Author: John Carter

The Best Drinks To Have If Youre Giving Up Alcohol, Say Dietitians

Their collection of Grove 42, Garden 108, and Spice 94 is arguably all you need for an at-home cocktail hour because the flavors are so varied. You can drink any Seedlip variety over ice, or use it in a mixed drink. And because Seedlip is distilled from botanical ingredients, not traditional spirits, it’s zero-proof from the start. The deep red color peeking through the chic, minimal glass bottle of Figlia Fiore compels you to pour a glass, and the ruby drink doesn’t disappoint. A sip leads with notes of cherry, citrus, currant, plum, and an almost sangria-like fruit funk; hints of rose, layers of warming spices (especially clove), and a slight ginger burn then round out each sip.

We’ve tried to describe the flavor notes and challenges of all of our picks, but every palate is different. If you live near an NA bevs store (many are popping up around the country), we highly recommend visiting in person, as stores are often eager to offer samples. “Kombucha is always a nice sub for a beer or other boozy drink,” she says. “You get that zingy taste, bubbles, and a bonus boost of live bacteria to help keep your gut healthy.” And if you need a new, fun sparkling water to try, Manaker suggests Found Bubbly.

Melati Classic ($45 for a 500 mL bottle at the time of publication) is deeply earthy, with notes of pomegranate, beets, and grape. It reminded us of medicinal elderflower syrup, and we struggled to drink it. Kin Lightwave (about $15 for a four-pack of 240 mL cans at the time of publication) tasted of artificial caramel, mushroom, and licorice—a bit too funky for our tastes. We also tried a couple of other flavors of Hella Bitters & Soda ($40 for a 12-pack of 355 mL cans). Bitters & Soda Grapefruit was too one-note, like a simple seltzer, and Bitters & Soda Classic Dry Aromatic was too dry, tasting of mouthwash. Burdened by unnecessary “adaptogens,” this drink has a slight health-food-store aroma and medicinal aftertaste.

Each soda is simple and drinkable enough to be refreshing, yet bitter and herbaceous enough to feel refined, special, and complex—but if you’re looking for strong, punchy flavors, look elsewhere. The variety pack of Casamara Club sodas comes in 6-, 12-, or 24-packs of 355 mL bottles. Three Spirit Livener tastes of punchy and slightly funky fruit, with notes of watermelon and mixed berries. Cayenne pepper extract grants the spirit a needed kick, elevating it from fruit juice to spicy watermelon margarita.

Other good nonalcoholic drinks

Likewise, the company’s Rose City Fizz was too intensely flavored with medicinal herbs, and its Smoky No. 56 was overpowered by smoke. Curious Elixir No. 1, Curious Elixir No. 3, and Curious Elixir No. 4 ($40 for four 355 mL bottles at the time of publication) were off-balance and odd-tasting, with unpleasant funks and strange industrial flavors. Casamara Club Fora and Casamara Club Isla ($55 for a 12-pack of 355 mL cans at the time of publication) were only faintly flavored, offering mere whispers of strawberry and ginger, respectively, mixed into cans of seltzer. Offering tame bitterness and light botanical flavors, these sodas are like a cross between bitters and soda and hard seltzer. Wilfred’s packs enough of an alcohol-like sting and bitter edge to be compelling, and it has enough sweetness and spice to be balanced and welcoming. Like its companion, Aplós Arise, Calme comes in a squat, opaque, 575 mL bottle that might accidentally wind up wherever you keep your fancy olive oils.

1. Building a bar cart can be a little trickier with nonalcoholic spirits, says Meehan.
2. These beverages cater to all tastes and preferences, offering a satisfying alternative for those seeking healthier and more inclusive drink options.
3. But this stuff shines in mixed drinks, especially in a classic Old Fashioned.

Figlia is a balanced, slightly bitter, nicely sweet aperitif with layers of warming spices. Tonic imparts a slight sweetness to Adrift, adding just enough oomph to make it even more sippable—we’d love to drink these convenient cans at the beach or the park. This guide builds on the research of writer Anna Perling, who spoke with nonalcoholic drink experts, bartenders, and mixologists and studied recipes and guides to determine what makes a good nonalcoholic beverage.

The spice level and scotch bonnet flavor kept us coming back for more while also slowing down our sipping, something we look for in NA bevs to match the gradual savoring of alcoholic drinks. But we wished the ginger flavor were more fresh, and we found the drink slightly weighed down by a sort of cough-drop-like ginger turmeric flavor. Tasters agreed that this would be a great drink to sip on while sick, or a sweet complement to a huge plate of carne asada fries. Building a bar cart can be a little trickier with nonalcoholic spirits, says Meehan. As the industry grows, he notes, a wider variety of options will make bottles more interchangeable.

Having drinks as a social activity or a way to unwind after a long day is one of the hardest things to let go of when you quit alcohol. It has just the right amount of sweetness and lacks the tea-forward flavor of some of the other options. Curious Elixirs are booze-free, craft cocktails formulated with adaptogens to help you relax. They’re made with high-quality ingredients and no refined sugar (hello!). Crafted with flavors that are reminiscent of Mexico and the California desert, Smokey is truly transportive. It’s designed to be mixed, so brush up on your mezcal cocktail list and have fun experimenting.

Ritual Zero Proof Whiskey Alternative

Curious likens the drink to a cross between a dark and stormy and a spicy pineapple margarita, and the beverage’s salt content provides a savory edge that we found delectable. We’d play on that by serving this tepache-like drink in a salt-rimmed glass to further tease out the margarita comparison. With lychee and grapefruit juices, rooibos tea, and Champagne vinegar among its ingredients, Très Rosé is an easy-to-drink but still complex aperitif.

We loved the heat of Livener, but some tasters found the drink a bit too sweet to drink straight. Poured over ice, the flavors blend and the sweetness mellows, creating a more dynamic and subtle drinking experience. Our tasters found Livener uncomplicatedly delicious, but those who preferred more challenging, herbaceous drinks found it underwhelming. Seedlip’s bundle of three NA spirits is the best way to build a no-booze bar cart. One of the very first nonalcoholic spirits to hit the market, Seedlip’s been an industry leader since 2015.

Nonalcoholic wine

Various brands offer alcohol-free and low alcohol versions of popular beer styles, such as lagers, ales, and stouts. These beers provide the taste and mouthfeel of traditional beer and have a similar brewing process, with ingredients such as malted barley, hops, yeast, and water. Tenneyson Black Ginger ($40 for a 750mL bottle at the time of publication) was a jolting, difficult drink with a nice fresh ginger flavor but a disappointing grape juice finish, and it failed to hold up to mixing. Pentire Seaward tastes like bitter grapefruit pith, with some light salinity and a hint of juniper. It proved too subtle, and its delicate flavor got lost when we mixed it with tonic and seltzer. Casamara Club’s Italian Amaro Leisure Sodas might be more accurately called botanical seltzers, as they don’t taste all that similar to an amaro and aren’t nearly as concentrated in flavor as a soda.

Kin Euphorics Kin Spritz

This lovely, clear concoction bills itself as a “nonalcoholic grapefruit gin” but it’s actually much lighter in body — more like a refreshing gin cocktail. Pentire Seaward is distilled from plants native to the headlands of Cornwall, England (such as sea rosemary and sea buckthorn) and you can totally taste the coastal terroir in each sip. Ginger beer and ginger ale are two of the top low-calorie beer options to go for if you’re looking to cut back or do more mindful drinking. Much like kombucha, ginger beer has a sizzle to the taste that lightly resembles beer and it looks much the same as lager too, so no one would notice the difference. Those who prefer a lighter taste and less fizz will likely want to go for a ginger ale, which has a slightly lighter appearance than regular ale. These beverages cater to all tastes and preferences, offering a satisfying alternative for those seeking healthier and more inclusive drink options.

And, yes, you will definitely taste those two ingredients but that’s against an aromatic backdrop of yuzu juice, white grape juice and elderflower. There’s also gentian root for some pleasant bitterness along with lemon balm and lemon verbena for botanical intrigue. To find the best nonalcoholic drinks we sampled over 140 products, from pre-made spritzes to nonalcoholic wines, alcohol-free beers and spirits to ready-to-sip libations that made convincing stunt doubles for cocktails.

Rasāsvāda Black Ginger ($40 for a 375 mL bottle at the time of publication) was too savory, like beef braising liquid, and the company’s Ruby Artemesia was cloyingly sweet and thin. No. 2 is a well-balanced sweet and salty bottled cocktail with a nice spicy kick. Sour and savory with herbal notes, Adrift is complex but not punishing, and it lends itself well to mixing. Continue reading to learn more about what they chose, and for more healthy drinking tips, make sure to check out Drinking Habits to Avoid if You Don’t Want Visceral Fat. But just because you’re choosing to give up alcohol for the month doesn’t mean that you can’t still enjoy delicious beverages after work or when you’re out with friends.