Dry January? Try these 9 tasty non-alcoholic drinks instead
Alcohol-free wines, spirits, and more that are anything but boring.
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Reviewed / Madison Trapkin
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Feeling over-served from the holidays, many of us are embarking on a Dry January, giving up alcohol as we tackle our health-focused resolutions. But non-alcoholic and low-proof drinks don’t have to be boring. Thanks to innovators in the beverage space, we can now enjoy myriad mocktails, booze-free beers, and more. Gone are the days of sad approximations of your favorite spirits; we've entered a new era of delicious, thoughtfully-crafted non-alcoholic drinks options so you can take a mindful approach to revamping your home bar, or stock up on libations for future gatherings that won't leave you or your guests with hangovers.
Non-alcoholic spirits
Alcohol-free spirits like Seedlip and Ritual make a great base for a non-alcoholic mixed drink.
Consider these the foundation for your non-alcoholic bar setup, just as you would their boozy counterparts.
1. Ritual Zero Proof
The self-proclaimed "almond milk of alcohol," Ritual makes zero proof alcohol alternatives using natural botanicals (a fancy name for plants, herbs, and spices). Choose from tequila, gin, and whiskey alternatives, or opt for a starter pack to sample 350 ml. bottles of all three.
Our editors love using Ritual Tequila Alternative in homemade margaritas with fresh-squeezed lime juice, simple syrup, fresh-squeezed lime juice instead of triple sec (due to the low amount of alcohol in this liqueur), ice, and an extra salty rim, naturally. Ritual also has tons of recipes on its website in case you're looking for inspiration.
Get the Ritual Zero Proof Variety Pack at Amazon for $77.99
2. Seedlip
Seedlip founder Ben Branson is committed to working with nature to change how the world drinks. This London-based company produces distilled non-alcoholic spirits through a six-week process in which naturally grown herbs, spices, and fruits are each distilled separately before blending. The resulting liquid is sugar- and alcohol-free, with the same nuanced flavors you'd expect to find in a high quality distilled spirit.
Each non-alcoholic spirit is named for its ingredients—there's the fresh and floral Garden 108, the zesty Spice 94, and the citrus-forward Grove 24. Branson is passionate about bringing sophisticated booze-free beverages to the mainstream, so much so that he wrote a book on it—check out Seedlip Cocktails:100 Delicious Nonalcoholic Recipes from Seedlip & The World's Best Bars (available on Amazon for $15). Or, you can visit the Seedlip website for free cocktail recipes.
Get Seedlip distilled non-alcoholic spirits on Amazon starting at $31.99
Non-alcoholic mixers
Wilfred's and Ghia are two non-alcoholic beverage brands encouraging you to experiment with your hangover-free mixology.
3. Ghia Aperitif
This woman-owned beverage brand is a relative newcomer to the non-al beverage scene, originally offering a single highly 'gramable product: the incredibly refreshing Ghia non-alcoholic aperitif. Inspired by the European tradition of enjoying a "slow-sipping and fast-talking" drink to kickstart the appetite at the beginning of a meal, Ghia is herbaceous, but not overpowering, with major Campari vibes.
Every order includes an informative (and beautiful) recipe zine featuring recommendations for enjoying your new aperitif. I tried Ghia over ice with sparkling water and a twist of lemon—the resulting drink was somewhat bitter, very crushable, and definitely felt like I was drinking a cocktail.
4. Wilfred’s Bittersweet Aperitif
For those looking to make the perfect Aperol Spritz sans booze, reach for a bottle of Wifred's. This alcohol-free spirit has notes of rosemary, orange peel, and clove paired with top notes of bright rhubarb. When paired with some quality tonic water (we love this Fever Tree tonic)or a non-al sparkling wine, you've got yourself a Sprtiz fit for the Italian Riviera.
Get Wilfred’s Bittersweet Aperitif at Food52 for $32
Non-alcoholic wine
Non-alcoholic wines like Acid League and Töst are perfect for your next dinner party.
5. Acid League Wine Proxies
Acid League's Wine Proxies are meant to be paired with food and enjoyed in your finest stemware (or repurposed jam jars, if that's more your style). Each bottle contains a blend of juices, teas, spices, bitters, and more, which when combined taste like a booze-free approximation of your favorite vino. Take, for example, the No. 9 Dekoponzi Scheme: featuring "vibes of Earl Grey, but fresher, brighter, and just plain better."
You can "join the cru" by making a one-time purchase in which you'll receive three of Acid League's proxies for $70, or subscribe and save with a reoccurring monthly delivery of three proxies for $60 per box. Similar to kombucha, the proxies contain trace amounts of alcohol (below 0.5%), so if you're going totally alcohol-free these wouldn't technically fit the bill, though the FDA still categorizes these as technically non-alcoholic.
Get the Acid League Wine Proxies for $59.50 per box
6. Töst
If you're looking for a non-alcoholic sparkling option that won't make you feel like you're sitting at the kid's table—looking at you, Martinelli's Sparkling Cider—check out Töst (pronounced like "toast" with a bad German accent). This dry sparkling refresher was created with positive, inclusive celebrations in mind, so that folks abstaining from alcohol could enjoy social gatherings without missing out on the bubbly.
The best part? Töst is widely available at bottle shops, natural food stores, and grocers across the country. In fact, if you pop into your local Whole Foods I bet you'll find a bottle or two. For the online shoppers among us, you can also order Töst on the brand's website or Amazon.
Get a 3-pack of Töst on Amazon for $39.50
Non-alcoholic beer
We tasted nine non-alcoholic beers and this brewery makes our top pick, the Athletic Brewing Co. Wild Run IPA.
7. Athletic Brewing Co.
This brewery makes a slew of award-winning, expertly-craft non-alcoholic beers, including our favorite alcohol-free beer Run Wild IPA. If you like your suds on the lighter side, try the Upside Dawn Golden Ale. We haven't officially tested this one, but critics are raving about this non-alcoholic beverage, calling it flavorful, light, and refreshing.
- Get the 12-pack of Athletic Brewing Co. Wild Run IPA on Amazon for $27.99
- Get a 12-pack of Athletic Brewing Co. Upside Dawn Golden Ale on Amazon for $27.99
Canned mocktails
Take the guesswork out of booze-free cocktails with these pre-made options.
8. Kin Euphorics
"All bliss, no booze"—that's the Kin Euphorics motto. Technically speaking, euphoric comes from the Greek word euphoros meaning "state of well being," and Kin accomplishes this by packing its products with adaptogens, nootropics, and botanics. If you're wondering what all of these words mean, don't worry, you're not alone! All of those terms refer to naturally occurring nutrients favored by homeopathic medicine (read: your yoga teacher probably loves this stuff).
I'm not exaggerating when I say I'm obsessed with Kin Spritz. These little cans are the perfect post-work beverage with kombucha-meets-wine-spritzer vibes, minus the alcohol. This spritz tastes mildly healthy, majorly refreshing, with notes of citrus and ginger.
Lightwave is the latest can to join the Kin family with notes of lavender, vanilla, super light smokiness, and and impressive launch led be newly minted Kin Euphorics co-founder Bella Hadid. Both varieties of kin cans are available in 4-, 8-, and 16-packs of 8-ounce cans and can be ordered as a one-time purchase or recurring delivery. These pre-made mocktails are super fun and, dare we say, giftable?
9. Ghia Le Spritz
Ghia describes its Le Spritz Ghia Soda as "Ghia-Soda-Sprig-of Rosemary-Twist-of-Yuzu," which is a long way of saying they went ahead and made a canned non-al spritz for us to take on the go. Available in 4-, 12-, 36-, or 108-packs (for the serious Ghia fans among us), each single-serve canned is filled with the perfectly fizzy, deeply fragrant mocktail known as Le Spritz.
If you prefer a little spice with your mocktail, snag a box of Ghia Le Sprtiz Ginger. Made with Ghia's very own ginger beer and its signature aperitif, this small can is downright medicinal (in a good way, we promise).
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