This month, the Hubby and I are participating in a “Dry January” in which we gave up all alcoholic drinks as a reset of our own drinking behavior. Dry January started originally as a trend in the UK, and has since gained popularity around the world.
However, after a few days of not drinking, we found that we really missed having a tasty beverage to sip on and unwind in the evenings; we weren’t missing the alcohol, but we were missing the ritual of a nightcap. So we went on an internet shopping spree, and tried as many of the relatively new products in the “alcohol alternative” space as we could find. Here’s what we liked — and what we didn’t!
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, check our privacy policy.
1. Lyre’s
Lyre’s tops our list, not only because it’s one of the most well known alcohol alternatives out there, but because it also was our overall favorite. With a variety of flavors that work as a stand-in for many different spirits, we found that we could pretty easily make tasty, balanced, complex mocktails a reality with Lyre’s.
I’d regularly mix the Aperitif Rosso and the Italian Orange with soda water to replace an Aperol Spritz, while the Dark Cane Spirit could be used as a convincing stand-in for rum in most of our favorite tiki drinks. We also tried the American Malt, the London Dry Spirit, and the Aperitif Dry, and honestly enjoyed all of the varieties we sampled. (Pro-tip? Order these from Amazon, because the Lyre’s website is perpetually sold out…)
2. Curious Elixirs
Of all the pre-mixed, straight from the bottle, no-bartending-required beverages we tried, Curious Elixirs was one of our favorites. Their drinks are complex, balanced, and utterly unique; while they don’t really taste like any cocktail you may be used to, you simply won’t care because they’re that interesting.
They offer 5 different flavors, but our favorite was Curious Elixir #1 which is somewhat reminiscent of a pomegranate negroni. While the elixirs do contain juice (and therefore, sugar), there’s no added sugar like some of the others on the list, and they don’t taste overly sweet. They also claim to have lots of other healthy things like “adaptogens” in case that’s something you’re looking for…mainly we just thought they were tasty.
3. For Bitter or Worse
These were a pleasant surprise, actually. Given the name, we weren’t exactly expecting much. But these pre-mixed cocktails were not overwhelmingly bitter as the name might suggest, and when mixed with a splash of soda (as they recommend) we found them interesting, complex, and well-balanced.
Even better, while Curious Elixirs didn’t taste like any cocktail we’d ever had, For Bitter or Worse very much did — meaning these are an excellent choice for someone just dipping their toe into the mocktail world, as they’ll be nice and familiar. The Smoky No. 56 was reminiscent of a smoked old fashioned, while the Eva’s Spritz aped an Aperol spritz, and the Saskatoon resembled a negroni.
4. Som
Som was another pleasant surprise. This company makes drinking vinegars, which have become popular in recent years in order to make shrub-style cocktails. But unlike some of the other drinking vinegars we’ve tried that just punch you in the face with acidity, these were really nicely balanced.
Mixing these are easy – just add soda. Our favorite was the pineapple and szechuan pepper, which, when mixed with 4 parts soda water and topped with a lime wedge, made me feel just like I was on a tropical beach somewhere.
5. Kin Euphorics
Kin’s another pre-mixed option, however this one drinks a little more like a wine than a cocktail in my opinion. It’s definitely more bitter than many offerings on this list; I found I needed to mix it with a little stevia to enjoy it. Still, it was probably the best sparkling option on our list. Also, it comes in really cute little cans.
6. Seedlip
Like Lyre’s, Seedlip has a variety of flavors that work well in creating your own mocktail. While not precise stand-ins for alcohol, the Garden 108 mimics the herbal nature of gin, Grove 42 has a citrus-y nature that can work in place of tequila, and their Spice 94 is a decent alternative to spiced rum.
What’s unique about Seedlip is that (unlike most things on this list) they don’t add any juice, sugar, or sweetener to their creations — rather, their “spirits” taste something more like herbal extracts or essential oils; you wouldn’t want to drink them straight up, but they work well when mixed with other components. So if you’re considering a break from drinking in order to lose some weight, sugar-free/carb-free/calorie-free Seedlip may be one of your best bets.
7. Monday
Monday is the only drink on our list that specifically bills itself as an alternative to one specific type of alcohol: gin. You’re instructed to mix it just as you would gin in recipes like G&T, Tom Collins, or a Martini.
I tend to prefer more floral gins rather than the super juniper-y numbers, so I wasn’t the biggest fan of Monday. But the hubby, who does tend to drink a lot more gin beverages than I do, said he found it to be a fairly convincing alternative, so your mileage may vary.
8. Alcohol-Free Craft Beers
So, these are sort of hit and miss, which is why I placed this category towards the bottom of the list. We’ve tried six different non-alcoholic beers: Brooklyn Brewery Special Effects IPA, Brewdog Nanny State, and the Wellbeing Hellraiser Dark Amber.
Of these, I could happily drink the Brooklyn beer any day. It tastes like a hoppy IPA, full stop. If I was handed this at a party, I would have no idea it didn’t have alcohol. The others that we tried I’m not as enthusiastic about, but there are also a TON of other non-alcoholic beer varieties that we haven’t tried just yet.
9. Mingle Mocktails
We had high hopes for this brand of sparkling, pre-mixed drinks, as they bill themselves as a wine alternative, and instruct you to serve their beverages in champagne flutes. But what we found was basically just really expensive, super-sweet Italian Sodas.
The five flavors — Blackberry Hibiscus Bellini, Cranberry Cosmo, Blood Orange Elderflower, Cucumber Melon Mojito, and Moscow Mule — do certainly taste good. But they have no “bite” to them, no bitter to even them out or alcohol-like-burn to balance all that sweetness. The ingredients list confirms this: sparkling water is #1, sugar is #2, and some assortment of fruit juices round out the list. At $14 a bottle, we’ll stick to our grocery store’s brand of Italian Sodas to use as mixers, rather than splurging for these again.
10. Grüvi Bubbly and/or Fre Brut
Grüvi is intended to take the place of sparkling wine, and comes in both “brut” and “rosé” varieties. Fre, made by Sutter Home, is actual wine that has had the alcohol removed, and comes in multiple varieties as well. But while these non-alcoholic wines may look like the real thing in your glass, they basically just tastes like sugar, soda water, and vinegar mixed together — very reminiscent of the sparkling apple ciders you may have been given as a kid to “toast” with on special occasions. We weren’t super impressed. What’s worse, they’re both super high in sugar — not ideal if you’re reducing alcohol in order to be healthier.
11. Ghia
I’ll let the Washington Post review of Ghia speak for itself. “It is for people who really like bitter drinks. I’m talking more bitter than a Negroni, more bitter than Fernet, more bitter than a bad divorce.”
That pretty much sums it up. We definitely won’t be ordering this again, unless it’s to play a prank on someone we don’t like.
A Note on Mixers…
That rounds out the list of all that we tried, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least make a mention of mixers. In order to get the most out of any of the above, you’re likely going to want to have some bar basics around to mix with — notably angostura bitters, simple syrup, soda water, tonic water, lemons, and limes.
But we also found a few noteworthy mixers that we thought were worth a mention on their own. Portland Syrups makes a variety of great options that pair well with alcohol or alcohol alternatives alike; our favorites are their Marionberry Syrup and Rose City Tonic. And Fentiman’s, a UK-based brand that’s recently started distributing in the US, makes really excellent botanical sodas; my favorite is the Rose Lemonade.
Conclusion
So, whatever you decide to put in your glass at the end of the day, whether it be alcoholic or not, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy a delicious, well-crafted drink. While there may only be a couple weeks left of Dry January, I fully expect many of these items on the list will become part of our new regular rotation. Cheers!
){kind=link}