14 Low-Alcohol Cocktail Recipes With Less Booze & Big Flavor

Sometimes, you want a drink with dinner or to enjoy a midday drink. No judgment here - life's for living, but you don't want to go hard on the booze with a martini or something that's going to make you want to take a nap. There are plenty of low-alcohol cocktails with a low ABV, all with just a few modifications or a dedicated recipe. Now that's something to low-alcohol cheers to.

Low-ABV Kir Royale

The traditional kir royale is just crème de cassis and prosecco. However, to lighten that up a little bit more, we're going to use some club soda, too.

Ingredients

• ½ ounce crème de cassis
• 1 ounce club soda
• Prosecco to top off
• Raspberry for garnish

Instructions

1. Chill a Champagne flute.
2. In chilled glass, add crème de cassis and club soda.
3. Top off with prosecco.
4. Garnish with a raspberry.

Light Alcohol Adonis Cocktail

Compared to hard liquors, sherry and vermouth are both pretty low on the alcohol scale, and together, they make a surprisingly balanced cocktail that'll feel like you're being let in the on the best-kept cocktail secret.

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces fino sherry
• 1½ ounces sweet vermouth
• Ice
• Lemon or orange peel for garnish

Instructions

1. Chill a martini glass or coupe.
2. In a mixing glass, add ice, fino sherry, and sweet vermouth.
3. Stir rapidly to chill.
4. Strain into the chilled glass.
5. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Campari Spritz: A Bitter & Low-Alcohol Apéritif Cocktail

Don't confuse the Campari spritz with the Americano below. It's more like the Aperol spritz. In fact, it follows the same recipe!

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Campari
• 1 ounce club soda
• 3 ounces prosecco
• Ice
• Orange wheel for garnish

Instructions

1. In a wine glass, add ice, Campari, club soda, and prosecco.
2. Stir once to mix.
3. Garnish with an orange wheel.

Americano Cocktail

Take a Campari cocktail one step lighter by mixing it with just a splash of sweet vermouth and a heaping pour of club soda. If you're wrinkling your nose at the idea of such a bitter cocktail, you can use Suze and a dry vermouth instead.

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces Campari
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• Ice
• Club soda to top off
• Orange slice for garnish

Instructions

1. In a highball glass, add ice, Campari, and sweet vermouth.
2. Top off with club soda.
3. Stir once to mix.
4. Garnish with an orange slice.

Aperol Spritz: The Sweeter Low-Alcohol Apéritif Cocktail

The classic and beloved low-ABV cocktail, the one, the only: the Aperol spritz.

Ingredients

• 3 ounces prosecco
• 2 ounces Aperol
• 1 ounce club soda
• Ice
• Orange slice for garnish

Instructions

1. In a wine glass, add ice, prosecco, Aperol, and club soda.
2. Stir gently to mix.
3. Garnish with an orange slice.

Low-ABV Rebujito Cocktail

There's no rum, mint, lime juice, simple syrup, or club soda in this -jito cocktail, despite it sounding like a close cousin to the mojito. If you want something a little less sweet, use a half ounce each of lemon and lime juice, topping off with club soda. Of course, a small splash of simple syrup goes a long way, too.

Ingredients

• 3 ounces fino sherry
• Ice
• Lemon-lime soda to top off
• Mint sprig for garnish

Instructions

1. In a rocks or highball glass, add ice and fino sherry.
2. Top off with lemon-lime soda.
3. Stir to mix.
4. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Calimocho

A Spanish-style cocktail, also known as kalimotxo, couldn't be a simpler low-ABV drink. Don't furrow your eyebrows - the wine and cola combination might sound outlandish, but it is popular for a reason. Be a trailblazer among your friends.

Ingredients

• 3 ounces cola
• 3 ounces red wine
• Ice
• Lemon wedge for garnish

Instructions

1. In a rocks glass, add ice, cola, and red wine.
2. Stir to mix.
3. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Bamboo Cocktail

Another low-alcoholic cocktail that's a crafty combination of vermouth and sherry, but with a bitter punch. Think of it as a great substitute for your Manhattan or Toronto.

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces dry vermouth
• 1½ ounces dry sherry
• 1 dash orange bitters
• 1 dash aromatic bitters
• Ice
• Lemon peel for garnish

Instructions

1. Chill a martini glass or coupe.
2. In a mixing glass, add ice, dry vermouth, dry sherry, and bitters.
3. Stir rapidly to chill.
4. Strain into the chilled glass.
5. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Sherry Cobbler

While this doesn't taste exactly like a classic edible cobbler, it's a pretty great low-alcohol cocktail that's sweet and fruity.

Ingredients

• 3 ounces dry sherry, amontillado
• ¼ ounce simple syrup
• Crushed ice
• Mint sprig and dehydrated lime wheel for garnish

Instructions

1. Fill a highball or rocks glass with crushed ice.
2. Add dry sherry and simple syrup.
3. Garnish with a mint sprig and dehydrated lime wheel.

Light Alcohol Old-Fashioned

Is there a way to lighten up the old-fashioned so it isn't so boozy? Aw, yeah. We'll show you how.

Ingredients

• 1 ounce bourbon
• 1 ounce simple syrup
• 2-3 dashes orange bitters
• 1-2 dashes aromatic bitters
• 2 ounces club soda
• Ice
• Orange peel for garnish

Instructions

1. In a rocks glass, add ice, bourbon, simple syrup, bitters, and club soda.
2. Stir briefly to chill.
3. Garnish with an orange peel.

Low-ABV Mint Julep

Cut the boozy whiskey burn in the classic muddled mint julep with some extra mixer.

Ingredients

• 6-8 fresh mint leaves
• 1 ounce bourbon
• ½ ounce simple syrup
• Crushed ice
• Club soda to top off
• Mint sprig for garnish

Instructions

1. In a rocks glass or Julep cup, muddle the mint leaves with simple syrup.
2. Add crushed ice and bourbon.
3. Top off with club soda.
4. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Garibaldi

So you want a Campari-based low-alcohol cocktail, that'll boost your immune system with vitamin C? Your wish is granted. Now, what are your next two wishes?

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Campari
• Ice
• Orange juice to top off
• Orange wedge for garnish

Instructions

1. In a highball glass, add ice and Campari.
2. Top off with orange juice.
3. Garnish with an orange wedge.

Coronation Cocktail No. 1

You may think you've found all the combinations of vermouth and sherry that can exist, but this nearly century-old low-alcohol cocktail proves you wrong.

Ingredients

• 1¾ ounces dry vermouth
• ¾ ounce dry fino sherry
• ¼ ounce maraschino liqueur
• 2-3 dashes orange bitters
• Ice
• Lemon peel for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Chill a martini glass or coupe.
2. In a mixing glass, add ice, dry vermouth, dry sherry, maraschino liqueur, and bitters.
3. Stir rapidly to chill.
4. Strain into the chilled glass.
5. Garnish with a lemon peel, if desired.

St. Germain Spritz

Leave your bitter Campari and Aperol on the shelf this time. The elderflower flavors in this spritz are a nice change from bitter to floral and sunshine.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces St. Germain elderflower liqueur
• 1 ounce prosecco
• Ice
• Club soda to top off
• Lemon slice for garnish

Instructions

1. In a highball or cocktail glass, add ice, elderflower liqueur, and prosecco.
2. Top off with club soda.
3. Garnish with a lemon slice.

Lighten Up a Cocktail

The easiest way to lower the alcohol content of any cocktail is to increase the amount of mixer, or substitute a lower-ABV ingredient in its place. Think of using more orange liqueur than tequila for a margarita. Yes, you'll need to play around with the other ingredients so it isn't as sweet, but life, and especially cocktails, are for experimenting and play. Swap Campari for whiskey in a whiskey sour. Don't be afraid to break the rules, either! Just like a mint julep, add a complementary flavor to a whiskey smash. If you love tropical rum drinks, use more mixer than rums. Spritzers, including wine spritzers, are excellent for making something less boozy.

Take a Slow Walk With a Low-Alcohol Cocktail

Don't confuse low-alcohol cocktails with low-flavor cocktails. Plenty still have a bark, it's just their bite that isn't as painful. And isn't that a win-win?