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This virgin margarita recipe tastes as good as the real thing! This non-alcoholic mocktail is irresistibly tasty with a secret ingredient.

Craving a margarita but can’t drink? Or serving a crowd and need a non-alcoholic option? Enter this non alcoholic virgin margarita recipe! It’s tangy and refreshing, punctuated by that classic salt rim. Even better, it’s got a surprise that brings a bit of “funk” to the flavor that’s reminiscent of tequila. With a focus on tart flavors and balanced with just enough sweet, it’s truly the non alcoholic mocktail spin on our Classic Margarita! Side benefit: it’s lower calorie, too. Here are all our secrets.

How to make a virgin margarita

Here’s how to make everyone’s favorite cocktail into a margarita mocktail! The margarita is a classic alcoholic drink on the list of International Bartender Association’s IBA official cocktails. This means that there’s an “official” definition of the margarita: tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice. But how to make that taste as intriguing…with no alcohol at all? A zero-proof margarita, if you will? Here’s how to make a virgin margarita:

Lime juice: Always.
Lemon juice: Using lemon as well as lime brings nuance to the citrus.
Tonic water: Bubbles add a sparkle!
Maple syrup or simple syrup: Just a drizzle balances the tartness.
Pickle juice: Yes, pickle juice adds that tequila “funk”! Keep reading for why…

The secret? Pickle juice.

The secret to making this virgin margarita taste over the top delicious? Pickle juice. Adding intrigue to the flavor of a mocktail is essential to making them more than just fruit juice. It’s customary to experiment with all sorts of things, including non-alcoholic spirits. But we didn’t want to add a special ingredient you’d have to purchase specially.

That’s where pickle juice comes in! It brings a briny funk to this virgin margarita that makes you feel like there’s a little alcohol in it. But it’s not so much that it’s noticeable! It’s also totally optional, so you don’t have to do it if it weirds you out. But after multiple taste tests, pickle juice in a non alcoholic margarita was the clear winner!

Less sugar than the standard virgin margarita recipe!

We love our cocktails crisp and tart around here. So just like our Classic Margarita, there’s barely any added sugar in this margarita. This stands out from the standard margarita mocktail, which is usually so sickly sweet it’s barely a margarita at all! This shouldn’t taste like sweet syrupy juice: it should be crisp and tart. The sugar comes from two sources:

Only ¼ teaspoon maple syrup or simple syrup (use whichever you’d like: maple syrup is a great natural sweetener with no refined sugar)
A hint of sugar in the tonic water

What is tonic water? Can I use sparkling water?

Tonic water is a carbonated water that also contains quinine and is lightly sweetened. It originally was used against malaria, but these days the quinine levels are much lower. Quinine adds a slightly bitter flavor, but it’s not as detectable with today’s lower levels. Even so, there’s something about the nuance of bitter and sweet in tonic water which is hard to replace.

True cocktails and mocktails use tonic water, so we’d recommend finding some if you can! Sparkling water adds only bubbles, but doesn’t have the nuance in flavor. We buy a brand that comes in small cans, which is nice since you’ll only use a little in this virgin margarita.

More margarita variations

If you also drink alcohol (or have friends who do), we’ve got lots more variations on this classic drink! Here are some of the best margarita recipes:

Light: Skinny or Frozen
Boozy: Mezcal Margarita or Cadillac Margarita
Fruity: Mango, Peach, Watermelon, Blackberry, Strawberry, Pineapple, Pineapple Jalapeno
Spicy: Jalapeno Margarita
Unique: Italian Margarita or Beer Margarita
Batch: Margarita Pitcher, Margarita Mix

More non alcoholic mocktails

Need more zero-proof cocktails? Try these tasty mocktails:

Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri Fruity and frosty!
Virgin Mojito Mocktail Minty and refreshing: just as good as the original.
Virgin Piña Colada It’s sweet, coconut-y, icy and oh so good.
Lime Rickey, Cherry Rickey, or Raspberry Rickey Bubbly, delicious and easy to whip up.
Shirley Temple The original mocktail! The classic way to make it skips soda with ginger ale and grenadine.
Virgin Bloody Mary Spicy, salty, savory and tangy: perfect for brunch!

When to serve this virgin margarita recipe

Anytime works for a non alcoholic margarita! This one is perfect as a:

Zero proof margarita for guests who don’t drink alcohol
Mocktail for pregnant women
Baby shower drink (make one for mom, then classic margaritas for guests)