Sunny Mocktail Ideas That Use the World’s Desert Fruits

When you think of the word ‘desert’, you probably don’t think of juicy fruits that go perfectly in mocktails. However, the harsh deserts of the world hide some great and complex flavours that mixologists can work with. That’s why we’ve gathered three of the sweetest and most versatile desert fruits below.

Dates

For the sweetest desert fruit, you can’t go wrong with dates. They’ve grown on desert palms for thousands of years, earning them a spot as one of the oldest cultivated fruits in the world. They have a deep, sweet taste that can be like honey when fresh, but most enjoy them dry when they have a caramel-style taste.

While they’re cultivated worldwide, dates originated somewhere in the Persian Gulf area. They were grown by early Arabic civilisations and later spread westward into North Africa, by cultures that are still celebrated today. For example, a lot of media covers the Sahara Desert and the civilisations surrounding it, from movies to online games. In iGaming, popular slots use cultural settings to get users interested, as can be seen in games like Sahara Cash Collect. The date is no exception as it also has cultural significance in every Abrahamic religion today, and was historically a symbol of generosity given to weary desert travellers.

But that’s enough history, let’s get to the great non-alcoholic drinks you can make with dates. For making mocktails, you’ll want to have both solid dates for garnish and date syrup to mix into drinks. You can use date syrup in place of agave or honey for most mocktail recipes, to give them a fruitier taste. You can also make date syrup yourself with just two ingredients, described here at The Kitchn.

Otherwise, there are specific recipes like the agrodolce which use it. To make an agrodolce, you’ll need to pour 60ml of Ghia into a shaker, add 15ml date syrup, a few dashes of orange bitters and (optional) three sprigs of thyme. Then shake and strain them into a lowball glass with ice. Most recipes call for orange zest garnish, but nothing is stopping you from adding a date or two.

Dragon Fruit

The dragon fruit, also called pitaya or strawberry pear, is a very unique fruit that grows on cacti in both southern Mexico and subtropical Asia. It’s hard to miss, due to its bright red skin with spiky green offshoots jutting out of it. To eat, you cut them open like a kiwi and find a similar texture inside, but it’s white or red filling inside. They have a mild taste like a pear or a less-sour kiwi, with some citrusy elements.

Given its colourful appearance, dragon fruit is perfect for making mocktails. However, they have quite a mild taste, so they’re popular with drinks like mojitos where they can rely on other flavours.

To make a dragon fruit mojito mocktail, you’ll want 60ml of n/a rum alternative, 15ml of lime juice, 15ml of sweet syrup and three tablespoons of diced dragon fruit. Then you’ll need mint, preferably fresh mint leaves, and soda water to top up. Shake and muddle the fruit, lime, mint and syrup together, then add ice and n/a rum and shake again till cold. Don’t forget to get all the crushed fruit out too, and optionally garnish with more dragon fruit.

Prickly Pear

If the name didn’t tip you off, prickly pears are a cactus fruit that is native to the United States and Mexico, specifically the desert regions like the Mojave and Sonora. They grow in towers of spiky green pads, which are also a potential ingredient known as nopales, detailed at The Spruce Eats. However, for making drinks, we’re interested in the small pink bulbs that grow from them.

Prickly pears have a unique taste, often described as a melon with a hint of bubble-gum flavour. To try it yourself, prickly pears are a popular margarita ingredient. To make a prickly pear margarita mocktail, prepare a glass with salt and mix ice, 30ml of prickly pear syrup, 60ml of n/a tequila substitute and 15ml of lime juice together in a shaker. You can then garnish it with a fruit of your choice.

These three desert fruits – dates, dragon fruit and prickly pear – are great for making mocktails and sunny desert drinks of all kinds.