Coffee Mocktails: The Trend That Isn't Going Anywhere

Mocktails have moved well past the category of "what you order when you're not drinking." For a lot of people, they've become the preferred option, not a fallback. And when you bring coffee into that space, something interesting happens. You get drinks that are genuinely complex, worth making slowly and sipping deliberately, without any alcohol involved at all.

Coffee is a natural fit for mocktails. It's bitter, bold, and aromatic, which means it plays well with the same flavor partners that make cocktails interesting: citrus, spice, floral notes, sweetness, and carbonation. The difference is that when coffee is the star, it actually gets to be the star.

These recipes work with whatever Bruvi brew you have going. Espresso is the right base for most of them, though a strong cold brew concentrate holds its own in the longer drinks.

Why Syrups Make the Difference

A well-made flavored syrup does something a spoonful of sugar can't. It carries flavor alongside sweetness, and when that syrup is made with real ingredients, you can taste it. The syrups available in the Bruvi Goods & Gear marketplace are worth keeping on hand specifically for this kind of drink-making.

Portland Syrups crafts theirs in small batches using clean, non-GMO ingredients with no artificial flavors. Their vanilla is made with real Tahitian vanilla beans and organic cane sugar. Their caramel uses caramelized organic cane sugar with a hint of brown sugar. Their hazelnut brings a warm, nutty depth that works particularly well with darker roasts. They also make a brown sugar simple syrup with notes of molasses and a cardamom syrup built from whole pods that adds a subtle, aromatic spice to anything you stir it into.

With Alfred World Famous Vanilla syrup, you can recreate their famous vanilla latte at home. It's made with pure cane sugar and real vanilla bean. They also offer a sugar free version. Or try their lavender syrup, made with French lavender buds and butterfly pea flowers alongside pure cane sugar, which gives it both a floral flavor and a natural color that looks striking in a glass. 

Surrup uses a 2:1 sugar-to-water ratio, which adds a velvety texture and mouthfeel and also means a smaller pour goes further They use clean ingredients like pure cane sugar and organic marshmallow flavor for their toasted marshmallow syrup. Their cinnamon bun flavor is especially good in coffee, carrying the warm spice of the real thing without being cloying.

Frothy Monkey Coffee Roasters also make a line of delicious syrups they use in their Nashville cafes, such as banana, hazelnut and pecan flavors. In addition to coffee or coffee mocktails, these syrups can be used over pancakes, oatmeal or yogurt. Yum.

Start with half an ounce of any of these in your first drink, then adjust. A little goes a long way.

The Recipes

Espresso Tonic with Cardamom

Espresso tonic has been a staple in Scandinavian cafés for years and has been slowly making its way onto menus everywhere. It's clean, slightly bitter, lightly sweet, and effervescent in a way that feels genuinely refreshing.

Brew a double shot of any espresso B-Pod and let it cool for a few minutes. Add half an ounce of Portland Syrups Cardamom Syrup to the bottom of a tall glass, then fill the glass with ice and pour in four to six ounces of plain tonic water. Slowly pour the espresso over the back of a spoon so it sits on top of the tonic for a moment before mixing. The layers look good and they taste different as they combine, which is part of the point. A thin slice of orange on the rim is optional but works well with the cardamom.

Brown Sugar Cold Brew Lemonade

Cold brew and lemonade sounds like it shouldn't work until you try it. The bitterness of the coffee softens the tartness of the lemon, and the result is one of the more refreshing things you can drink on a warm afternoon.

Brew a cold brew B-Pod into a concentrated serving and let it chill. (You can use any coffee B-Pod to make cold brew, in addition to Joyride Original Cold Brew.) Mix two ounces of cold brew concentrate with four ounces of fresh lemonade over ice. Stir in half an ounce of Portland Syrups Brown Sugar Simple Syrup. The molasses notes in that syrup add a roundness that pulls the whole drink together. Taste and adjust the lemonade to cold brew ratio based on how strong you want it.

Lavender Vanilla Iced Latte

This is the kind of drink that looks like it came from a specialty café and takes about three minutes to make at home.

Brew a double espresso shot with any espresso B-Pod. Add half an ounce each of Alfred Lavender Syrup and Portland Syrups Vanilla Syrup to a glass of ice. Pour in three to four ounces of oat milk, then add the espresso on top. Stir gently. The butterfly pea flowers in the Alfred lavender syrup give the drink a soft purple tint that shifts slightly when the espresso hits it, which is a small but genuinely pleasing thing to watch.

Hazelnut Caramel Café Frappé

Some drinks exist for the moments when you want something cold and indulgent but not a dessert exactly. This is that drink.

Brew a double shot of any espresso B-Pod and let it cool. Add the espresso, half an ounce of  Frothy Monkey Hazelnut Syrup or Portland Syrups Hazelnut Syrup, half an ounce of Portland Syrups Caramel Syrup, half a cup of milk, and a cup of ice to a blender. Blend until smooth and pour into a glass. If you have a milk frother at home, frothed oat milk spooned on top takes it somewhere closer to a proper coffee shop version.

Cinnamon Cold Brew Spritz

A cold brew spritz sounds unusual but the carbonation lightens the coffee and turns it into something you'd happily serve at a gathering alongside actual cocktails without anyone feeling like they're missing out.

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add half an ounce of Surrup Cinnamon Bun Syrup and two ounces of cold brew concentrate. (You can brew cold brew with any coffee B-Pod.) Top with sparkling water and stir once. The cinnamon bun syrup is warmer and more dessert-adjacent than a plain cinnamon syrup, which makes for an interesting contrast against the cold brew. A light dusting of cinnamon on top finishes it.

A Few Notes on Building Your Own

Once you have a few syrups on hand, coffee mocktails become more of a framework than a recipe. The basic structure is a strong coffee or espresso base, a syrup or two, a liquid to extend it (milk, sparkling water, or lemonade), and ice. From there, most combinations are worth trying at least once.

Floral syrups like lavender tend to work better in milk-based drinks where they can soften. Spiced syrups like cardamom and cinnamon hold up well in longer drinks where carbonation is involved. Caramel and vanilla are the most versatile and will work in almost anything.

The only real rule is using coffee you'd actually want to drink on its own. A good B-Pod makes a better starting point than anything you'd feel indifferent about, and that quality carries through into whatever you build around it.

Shop flavored syrups and more in the Bruvi Goods & Gear marketplace.