15 Boozy Drinks To Order If You Don't Like The Taste Of Alcohol

Summer afternoons and evenings call for gatherings with family and friends, and there's nothing that can set the mood quite like having some tasty adult beverages to go with that. It's tricky to find the right drink that will make everybody happy, and it's even more difficult if you or your guests aren't into alcohol. This means hard liquor, and even beer and wine, are off the list — despite your impressively curated stash. But, don't despair, there are plenty of accessible and delicious cocktails and drinks out there that help hide the taste of alcohol to varying degrees. This means you can still get on a buzz while drinking something that's light and enjoyable, without harsh alcohol notes.

As someone with bar and mixology training, it's important to me to make a drink that will satisfy the person who is drinking it, no matter what the ask is. For clients who don't want their drinks to be super boozy, or taste too strongly of alcohol, I had to learn which drinks would fit into this description. However, I also wanted to push people's limits in an easy and pleasant way. Luckily, there's truly a drink out there for anybody's taste. Here are some of the best drinks to order if you don't like the taste of alcohol. 

Perhaps one of the easiest drinks to make for people who don't like the taste of alcohol is a mimosa. It also doesn't hurt that it's one of the easiest drinks to make, period. The mix of orange juice and sparkling wine or champagne is so easy to drink that people often complain that it's too innocent-tasting. It can be dangerous as you might think you're just drinking fizzy juice, not realising how much alcohol you're having. In fact, it might be a good idea to make a mental note that it is booze or you might end up overserving yourself.

Mimosa is the perfect brunch drink because we often associate orange juice with breakfast, but honestly, it's good at any time of the day. In my opinion, mimosa is so good because the two ingredients improve each other when combined. Unless you absolutely love the taste of orange juice on its own, you may find that it's infinitely better with a bit of bubbly that also reduces sweetness and thickness slightly. Sparkling wine adds a hint of complexity, while the juice helps mellow out the sharpness of sparkling wine. To make an easy, no-fuzz mimosa, simply pour equal parts of each drink into a champagne flute, and you're good to go.

There are so many reasons to love piña colada. Each sip makes you feel like you're on a tropical island, while feeling like you're having a luxurious dessert at the same time. It's also a no-brainer for anyone who doesn't like a strong boozy taste in their drink. The pineapple adds the required fruitiness that lets you forget there's any rum in there, while the coconut cream turns it all into something resembling a milkshake. It's often my first suggestion for someone who is learning to drink alcohol or someone who absolutely detests the taste of liquor, and it's almost always a hit.

In addition, a cool and refreshing piña colada can easily be made at home with a blender. You can use just pineapple juice, but to really make it tasty, use some fresh or frozen pineapple chunks. You'll also need some cream of coconut, white rum, and some ice. Blend everything together until it's smooth. Don't forget to garnish with some pineapple, or a cocktail umbrella to get the full, festive experience.

For many people in my generation, cosmopolitans were the rite of passage for going from a teenager to a young adult. We wanted to be like Carrie Bradshaw in "Sex and the City" and feel sophisticated and fun. Thankfully, the taste of a well-made cosmo made it super approachable to do that. For a relatively strong cocktail, cosmos can be pretty easy-drinking. The combination of cranberry and lime juice is pretty bold, and it sort of masks vodka and Cointreau. The cranberry offers just enough sweetness to make it a sweet drink, while the lime cuts through and makes the drink super refreshing and fragrant.

A classic cosmopolitan is an elegant drink to make for your next cocktail party. Make sure you serve it in a martini glass to get the authentic feel. Another tip is to chill your glasses in the freezer before you serve the cocktail. Then, to reach the ultimate level of pizazz, add an orange or lime twist to your glass as a garnish.

Mojito may seem like quite a strong drink for a newbie, but the taste is actually pretty light and fresh. As a white rum-based cocktail, it's already starting on the right foot, as white rum is quite light bodied. It has a clean and crisp taste that makes it great for mixing as it allows other ingredients to shine. Fresh mint does exactly that in a mojito, while the rum plays a subtle background note. It's the fresh mint leaves that give mojito its signature flavor and make it so smooth to drink. Along with some sugar, soda water, and fresh limes, you've got yourself a super refreshing mojito.

If you don't like the taste of alcohol, and if you're not a fan of too sweet and fruity drinks, mojito is the perfect option for you. It's not overly sweet, but it's amazingly fragrant and doesn't taste artificial. Plus, it's a great drink to chill out with on hot summer days, as the mint and ice give it a very cooling effect.

As a novice starting out in the food and beverage industry, I disliked the taste of strong drinks and boozy cocktails. I often tried to find ways to water down the taste of the drinks I ordered, but there was one drink I absolutely loved. Amaretto sour was recommended to me by one of the bartenders I was trained by, and once I tried it, I couldn't get enough. It's a great balance between sweet and sophisticated, so you can feel confident ordering it at a stylish venue. The base of an amaretto sour is of course, amaretto, which is tasty enough you can drink it neat. It's a sweet, almond liquor that's strong enough to let your throat burn a little as you sip, but you'll mostly taste a wonderful almond flavor, rather than alcohol.

A classic amaretto sour recipe usually includes amaretto, egg whites, lemons, sugar, and maraschino cherries. The lemon really complements the almond, while offering relief for the sweetness, making for one balanced beverage. The egg whites are frothed into a smooth foam that tops your drink and provides a creamy mouthfeel that will make you keep going back for more.

Gin and tonic is a classic drink as old as time, and for good reason. No matter the weather, or occasion, it's a great drink. People who don't enjoy an overly alcoholic taste are often surprised by just how drinkable gin and tonic is. In my experience, people are reluctant to drink it because they actually haven't tried it before. If you taste, or even smell, gin on its own, you might be scared away from having it with just a simple chaser like tonic water. In truth, they are a match made in heaven. The dominant flavor profile of tonic water is bitterness, which somehow counteracts gin's potency beautifully. To me, there are often underlying notes of citrus in both these drinks that also seem to tie everything together.

For beginner gin and tonic drinkers, it's also possible to order one with a half shot. Most bartenders would have no problem making a weaker drink for people who prefer it, and with time, you'll probably get accustomed to the taste and be able to move to a full shot. Then, once you're comfortable, there's a whole world of craft gin to explore. That, and mixing in botanicals — like juniper berries, ginger, rosemary, or orange peel — and spices that will enhance your gin and tonic experience tenfold.

Wine snobs tend to shudder if you even add an ice cube to your glass of red, so adding fruits, juice, sugar, or other alcohol types into it should cause them great alarm. However, I've yet to see a snobby wine drinker refuse a glass when presented with a jug of freshly made sangria. Yes, you don't get to experience wine in its pure form, but that doesn't make it any less delicious. For people who don't like the taste of wine, sangria might convert you somewhat, and even if it doesn't, you'll still likely enjoy it as a drink in its own right. Surprisingly, it can have up to three types of alcohol in it (wine, triple sec, and brandy), yet it tastes more like a sophisticated fruit punch than a strong cocktail.

There's technically no rule to making sangria, and many people have different ingredients they like to mix in. This makes it even better for customizing it to your liking. I've found that some use orange juice, orange liquor, lemon juice, or sugar, along with added fruit pieces like orange, lemon, lime, and apple slices. You can also opt for light bodied wines to make it even lighter. You can also use red or white wine to make sangria. It's a great drink to mix a large batch of for a party or day at the beach.

If you want to have a glorified adult slushie, then look no further than a strawberry daiquiri. If you like fruity and sweet drinks, it's the right choice for you, plus, you can barely taste the alcohol. It's bright red, frozen, and served in a cocktail glass — what could be more fun? You can get different flavors of daiquiri, including raspberry, watermelon, mango, and banana, so you can choose the type of fruit you prefer. If you're not sure which to pick, I recommend going with strawberry daiquiris, as they tend to be a crowd-pleaser more than any other variety.

To whip up a batch of strawberry daiquiris, it's a good idea to use frozen strawberries over fresh ones to keep the cold and thick consistency of your drink. This way you don't need to water it down with as much ice to get the slushie effect, and it will have great, potent flavor.

The holidays are the time when most of us like to indulge in food and drinks. For people who don't like many of the usual alcoholic beverages, it can be a challenge to find the right drink, and not to end up at the kids' soda table. This is where coquito comes in. It's the perfect solution that is holiday-appropriate. Puerto Rico's traditional holiday drink is a rum and coconut cream-based beverage that tastes like the festive season. It's often sweetened with condensed milk and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, which totally balance out the rum, resulting in a creamy perfection.

The best part of coquito is how easy it is to make. You don't even need a blender or a shaker, just a vessel large enough to be able to mix in all your different liquids. If you want to make an authentic and luxurious creamy coquito, you can infuse your spices in warm coconut milk or cream to let everything marry together perfectly.

Shandy is a pretty old-school drink and often associated with senior citizens, which is a shame because it's a really tasty drink and a great option for people who like to get a light buzz, but don't like that distinct, bitter beer flavor. Shandy is usually made with equal parts beer and a non-alcoholic drink like lemon or lime soda, such as Sprite, providing refreshment without the strong bitterness. It's also not overly sweet, but the lemon soda introduces just enough sweetness to make beer taste good even to the biggest beer haters.

Like a mimosa, mixing two drinks together is one of the easiest ways to make a mixed drink. But, you don't have to be limited to these two ingredients, as there are many shandy variations to try. Plus, if you're too embarrassed to have a shandy in front of judgy friends, your glass will still look like you're having a beer in case you want to keep it on the low!

If you're a fan of creamy drinks, a white Russian will be right up your alley. A classic white Russian is made with just three ingredients and a tumbler. This heavy cream-based cocktail is spiked with vodka and Kahlua. While the vodka is pretty strong, it is balanced with sweet, coffee flavor of Kahlua and the wonderfully creamy texture. The heavy cream also helps to mellow the flavors, so even if you dislike vodka and are sensitive to its taste, a white Russian will be more palatable to you. In fact, it will even be pleasurable.

A white Russian is the perfect dessert drink to order after a meal, but it can also be an indulgent drink to order on a cold wintertime evening. To make it even lighter, you can fill your tumbler with ice cubes and pour it over to serve. That way, you'll water it down a little as you drink, and it will be satisfying ice-cold.

The name might make you blush and result in all kinds of dirty jokes, but that doesn't mean it's not a banging (see what I did there?) cocktail. Sex on the beach is a fruity cocktail that's just as fun to drink as it is to order. It's made with vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice, and cranberry juice to create a tropical-like cocktail. The genius of peach schnapps is that even though it's alcohol, the deep peach flavor mainly takes over. Along with fruit juice, it helps to disguise vodka completely.

It's also pretty to look at — those orange and pink hues blend together to give a beautiful sunset-like design in the glass. So, if you couldn't make it out to the beach this summer, whip up this fruity cocktail to bring the summer vibes into your backyard.

In my opinion, Moscow mule is one of the most underrated cocktails. It's not a novelty drink by any means, and oftentimes, this makes people think it's perhaps less exciting and not so good. In truth, Moscow mule is super refreshing and doesn't taste like straight alcohol. Still, it's not cloyingly sweet or in need of too many add-ins. A simple mix of ginger beer, lime, and vodka results in a subtly spicy and fragrant cocktail. Additionally, it's ordinarily served in a copper cup loaded with ice, making the whole experience extra satisfying.

The ginger beer and lime work together beautifully to add loads of flavor and disguise the taste of vodka. Just be careful as it's so thirst quenching and tasty, you might forget the vodka is even there, so don't end up tipsier than you planned.

If you've ever been on a Euro trip, you've probably come across a vibrant orange drink called Aperol spritz. It's a drink of an Italian summer, and thankfully, it's become more popular stateside, too. Aperol spritz is a prosseco-based drink (although you can use any sparkling wine), that's traditionally served with Aperol, club soda, and orange slices. The secret is in the Aperol, which is a citrusy bitter liqueur that gives the drink its bright orange hue.

It has a slight bitter taste to it that some people don't like, especially if you prefer a certain amount of sweetness in your cocktail. However, if you like flavor over sweetness, Aperol is really fresh and adds a depth of complexity to your sparkling wine. A top up of club soda dilutes both, making it light, fizzy, and super revitalizing. It feels and looks fancy, and with just a little bit of alcohol, it's the type of drink that you can have a few of, without feeling tipsy.

Sangria may be the drink you mostly associate with Spain, but tinto de verano is a more commonly drank cocktail by Spanish locals. While sangria can be quite laborious and require multiple ingredients, tinto de verano is simply red wine mixed with soda (with the option of using lemon or plain soda), making it not only easy to make and serve, but more affordable.

Translated as "red wine of summer," it's the Spanish's solution to making red wine lighter and more thirst quenching in the summer heat. If you like the flavor of citrus and a bit of sweetness, opt for a lemon soda like Sprite. Then, add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice to make it even more vibrant and refreshing. If you don't want citrusy flavors and too much sugar, you can also just use club soda. Then, the ratios are up to you, but a standard half wine, half soda works really well.