Going dry this January? These recipes for nonalcoholic cocktails can ease the way

January always begins with so much hopeful activity around New Year’s resolutions. Before exhausting yourself fighting old habits, cravings and offerings (or the insistence) of well-meaning companions, it can be helpful to stack the deck in your favor.

For example, if you are considering quitting drinking in 2024 or merely cutting back, you might want to start by trying out Alcohol Change U.K.’s Dry January — that is, giving up booze for the first month of the year and seeing how it goes from there (Lila Seidman explains it well). You can connect with an organization such as Dryuary that provides structure and even counseling along the way, should you want it. We at L.A. Times Food are here to help too, with recipes for nonalcoholic (NA) alternatives to your customary cocktails.

Sure, you can find NA cocktails almost anywhere — at one of the 14 classic L.A. hotel bars for out-of-towners and locals alike, which Jordan Michelman wrote about in December; or at many if not all of Times restaurant critic Bill Addison’s favorite spots to drink in L.A., particularly at Kato. And the Times Food team recently compiled a list of their favorite NA drinks around town. But if you prefer to imbibe at home, whether for a special occasion, because of comfort and privacy factors or simply because you want more control over the contents of your beverages, one or more of these recipes may become your new best friend.

As Heather Platt reported a few weeks ago, “Actor Danny Trejo says it’s the best time in history to be sober” — and he should know, after 55 years in recovery. His latest cookbook, “Trejo’s Cantina,” offers a full chapter of recipes for delicious beverages that “will never give you a hangover or a DUI.” (Just don’t call them mocktails, he writes, as “they are not ‘mock’ anything.”) His Red Alert hints of a cross between a strawberry daiquiri and a bloody mary but with smoky, peppery notes, while his Coconut-Pina-Guava Fresca evokes a pina colada with a twist.

Like any well-made cocktail, Genevieve Ko’s fizzy and fresh Yuzu Spritzer balances sharp, spicy and smooth elements. And Ko’s Mulled Pomegranate Juice, flavored with cinnamon, allspice and star anise, is a perfect warm drink for cold winter nights.

Gabriella Mlynarczyk, bartender, consultant and author of “Clean + Dirty Drinking” (Chronicle, 2018), uses an NA spirit called Seedlip in her Kyoho Grape and Shiso Cocktail. The drink, listed as Seedlip Smash on the Accomplice Bar menu, delivers a jolt of acidity and carbonation, and the Seedlip flavor mimics a tame gin.

Coconut-Pina-Guava Fresca

Pineapple juice, coconut milk, guava nectar, lime juice and a dash of Tabasco come together for a refreshing tropical booze-free beverage with just a hint of heat. And yes, you can use canned juices.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 10 minutes.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

Red Alert

Charred red bell pepper and fresh strawberries make a distinctive drink with an extra hit of smokiness from ancho simple syrup. Everyone will love this savory-ish alcohol-free cocktail. Just don’t call it a mocktail.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 50 minutes.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

Yuzu Spritzer

Yuzu brightens this refreshing spritzer, which also has notes of rosemary and bay. Bubbly and crisp, it gives a pleasure high.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 5 minutes

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

Mulled Pomegranate Juice

You can substitute unsweetened tart cherry juice or cranberry juice in this warm, comforting mulled pomegranate juice recipe that’s perfect for cozying up on cold winter nights. And with only five ingredients, it is a cinch to prepare.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 10 minutes

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

Kyoho Grape and Shiso Cocktail

Along with the Seedlip, this drink is made with fresh yuzu juice, honey syrup, vanilla extract, a drop of gentian tincture (intended to aid with digestion), a splash of soda water, muddled Kyoho grapes and peppery shiso leaves, which lend super-spicy aromatics to the cocktail. Whether you’re pregnant, adopting Jennifer Lopez’s no-alcohol lifestyle or simply don’t drink, this is one mocktail that won’t leave you feeling left out at the bar.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 3 minutes

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)