The “buck” family of cocktails—including the Moscow Mule—tends to translate especially well to non-alcoholic formats. The bubbles in ginger beer help compensate for the naturally lighter texture of zero-proof spirits, and the ginger adds a sharp, refreshing bite that naturally slows your sipping. This Harvest Buck builds on that foundation with a crisp, fall-inspired pairing of unfiltered apple juice and whiskey. We use Spiritless Kentucky 74 for its oak-forward backbone, while the apple provides gentle sweetness and body, and the lemon keeps everything bright and balanced.
Our Fig & Walnut bitters are what really make this drink stand out. They add a delightful figgy note and subtle richness from black walnut that plays naturally with apple and whiskey, giving the cocktail more depth than you’d expect from such simple ingredients. The result is a fruit-forward zero-proof drink that’s easygoing, seasonal, and satisfying without being overly sweet.
This recipe was perfected with Spiritless Kentucky 74, but you can use your favorite non-alcoholic or full-strength whiskey—or combine both for a low-ABV drink.
A crisp, apple-forward non-alcoholic buck with warming spice and ginger bite.
Ingredients
1 ½ oz Spiritless Kentucky 74
1 ½ oz unfiltered apple juice
½ oz lemon juice
5 dashes ATB Fig & Walnut Bitters
3–4 oz ginger beer
Directions
Add all ingredients to a mule mug (or Collins glass) filled with ice. Stir to combine.
Garnish with fresh apple slices.
Recipe Note
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Bucks are one of the easiest classic formats to adapt into non-alcoholic cocktails because ginger beer provides carbonation, spice, and structure—elements that help replace some of the weight alcohol normally contributes. In the Harvest Buck, unfiltered apple juice adds body and gentle sweetness, lemon keeps things in balance, and our Fig & Walnut bitters supply the richness and depth that make the drink feel complete: more like a great cocktail than a ginger beer mocktail.
ABOUT SPIRITLESS KENTUCKY 74 Kentucky 74 is a non-alcoholic whiskey made through a proprietary reverse-distillation process: a neutral grain spirit is infused with American oak and then the ethanol is removed, leaving a full-flavored distillate with less than 0.5% ABV (the definition of non-alcoholic). The result is a spirit with true barrel character—rich, oak-forward, and ideal for replicating the depth of whiskey in a non-alcoholic cocktail.
USING BITTERS IN MOCKTAILS Cocktail bitters provide depth and balance, rounding out sweet and sour flavors while adding bite. Since All The Bitter is completely 0% ABV (unlike traditional bitters, which are around 45% alcohol), you can use as much as you like to dial in the flavor and complexity of your non-alcoholic cocktails.
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