Doing Dry January? Bring on These Botanical Drinks

These 5 surprising, flavor-forward mocktails — laced with herbs, spices, and fruit — will kick off your New Year with a twist


By: Jason Tesauro

Dry January, which kicked-off in the UK more than a decade ago, offers a way to recover from holiday tippling and start the New Year off on a healthy footing. Whether you embrace or resist it is up to you, but there are five Saturday nights in January 2026. Unless you forego all company for the month, you’ll likely find yourself entertaining friends and family who abide by non-imbibing, so let’s explore ways to make it fun.

These recipes employ handy botanical ingredients from the pantry, windowsill or countertop herb garden, and crisper drawer in your fridge. Like a well-rounded record collection, your home bar needs heavy rotation staples (simple syrup and club soda are your Rolling Stones and Sade) as well as unexpected B-sides. With the money you'll save on booze and hangover remedies (IV vitamin drip bars are pricey!), treat yourself to a few luxe sundries. Amarena cherries and Oolong tea can be the Italo-disco and Taiwanese jazz-fusion of your vinyl catalog.


Building a Better Mocktail

The category has grown, and no matter what you call them — N/As (non-alcoholic), AFs (alcohol-free), mocktail, zero-proof — these sips aim to match their spirit-driven counterparts in essential ways. Every great drink needs proper acid and sweetness. (Heck, a delicious daiquiri is just a perfectly tart limeade gussied up with rum.) And even alcohol-free concoctions should be built with creative intent and aesthetic architecture. Aim for deliciousness with depth, pay attention to glassware and garnish, and give it a snappy name. Do all that, and this gray month will be your most colorful yet.

A few notes:

  • Each recipe is for one drink. But, since they’re alcohol-free, recipes call for a larger serving size than usual.
  • Look around the larder and see what under-used spices and green-thumb goodies you can incorporate. Dried fruits in the toddy? Yes. Other homegrown herbs in the simple syrup? Good idea. The recipes are guides, not gospel.

Farewell to the Snake

  • 4 oz fresh-squeezed red or pink grapefruit juice
  • 1 egg white
  • 2-3 Tbsp rosemary simple syrup (see recipe below), depending on sweetness of grapefruits (for the syrup, infuse one or two sprigs of rosemary into your simple syrup and let it sit for at least 30 minutes)


Here’s a drink to score you bartender hero points. Mardi Gras isn’t until February 17, but you can step into New Orleans any time with this knock-off of the Ramos Gin Fizz. Dry shake (meaning, no ice) your egg white, rosemary syrup, and grapefruit juice until a creamy meringue forms. Add ice and shake briefly to chill. Strain into a tall glass but leave a little space mark. Wait 20-30 seconds for foam to set and then top with club soda. Pour carefully into the center of the foam and it will rise like a soufflé past the rim of the glass.

Rise of the Fire Horse

A not-Toddy for when everyone else has their hot buttered rum


  • 6-8 oz Oolong tea
  • 2 whole star anise
  • 2 dashes ground cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp simple syrup (see recipe below)
  • 1 tsp grated ginger


Brew the tea and pour it over the other ingredients. Garnish with a cinnamon stick. Oolong is a smoky tea that throws whiskey vibes. Served hot, this not toddy welcomes the new Chinese year of the Fire Horse.

Snow Drift

When you’re jonesing for an Espresso Martini


  • 5 oz coffee
  • 1 tsp Ancho chili powder (A pinch of paprika and cayenne substitutes nicely. Better yet, use those hot peppers you grew and have been drying in the kitchen.) 
  • 1-2 Tbsp whipping cream (or alternative milk) depending on how dark/light you prefer
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder (for the rim) or that leftover hot chocolate mix from last Christmas
  • 1 heaping tsp Nutella
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom


Brew the coffee and blend the ingredients with ice until creamy smooth. Rim a cocktail glass with the cocoa powder (and more spice, if you like). Serve up and garnish with coffee beans or grated dark chocolate.

Persephone’s Wisdom

Flash your sage and sober wisdom in the colors of a Cosmo


  • 4-5 oz floral tisane – technically, tea is only from the Camellia sinensis tea plant. All of those herbal, fruit, and spice-infused drinks we love are tisane (tee-ZAHN). Most anything floral works in this drink.
  • 3 oz pomegranate juice
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 Tbsp sage simple syrup (muddle a handful of sage leaves into your simple syrup, recipe below) and let it sit for at least 30 minutes)


Mix the ingredients, pour over crushed ice, and garnish with a few pomegranate arils. If you don’t know the Persephone myth and its connection to pomegranates, read about it while you sip this drink that’s as clean and refreshing as it is simple. Guests will ask for seconds, so don’t be afraid to multiply the ingredients by two or four and batch it up for a pitcher.

Winter Games

Wet your Dry January whistle with something sweet, tart, and creamy


  • 2 oz cherry juice
  • 2 oz lime juice (those in sunny climates may be lucky enough to harvest and squeeze their own)
  • 2 Tbsp whipping cream (or alternative milk)
  • 2 Tbsp Amarena cherry syrup


Mix juices and syrup and pour over crushed ice. Add cream gently at the end. Garnish with a cherry. Cheers!

Simple Syrup: Heat equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves and the liquid is clear. Do not boil. Allow to cool before use. See? Simple.

About the Writer

Jason Tesauro is a writer, photojournalist, and sommelier with five children, four cameras, and three national writing awards. You’ll find his work in Esquire, Decanter, Travel+Leisure, and others, but you’ll now find him in Verona, Italy, where he relocated in 2025. Check out more of his writing at Substack L’Avventura at substack.com/@jasontesauro and photos on Insta at @themoderngent.