Book Review: Mystical Mocktails

Title:  Mystical Mocktails: 60 Nonalcoholic Mindful Recipes, Rituals, and Affirmations
Author:  Julia Halina Hadas
Publisher:  Andrews McMeel Publishing
Date:  January 6, 2026
Pages:  224 

There are many reasons people chose not to consume alcohol and they, too, deserve special libations. Given that distilleries I have visited offer mocktails along with their spirited options, restaurants have zero-proof drinks on their menus, and non-alcohol bars are gaining in popularity, it’s safe to say the niche choice has become mainstream, making this book well-timed.  

The 60 mocktails Julia Halina Hadas presents are creative and sophisticated. Each one was carefully crafted with ingredients that align with a specific intention, and grouped into one of five desired objectives: connection, insight, manifestation, renewal, and wellness.

For example, Smoke and Fire calls for cayenne pepper for hex breaking, fresh ginger for power, a sprig of sage for purification, and smoked salt on the rim for grounding and protection. It is one of the dozen drinks in the renewal section for purification, protection, and new beginnings, which also includes a Clearing Cucumber Coconut Gimlet, Mango and Mandarin Road-Opening Mocktail, and Free-Spirited Lavender Limoncello. 

Each recipe begins with full-page color photo of the drink in elegant glassware, along with its name, and intentions. There’s an introduction with facts about the drink, a list of ingredients, and step-by-step instructions.

Bringing more magic to these alchemical elixirs are “Affirmations to Sip By” to recite, further infusing the intention, and a section called “Beyond the Glass” that offers information, rituals, reflections, and techniques to heighten mindfulness. In much the same way brewing tea is a ritual, mixing one of these zero-proof potions can become a mini meditation.  

Recipes call for six to eleven ingredients. In addition to teas, fresh juice, fruits, and vegetables are less common items like yuzu juice and sakura blossom powder, most of which are optional. In the appendixes are instructions for making necessary syrups and teas, along with the properties of dozens of ingredients. Mocktails are also organized by season, pagan sabbats, and moons. 

The book begins by providing a deeper understanding of the history and meaning of sacred non-alcoholic libations including cacao and Yerba maté. There is a reference guide to common ingredients, acceptable substitutions, tools, and methods for mixing mystical mocktails. Breakout sections include an in-depth look at salt varieties, making magical ice cubes, exploring tarot, and using leftover fresh herbs in spells and rituals. 

No matter the reason an Individual chooses not to consume alcohol, it’s delightful to enjoy nonalcoholic beverages with the same sophistication and complex flavors as a cocktail. With this book, you can transform ingredients into a creation to align with your intentions, be it building confidence, healing grief, celebrating summer, promoting health, or increasing psychic powers. After consuming the concoction, there’s one more opportunity for magic – practicing tasseography. Julia outlines steps to perform this intuitive and subjective art of reading the grounds that remain. It could be an insightful ending to a self-care ritual that gives “spirts” a new meaning.

About the Author:
Julia Halina Hadas is q practicing witch, a craft cocktail fanatic, and a bartender. She is the bestselling author and creator of “WitchCraft Cocktails,” where she combines her expertise in witchcraft, mixology, and astrology with intentional cocktails and mocktails. Having worked at a distillery and as a craft cocktail bartender in the San Francisco Bay Area, she combined her love of the craft cocktail movement with her witchcraft practice. Her other works include “The Modern Witchcraft Book of Moon Magick,” “WitchCraft Cocktails,” and “Moon, Magic, Mixology.” She has a BA in anthropology and is a certified reiki, crystal, and energy worker, and often crafts healing crystal energy pendants at Fire Lotus Creations. You can learn more at her main blog, WitchcraftCocktails.com.

About the Reviewer:
As an eclectic solitary practitioner, I travel the country in a converted school bus and share magick with those I meet. Find me at https://thewitchonwheels.com/ and on Facebook.