Spirit-free is the term many bartenders prefer for an alcohol-free cocktail, borrowed from the way cocktails are normally described by their base: a whiskey drink, a gin drink, a spirit-free drink. It signals craft rather than lack. On thoughtful menus you will increasingly find a spirit-free section sitting alongside the others, presented with the same care, which is exactly the framing this whole site argues for.
Why It Matters
Language shapes how a drink is received. "Spirit-free" puts an alcohol-free cocktail in the same grammar as every other cocktail, rather than defining it by what it is missing. It is a small shift that tells the guest the drink was built, not left out.
Where You'll Use It
Reading cocktail menus, or describing what you make.