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The Dry Pour October 7, 2026

Home / Learn / Recipes & Mocktails / Margarita & Tequila

Margarita & Tequila

6 recipes

Everything built on agave — tequila alternatives, mezcal, and the margaritas that made both worth buying. Lime, salt, and a base with something to say.

Non-Alcoholic Wines
The Tequila Lover's Bundle — Lyre's, Ritual, Seedlip and Free Spirits. See the bundle
In short

A non-alcoholic margarita is lime juice, agave syrup and a non-alcoholic tequila alternative, shaken with ice and served in a salt-rimmed glass. The base is what separates it from limeade — agave alternatives carry the pepper and vegetal character a palate reads as tequila, while mezcal alternatives add smoke. Fresh lime matters more than anything else in the glass.

The recipes

Non-alcoholic smoky margarita mocktail with chili salt rim, lime wedge, and ice in a textured rocks glass

Smoky Mezcal Margarita Mocktail

Mezcal, ginger and lime with a smoked salt rim — the margarita for people who've had enough margaritas.

Elderflower Citrus Margarita Mocktail

A margarita with elderflower in place of orange

Berry Grenadine Margarita Mocktail

A margarita with pomegranate in it

Spicy Ginger Margarita Mocktail

Ginger, lime and chilli salt

Classic Non-Alcoholic Margarita

Salt, lime and agave over ice

Non-Alcoholic Agave Margarita

Lime, agave and a good non-alcoholic tequila

Want one without making it?

The same drinks, already made.

Shop ready-to-drink →
Six 12 fl oz cans of Athletic Brewing Mango "Margarita" non-alcoholic brew in white and slate blue Pilot Program liveryAthletic Brewing Mango Margarita Cocktail-Ins…$24.99Six 12 fl oz cans of Athletic Brewing "Paloma" non-alcoholic brew in pink and yellow with iced-drink illustrationsAthletic Brewing Paloma Cocktail-Inspired Brew$24.99Six-pack of Lyre's Margarita non-alcoholic cocktail cans, 8.45 fl oz each, in green and navy with a chilled, condensation-covered finishLyre's Margarita Ready to Drink$24.99Case of 24 Little Saints non-alcoholic Margarita sparkling cocktail cansLittle Saints Classic Margarita - Sparkling C…$129.99Six cans of Little Saints non-alcoholic Margarita sparkling cocktailLittle Saints Classic Margarita - Sparkling C…$34.99Curious No 2 Pineapple Margarita case of 12 non alcoholic cocktails zero proof margarita bulkCurious Elixirs No. 2 Margarita Cocktail$109.99

Make it yours

Make it spicier

Spicy
Two slices of jalapeño muddled in the shaker, chili salt on the rim. Ten extra seconds, completely different drink.
Properly hot
Jalapeño in the shaker on top of the ginger.
Cooling
A few mint leaves in the shaker. Takes the edge off without losing the warmth.

Make it smoky

Smoky
Swap half the base for non-alcoholic mezcal. Start at half — it is generous with itself.
Smokier
Rinse the glass with strongly brewed lapsang before you pour.
Smoky heat
A third mezcal, chili in the salt rim. Smoke and heat get on remarkably well.

Change the rim

Salt or no salt
Rim half the glass. You get both drinks, and you learn which you prefer.
Sugar rim
Half sugar, half salt. Sounds odd, works beautifully.
Chili salt
Flaky salt and chili flakes, roughly equal, crushed together. Keeps indefinitely.

Make it less sweet

Skip the agave
Leave it out entirely where a syrup or liqueur is already carrying the sweetness.
Cut it back
A third less agave and a little more lime. Most of what people miss is acidity, not sugar.

Change how you serve it

Longer
Top with soda and serve in a highball. Same drink, more afternoon.
Frozen
Blend with a cup of ice. The best thing to do with a fruited margarita on a hot day.
For a crowd
Multiply by six, mix without ice, chill, shake to order. Everyone gets the first one.

Add fruit or herbs

Cucumber
Two slices muddled before shaking. Cool, green and very good.
Berries
Raspberry works well, blackcurrant is excellent. Anything that keeps some tartness.
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Tequila vs mezcal, without the alcohol

Tequila alternatives

Easier to get right
Tastes of
Agave, white pepper, a green vegetal edge
Best in
Anything with citrus
Watch for
Less warmth than the original

Those three characteristics are what a palate reads as tequila before it registers anything else. What the category cannot reproduce is the warmth alcohol brings, which is why most bottles lean harder on the pepper to compensate.

Shake it properly. The aeration and the chill both do work the alcohol used to do — in a drink with nowhere to hide, the gap is far more obvious.

Lyre's Tequila Alternative non-alcoholic spirit, 700 mL bottle of pale clear liquid with a cream label and green engraved chameleon in a sombrero
Where to start

Lyre’s Agave Blanco – Tequila

Agave and green pepper with a salted, mineral finish.

$37.50

Mezcal alternatives

Tastes least like a substitute
Tastes of
Smoke, earth, a little pepper
Best in
Drinks meant to taste of something
Watch for
Generous with itself — start at half

The most distinctive category on the non-alcoholic shelf, and the one most worth trying if you have written the aisle off — because smoke is one of the few things a producer can deliver in full without alcohol carrying it.

It changes the balance, not the recipe. Lime stops being the loudest thing in the glass and the drink turns savory, almost dry. Swapping the whole measure works, but it is easier to add than to take back.

Monday Mezcal Non-Alcoholic Spirit Alternative 750ml
The one to try

Monday Mezcal

Roasted agave under citrus and apple, with prominent smoke.

$44.99

Two things that fix most margaritas

Squeeze the lime to order

Bottled juice loses its lift within a day of opening. A flat margarita is almost always the lime rather than the base.

Taste before you add agave

Most of what people miss in a drink that seems sweet is acidity, not sugar. Where a syrup or liqueur is already carrying sweetness, the agave can come out entirely.

What these recipes call for

All non-alcoholic tequila and mezcal →

The bottles that come up most often in the recipes above.

Non-alcoholic tequila

Ritual Zero Proof Tequila Non-Alcoholic Spirit Alternative 750ml

Earthy agave and mesquite smoke, with lime, guava and a peppery finish.

$29.99
Used in 4 of the 6 Margarita & Tequila recipes
Aromatic bitters

All The Bitters – Aromatic Bitters 2oz (0.0% ABV)

Cinnamon and clove over cinchona bark, dry and firmly bitter.

$19.00
Used in 3 of the 6 Margarita & Tequila recipes
Non-alcoholic ginger liqueur

Giffard Non-Alcoholic Ginger Liqueur 700ml From France

Warm, lemony, bitter and earthy notes with a hint of lemongrass.

$38.99
Used in 2 of the 6 Margarita & Tequila recipes
Non-alcoholic elderflower liqueur

Giffard Non-Alcoholic Elderflower Liqueur 700ml

Delicate elderflower with lychee, citrus, and floral elegance.

$38.99
Used in 1 of the 6 Margarita & Tequila recipes

Questions

Tequila or mezcal — which should I buy first?

Tequila alternative if you mostly want margaritas: it is the more forgiving base and works in anything with citrus. Mezcal if you want the drink to taste of something rather than like a substitute. Plenty of people end up with both and use half of each.

Do they actually taste like tequila?

Not exactly, and the ones claiming otherwise are overpromising. What they reproduce is the agave, the pepper and the green vegetal edge — the characteristics a palate reads as tequila before it registers anything else. What they cannot reproduce is the warmth alcohol brings, which is why most lean harder on the pepper to compensate.

Which one should I make first?

The classic, and not out of caution — it is three ingredients, so it shows you what the base actually tastes like before anything is layered over it. After that everything above is a decision rather than a guess. If you already know you like the drink, start with the smoky one; it is the least like anything you can buy.

BeaNot sure whether to start with tequila or mezcal? Tell us how you like your drinks and we’ll point you at a bottle.Ask us →

More non-alcoholic cocktail recipes

Same structure, different bottle.

Mocktails with no spirit needed· 10Non-alcoholic whiskey cocktails· 8Non-alcoholic gin cocktails· 8Non-alcoholic spritz and negroni recipes· 6Non-alcoholic sparkling cocktails· 6Virgin mojitos and rum drinks· 3Non-alcoholic vodka cocktails· 3

— The Dry Pour —

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