Art by Mallory Heyer
“I used to be one of the word’s detractors. I considered myself something of an innovator and felt that the word “mocktail” was an antiquated holdover from a time when the best nonalcoholic cocktail you could find was a Shirley Temple. But what the word “mocktail” does have going for it is the fact that everyone seems to know what it means. If you say the word to a random person on the street, there’s a very good chance that they’ll understand you. They’ll know that you’re talking about a mixed drink that resembles an alcohol-containing cocktail but is completely alcohol-free. Would you have the same success with “spirit-free” or “zero-proof”? Maybe if they had a roommate who regularly attended Tales of the Cocktail. Meanwhile, calling them “virgin” ... is weird. And “nonalcoholic cocktail” is a seven-syllable mouthful that stands in grotesque contrast with the efficient two-syllable term at our disposal.”