For those ready to drink, without being drunk.
WHY WOULD YOU DRINK NON-ALC?
Gotta work in the morning. Training for a marathon. Taking medication. Pregnant. Dieting. Religion. Parenting. Designated driver. Sober. Whatever the reason, no explanation needed.
The above words from online retailer No & Low succinctly sum up the prevailing attitude towards alcohol for many around the world now. Thankfully fading away into memory are the days when people assumed that if you don’t partake, it’s because you have an issue with the demon drink or something from the incredibly short list of ‘acceptable answers.’
There are a million reasons why somebody might choose to moderate their alcohol consumption or even stop completely. And luckily, there are now a million genuinely decent drink options (approx.) that make it a lot easier.
Goodbye sickly sweet virgin cocktails or the endless glasses of soda that flavoured a night out with friends. Hello, proper, adult options that make teetotal or sober curious guests at our bars feel as welcome as anyone else.
But it’s not all zero-percent Pinot Noir or non-alcoholic hops - au contraire! These non-binary days of imbibing come with a raft of choices including those in the ‘ready to drink’ category.
Let’s take a look at some of the best brands in the world right now for a brilliant beverage, without the booze.
Let’s kick off with the retro-looking Ghia who specialise in real spritzes, with soothing nervines and no nasties taking the place of the alcoholic content. A real lesson in the art of eschewing the sometimes overly earnest tone of lo and no brands, by keeping the the messaging cool and grown up. Plus, they’d look incredible in your bar fridges.
Bax (the surname of the culinary consultants who dreamed them up) Botanics (what these lovely libations are made from) hail from the UK. Known for their alcohol-free spirits utilising Buckthorn and Verbena. But they also do pre-mixed in a can which make for a lovely adult drink with lovely adult packaging.
Boozeless doesn’t just have to mean botanical. Spiritless are a fresh, smart, Vice magazine-approved brand pedalling everything from proper Bourbon to tequila, without the hangover. Ready to drink cocktail cans include Whiskey Sour and Old Fashioned - we’re not in mocktail land anymore Toto.
Very much running with the mindful drinking bulls, their hashtag of #ItsFlyToBeDry says it all.
Colourful and friendly, their eye-catching can designs embrace some nice low-calorie, zero alcohol selections including Strawberry Daiquiri and Mojito.
From wine taster and writer Matthew Jukes, comes a line of alcohol-free drinks, properly blended and perfect to pair with food.
Whilst not ‘ready to drink’ in the canned cocktail sense of the term, these little cordialite bottles are not only healthy but expertly measured and could easily find their way to an alternative take on the wine pairing menu, without the booze.
In their own words, ‘Our cocktails celebrate the fine art of cocktail making, delivering wonderful, authentic flavours without alcohol and with only half the calories.’
Minimalist and sleek in design, the husband and wife team behind Highball bring the Italian Spritz, Cosmo and Pink G&T to the no alcohol sector.
Ready to serve, ready to drink and ready to see your guest through a night out without worrying about the after-effects, London’s Savyll hold a clutch of awards for their boozeless riffs on the Bellini, Moscow Mule & Paloma.
Basically, ‘low and no’ pre-mixed cocktails just got a lot more interesting.
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