Get a taste of the tropics with the easy virgin Mai Tai recipe! This delicious drink replaces the booze in the classic Mai Tai cocktail with fruit juices and grenadine resulting in a fruity and refreshing drink everyone can enjoy, even the kiddos! So good, you won’t even miss the real thing.
A light and refreshing drink is a must on a hot summer day. While I do enjoy a good cocktail, I love having non-alcoholic drinks as an option too. Alongside our mojito mocktail and our frozen pina colada mocktail, this delicious Mai Tai mocktail has become a family favorite!
So whether you’d prefer to enjoy an alcohol-free beverage on a weeknight, or are looking for a fun drink to share with the kids or a girlfriend who is pregnant, this non-alcoholic Mai Tai mocktail is the perfect option!
Why We Love this Mai Tai Mocktail
All the tropical vibes without the alcohol. This fruity drink is the best non-alcoholic version of this classic tropical drink.
Quick and easy to make! Measure, shake it up, top with soda, garnish, and enjoy. It’s really that simple!
So refreshing! The perfect way to cool down on a hot day.
Virgin Mai Tai Ingredients
- Orange Juice. Using orange juice is a key replacement for the orange liqueur (often orange curacao or triple sec) used in the traditional Mai Tai cocktail. You can used store-bought in a pinch, but fresh-squeezed will take this drink to the next level.
- Pineapple Juice. This adds another tropical flavor to this lovely mocktail recipe.
- Fresh Lime Juice. Lime juice is another must for a Mai Tai, alcoholic or non-alcoholic. Fresh-squeezed is best for this recipe.
- Orgeat Syrup (Almond Syrup). This specialty almond simple syrup is key to making a Mai Tai drink. This distinctive almond flavored syrup is made with real almonds, cane sugar, and orange flower water (or sometimes rose water).
- Grenadine. Grenadine is a common non-alcoholic bar syrup known for it’s bright red color. We’re using just a little bit of grenadine to add some sweetness and flavor to balance out all our citrus.
- Lemon-Lime Soda. We’re using just a splash. It’s all it needs to add one last touch of sweetness that perfectly balances the drink.
- Ice Cubes. Used for shaking and serving. If you have access to pebble ice or crushed ice, these are ideal for serving tiki drinks! This is because this style of ice adds just the right amount of dilution to this style of cocktail while keeping them consistently chilled.
- Garnishes (a must for a fun tiki-style drink!). Popular choices include: a pineapple wedge, an orange slice, lime slices, a maraschino cherry, and/or a sprig of fresh mint.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make a Virgin Mai Tai Mocktail
Step 1: Add juices (orange juice, pineapple juice, and lime juice) into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice.
Step 2: Add the syrups (orgeat syrup and grenadine) to the cocktail shaker, cap, and shake vigorously until cold (approximately 15-20 seconds).
Step 3: Divide between two lowball glasses filled with ice and top with a splash of lemon-lime soda.
Step 4: Add desired garnishes and enjoy!
Virgin Mai Tai Mocktail Recipe Variations
- Use different bubbles. If desired, replace the lemon-lime soda with a splash of soda water, seltzer water, or lime sparkling water!
- Ditch the bubbles. If desired, skip the splash of soda! This version is a little less sweet but still wonderfully refreshing and fruity.
Serve a crowd with Mai Tai Virgin Punch
Easy party punch recipes are always nice to have on hand for hosting. This Mai Tai mocktail recipe is super easy to turn into a punch recipe! So grab a large pitcher or punch bowl to mix up a batch (or two!) for your next party.
Pre-mix all your ingredients together (EXCEPT the lemon-lime soda) and store in the fridge to chill before your party. Add the lemon-lime soda to your juice mixture right before serving (or let guests top their individual glasses with however much soda they’d like!).
How to Serve a Virgin Mai Tai Mocktail
Serve this mocktail recipe in a lowball glass (sometimes called a rocks glass). Alternatively, you can use a fun cocktail glass like these Libbey Pineapple Tiki Glasses. I’ve enjoyed cocktails in these glasses at a local bar, and they are on my glassware wish-list!
What to Serve with this Mai Tai Mocktail Recipe
Mai Tais pair nicely with a variety of seafood dishes like grilled shrimp, scallops, and fish tacos. The fruity sweetness of the drink can also be a nice compliment to spicy dishes, especially with Thai or Caribbean flavor profiles like jerk chicken or coconut crusted chicken or shrimp. You can also enjoy this mocktail with Asian-inspired dishes like poke bowls, sushi, or our mango chicken lettuce wraps.
Love this Recipe? Give One of These Non-Alcoholic Drinks a Try Too!
Mai Tai Mocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ Cup orange juice (preferably fresh-squeezed)
- ¼ Cup pineapple juice
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice (preferably fresh-squeezed)
- ½ Tablespoon Orgeat Syrup (Almond Syrup)
- ½ teaspoon grenadine
- Ice cubes for shaking and serving
- lemon-lime soda for topping
- Optional garnishes such as a pineapple wedge, an orange slice, a slice of lime, maraschino cherries, and/or a sprig of fresh mint.
Instructions
- Add orange juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, orgeat syrup, and grenadine into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice and shake vigorously until cold (approximately 15-20 seconds).
- Pour into a lowball glass filled with crushed ice and top with a splash of lemon-lime soda.
- Add desired garnishes and enjoy!
Marge says
Great mocktail recipe! Super refreshing and easy.
Meredith says
so happy to hear you enjoyed this mocktail Marge! cheers!
David says
It’s perfect! May have added rum…
Meredith says
Glad you enjoyed it! And no judgement here 😘