Non-Alcoholic Rob Roy: A Scotch-Free Take on a Classic

A Rob Roy is Scotch, sweet vermouth, and bitters, stirred cold and served straight up. Take out the Scotch, swap in a zero-proof alternative, and the drink holds together better than you'd guess. Same dry finish. Same faint bitterness at the end.

I was skeptical the first time I tried this rob roy non alcoholic drink. Zero-proof spirits used to taste thin, almost like flavored water with an attitude problem. That's changed. Pick a decent one and the whole thing works.

Active Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 2 oz non-alcoholic Scotch alternative
• 1 oz non-alcoholic sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes aromatic bitters (alcohol-free)
• 1 maraschino cherry, for garnish
• Ice

Instructions

Preparation

Chill a coupe or rocks glass ahead of time. A cold glass keeps the drink from watering down as fast, which matters more with a non alcoholic rob roy since there's no alcohol to slow the melt.

Cooking

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the non-alcoholic Scotch alternative, the sweet vermouth, and the bitters. Stir for about 20 seconds, longer than most people think, until the outside of the glass feels properly cold.

Serving

Strain into the chilled glass. Drop in the cherry and serve right away. Skip the shaking here. Shaking adds air bubbles that dull the flavor, and a Rob Roy is meant to stay clean and a little sharp on the tongue.

Nutritional Value Per One Serving

Nutrition Facts, One Serving

Tips and Variations

Bitters brands vary a lot in flavor, so try two or three before settling on a favorite. A few other things worth knowing:

• Some non-alcoholic vermouths are noticeably sweeter than others, so taste before you commit to a bottle
• A twist of orange peel changes the aroma more than the flavor, but it's worth trying once
• If you want something lighter and fruitier instead, a non alcoholic Roy Rogers is a good alternative, built from cola, grenadine, and a cherry rather than vermouth and bitters

That last swap confuses people sometimes, since the names sound related. They're not. The Roy Rogers cocktail ingredients trace back to a kid's soda fountain drink named after the actor, while the Rob Roy is named after a Scottish folk hero and leans bitter instead of sweet.

Conclusion

This isn't a drink pretending to be something it's not. It's bitter on purpose, and that's exactly the point. Get the ratio right once, and you'll make it from memory after that.

Thirsty for more? Sip through our collection of refreshing drink recipes.