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The Dry Pour October 23, 2026

Home / Learn / Recipes & Mocktails / Whiskey & Bourbon

Whiskey & Bourbon

9 recipes

Old Fashioneds, juleps, toddies and Manhattans. Some of these hand the whiskey plenty of help and some hand it none at all — which one you’re making decides how much the bottle matters.

In short

Whiskey drinks fall into two kinds. In a julep, a toddy or a sour, mint, honey, lemon and ice do most of the work and almost any non-alcoholic bourbon will hold up. In an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan the base is nearly the whole drink, so the bottle matters and the bitters matter more.

Two kinds of whiskey drink

Where the drink carries the whiskey

Juleps, toddies, sours. Crushed ice and mint, or honey and hot water, or lemon and sugar — each of them puts something loud in front of the base. A modest bottle disappears into these in the best way, and the technique matters more than the purchase.

Where it is nearly the whole drink

Old Fashioneds, Manhattans. Two or three ingredients, no citrus, nothing to hide behind. This is where a bottle is worth spending on — and where a second one, bitters or vermouth, does more for the glass than trading up the first ever will.

Recipes to try

Three apple cider mocktails with cinnamon-sugar rims, apple slices and rosemary, beside apples and cinnamon sticks

Apple Cider Mocktail

Cloudy apple cider shaken with a non-alcoholic bourbon, lemon and maple, in a cinnamon-sugar rimmed glass. Fall in a glass, in five minutes.

Non-Alcoholic Eggnog

Rich, spiced and cooked the safe way: homemade eggnog with no alcohol, plus a spiked-style version with a bourbon or spiced rum alternative.

Non-Alcoholic Hot Toddy

Hot water or tea, honey, lemon and warm spice, with a whiskey alternative if you like: the winter warmer, without the alcohol.

Non-Alcoholic Mint Julep

Mint, sugar and a mountain of crushed ice

Non-Alcoholic Whiskey Sour (No Egg, With Foam)

A whiskey alternative, fresh lemon and a proper foam from aquafaba instead of egg white. Five minutes, one shaker.

Non-Alcoholic Old Fashioned

A whiskey alternative stirred with syrup and plenty of bitters over one large cube: the classic, without the alcohol, and how to keep it from tasting thin.

Manhattan Mocktail

A whiskey alternative and sweet vermouth with aromatic bitters, stirred cold and served up with a cherry.

Vanilla Spice Nightcap Mocktail

A whiskey alternative with ginger liqueur, vanilla syrup and bitters, stirred and poured over one big cube. Short, warm and a little sweet.

Black Manhattan Mocktail

A whiskey alternative stirred with a bitter, amaro-style spirit and bitters: darker and drier than a Manhattan.

The first bottle

Any of these makes every recipe above. They differ in how much they can carry on their own.

Ritual Zero Proof Whiskey Non-Alcoholic Spirit Alternative 750ml
For juleps, toddies and sours

Ritual Whiskey

Enough oak and spice to read as bourbon once mint or lemon is in front of it.

$29.99
Monday Whiskey Non-Alcoholic Spirit Alternative 750ml
For an Old Fashioned or Manhattan

Monday Whiskey

Roasted coffee, caramel and molasses, with a long, spicy finish.

$44.99
Amber Triple Distilled Non Alcoholic Spirit from South Africa Product Image
Not imitating whiskey at all

Mahala Botanical Amber

Warming and gently smoky.

$39.99

The second bottle

Only for the exposed drinks — and there it does more than trading up the first one will. Which you buy decides which drink you are heading for.

Single bottle of All The Bitter Aromatic non-alcoholic bitters, alcohol-free with warm spice notes of ginger, holy basil, and earthy roots.
For the Old Fashioned

All The Bitters – Aromatic Bitters

Two dashes is the recipe; three is the fix. A bottle is hundreds of them.

$19.00
Roots Divino Rosso Non-alcoholic Apertif Front Bottle Image
For the Manhattan

Roots Divino Rosso Vermouth

Sweet vermouth alternative — orange, gentian and wormwood.

$37.99

Want one without making it?

The same drinks, already made.

Shop ready-to-drink →
Curious No 5 cherry chocolate old fashioned non alcoholic cocktail case zero proof whiskey alternativeCurious Elixirs No. 5 Whiskey Cocktail$114.99Curious No 5 cherry chocolate old fashioned non alcoholic cocktail 6 pack zero proof craft drinkCurious Elixirs No. 5 Whiskey Cocktail$59.99Six-pack of Free Spirits Non-Alcoholic Espresso Old Fashioned sparkling cocktailsFree Spirits Espresso Old Fashioned – Sparkli…$29.99Six-pack of Little Saints Old Fashioned non-alcoholic sparkling cocktails made with reishi and damianaLittle Saints Old Fashioned – Sparkling Cockt…$34.99
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Questions

Which whiskey drink should I make first?

A julep or a toddy. Both put mint or honey in front of the base, so they work with any bottle and they show you what the category can do before you have spent much. Save the Old Fashioned for once you know which whiskey you like.

Do I need bitters?

For an Old Fashioned, yes — it is one of three ingredients. Everywhere else they are optional. Non-alcoholic bases tend to sit thinner than the original, and an extra dash is the standard correction for that rather than a trick.

Can I drink non-alcoholic whiskey neat?

You can, and some are made for it, but it is the hardest way to meet the category. Without alcohol carrying weight and warmth, a bottle poured neat has nothing supporting it. Over ice with a little water is a fairer test.

What is the difference between a Manhattan and a Black Manhattan?

The vermouth. A Manhattan uses sweet vermouth; a Black Manhattan uses amaro instead, which is darker, more bitter and less sweet. Both are two-ingredient drinks, so both depend on what you pour more than on how you build them.

BeaWhiskey alternatives vary more than most. Tell us what you used to drink and we’ll point you at the closest one.Ask us →

More non-alcoholic cocktail recipes

Same structure, different bottle.

Mocktails with no spirit needed· 10Non-alcoholic gin cocktails· 9Non-alcoholic sparkling cocktails· 7Non-alcoholic spritz and negroni recipes· 6Virgin margaritas and tequila drinks· 6Virgin mojitos and rum drinks· 4Non-alcoholic vodka cocktails· 3

— The Dry Pour —

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