All You Need to Know About Non-alcoholic Drinks
A non-alcoholic drink is also known as a temperance drink. It is a version of an alcoholic beverage made with no alcohol or with the alcohol removed or lessened to almost zero. These may be mocktails, a non-alcoholic mixed drink, and non-alcoholic beer. All are widely available.
What Makes a Good Non-alcoholic Drink?
An exquisite non-alcoholic drink has all the elements of a great-tasting liquor every alcoholic loves. Everyone has their taste, but the key components for a balanced drink are a blend of acidity, bitterness, sweetness, salinity, and water. These layers of flavour counteract one another, blooming as you sip, eat, or pass the time.
The drink should exhilarate your palate and challenge you to figure out what makes it so delicious. The trick is to create the impression of an alcoholic beverage without using alcohol as a base.
Alcohol has a signature burn that is difficult to replicate and helps slow down the drinker. Sour, bitter, or spicy flavours can bring off a similar effect. All experts highlighted bitterness as a critical element that stimulates appetite and digestion.
Some NA beverages are sweet and fizzy, like soda, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but you may guzzle through those more quickly. Non-alcoholic drinks are also bottled to be shelf-stable when left unopened; thus, they often lack the brightness of a just-made cocktail.
Where to Get Non-alcoholic Drinks?
You can most likely find non-alcoholic drinks at the nearest convenience stores or malls.
Suppose you are looking for a shop that offers a wide selection of top-rated non-alcoholic beverages. In that case, you might want to try mixology shops like Boisson. They have physical stores around New York and are also open to shipping.
The Best Non-alcoholic Drinks on the Market
1. Pentire Adrift
Pentire Adrift tastes excellent for something with such simple ingredients. It’s subtly salty, and the verdant and citrusy notes complement the salinity. Pentire Adrift appears like water or clear liquor, thin and lacking sugar.
You can drink it plainly on ice; however, when served with tonic, the result is close to a gin and tonic while the herbal flavours still shimmer. The bottle’s minimalist design makes Pentire Adrift feel especially fancy, like something you’d display on a bar cart. You don’t have to refrigerate this one too.
2. Seedlip Garden 108
The fresh Seedlip Garden 108 is mild and enchanting, and it is slightly astringent and peppery, like a deli-pickle brine. Like all Seedlip drinks, Garden 108 is thin, watery, and doesn’t have a sweetener. Still, its acidity adds some depth of flavour.
It is not meant to be served on its own, yet Garden 108 was the only one of Seedlip’s three flavours that’s a letdown to a mixer. Although it is recommended to pair the drink with tonic or ginger ale, you can also enjoy this one with a seltzer.
Seedlip’s bottles are gorgeous but a bit bulky when pouring. It doesn’t also need refrigeration.
3. Figlia Fiore
In a sea of formidable drinks, this spicy-sweet appetite stimulant is one of the only non-alcoholic beverages that are flat-out quaffable. The Fiore is also not as overtly bitter as other herbal non-alcoholic options, and it has a juicy sweetness making it palatable without being sugary or bland.
It’s a rare drink that you can sip on its own without being diluted. You can enjoy it over ice, but you can brighten the beverage even more if you mix it with a tonic. Its gingery flavours also make it great for a toddy.
You can think of Fiore as a lighter, livelier mulled wine. The packaging is elegant and timeless: A stately clear glass bottle with a stopper shows off the cloudy, mauve-pink liquid inside. Figlia Fiore is a versatile non-alcoholic staple you can be excited to enjoy year-round.
4. Wilfred’s Bittersweet
Wilfred’s Bittersweet can be compared to the Italian aperitivo Campari. But it’s less syrupy and bitter than Campari, and it has a tangier bite with the right amount of bitterness from rosemary. It’s a new favourite for when you want a light, tasty non-alcoholic option that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Like the Figlia Fiore, you can happily enjoy Wilfred’s Bittersweet in various settings. Sprayed with tonic, it makes a slightly sweet, refreshing summer sipper. On ice and dressed up into a No-Groni, it’s herbaceous enough to taste like a fancy cocktail.
The striking translucent red-orange colour and the art-decorated bottle are dazzlingly eye-catching. This non-alcoholic spirit is also slightly thicker than water, making it feel more full-bodied and less juice-like than many others.
5. Rasāsvāda Rose Bergamot
Rasāsvāda Rose Bergamot’s flavour and rose aroma stand over the drink, but the bittersweet bergamot and herbaceous lemongrass cut through. The elegantly layered flavours, persisting tartness, and lightly bitter malt help make this drink feel special. Its light-bodied, cloudy mauve colour can remind you of tea. You can enjoy it with seltzer or tonic for a subtler rose taste.
The Rasāsvāda bottle can fit neatly in the fridge and is easy to pour from. Though this drink was one of the most expensive options, you can portion it out by mixing it into cocktails or seltzer, but for some, it may not seem worth the investment.
6. For Bitter For Worse Eva Spritz
Spritzes are fizzy wine cocktails usually served as aperitifs (appetite stimulants) before a meal. They’re mostly made with prosecco, a bitter liqueur, and sparkling water. This ready-to-serve, carbonated version from For Bitter For Worse tasted like a classic Aperol spritz. You can taste rhubarb, orange, and chrysanthemum shone.
Orangey-pink and lightly effervescent, it is one of the refreshing ready-to-serve drinks. Plus, this bottle is nice to serve and easy to transport, whether pulling it out of your fridge or taking it to a gathering. You don’t need any mixers; it also has a perfect amount for sharing.
The bottle also has a swing top, so you can reseal it after you’ve removed the metal cap.
7. Aurora Elixirs Pomelo Sage
This drink is intriguingly light, and the citrus tastes more bitter than sweet, like zest versus juice. Though it has a very slight soapy taste, you can still find it enticingly refreshing. The drink has a honey-like finish, and the hops aren’t too bitter. The Pomelo Sage is another excellent bitters-and-soda alternative with a light fizz and nearly clear colour. The simple glass bottle is timeless.
You may choose a non-alcoholic drink for various reasons, whether you’re sober, pregnant, driving home, avoiding alcohol, or just wanting to avoid a hangover. You can cut an alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic mixer to lower the alcohol by volume or alternate beverages throughout the evening to reduce your intake.
You may also want a delicious and exciting beverage. Creators of non-alcoholic drinks carefully craft and pack them with tantalizing ingredients to compensate for the lack of alcohol.
Whatever your reason for foraying into non-alcoholic beverages, you don’t have to be a mixologist to enjoy the drinks mentioned above. They’re either ready to serve or need one mixer, like tonic or ginger ale. Although when you want to be a mixologist, many companies offer recipes for mixed drinks made with their spirits.