Old Fashioned Mocktail: A Short Tea and Orange Drink
An Old Fashioned mocktail needs an aromatic base and carefully controlled sweetness.
An Old Fashioned mocktail needs an aromatic base and carefully controlled sweetness. This version uses a non-alcoholic whiskey alternative with a little tea. Orange supplies aroma without requiring conventional alcoholic bitters.
The quantities make one serving. Measure the ingredients before mixing and chill any mixer. Syrups, juices and bottled alternatives vary in sweetness and acidity, so taste the base before topping up.
Ingredients for one serving
- 50 ml non-alcoholic whiskey alternative
- 20 ml strong cold black tea
- 5 ml simple syrup
- Large ice cube
- Orange peel
- Optional non-alcoholic bitters according to the label
Method
- Add the base, tea and syrup to a short glass.
- Add one large ice cube.
- Stir briefly and taste.
- Express orange peel over the drink and optionally add non-alcoholic bitters.
Getting the balance right
Every ingredient is noticeable in a short drink. A very sweet whiskey alternative may need no syrup. Tea adds structure but does not reproduce barrel ageing. Add bitters incrementally because concentrated flavouring products are not all dosed equally.
Variation and substitutions
Without a whiskey alternative, use 70 ml strong tea in total and a second thin orange twist. This creates a tea-led aperitif rather than an identical spirit replacement.
Preparing several servings
Measure juice, purée and syrup shortly before serving. Add ice and carbonated ingredients when you make the drink. To serve a group, multiply the quantities, but adjust one glass first before mixing the whole pitcher.
Common question
Can I use regular aromatic bitters?
Check their alcohol content. A drink assembled entirely from non-alcoholic ingredients needs an appropriately labelled alternative.
Related recipes
Find more ideas in our mocktail recipe guide . Compare this with Whiskey Sour Mocktail: Tea or Whiskey Alternative or browse the drink collection .