MAGAZINE
Making Space for Mocktails
The Virgin Mojito squirms between orange juice and lime soda, stripped of its edge. A feature on why mocktails are a misunderstood, under-leveraged category — and how menus could fix it.
That poor Virgin Mojito squirms uncomfortably, wedged between orange juice and lime soda — an oddball among holier-than-thou beverages, its edge stripped away and made insipid.
Mocktails are a misunderstood, under-leveraged category: more exotic than the cold drinks they are cornered with, not as bewitching as their glamorous cousins. To make space for them, we went hunting — talking to users across geographies and age groups, and to the bartenders who actually build the drinks.
User responses were largely reactive, shaped entirely by how mocktails had been positioned on the menus they had seen. Out of sight, out of mind. The piece closes on what the category needs: its own language, its own placement, and a reason to be ordered on purpose.
Published in Liquid Magazine.
