they want anything less fancy or boring.
Cocktails are a mixture of several drinks with one of them consisting of an alcoholic drink. A standard cocktail is known to contain a spirit, sugary drink and a sour or bitter drink. These can include juices, syrups, fruits, herbs and so on.
Due to the significant portion of alcohol, cocktails are usually sour or bitter-tasting. It also follows a certain method of preparation as different components have to be mixed in the right proportions.
Price-wise, the addition of alcohol makes it more expensive than mocktails.
On the other hand, mocktails are a combination of drinks without the alcohol element. So a mocktail is a combination of fruit juices, syrups, cream, herbs and spices. Alternatively, it is also possible to replace the alcohol in a cocktail recipe with an unsweetened seltzer of your choosing.
Mocktails are generally sweet, making them appealing to most people and easily enjoyed by people of all ages. They are festive, non-alcoholic party drinks for instances where alcohol has to be omitted for various reasons.
Without alcohol, mocktails are inexpensive.
Some of the popular mocktails are Shirley temple, Italian cream soda, virgin colada, to name a few.
Presentation-wsie, cocktails and mocktails are simillar. Despite the absence of alcohol, mocktails are a means of providing the cocktail experience to those who can’t or choose not to drink.
These days, more and more establishments are looking for other, better names to refer to mocktails. The first syllable of mocktail has always been a sort of a mockery, connotating it status as something less than, an imitation of its alcohol conterpart.
