It’s time lads, it’s officially pub garden season. That said, it also means it’s hayfever season, and the time of year when you get that crippling anxiety that you’re not making the most of the sunny weather or long days, and from now until September there will be at least one person on Instagram in a gorgeous European destination every week.
As much as a sunny day means it is acceptable to start drinking circa 11am on a weekend (I give you the inventions of: Bucks Fizz, Irish Coffee, and Pimms), the growing trend of zebra striping (a modern reinvention of the 1:1 rule where you switch between alcoholic and 0% alternative each drink) and the huge number of people going alcohol-free means it might be a good idea to start stocking up your cupboards with some low and no alc products.
However, it can be hard to know which bottles are worth your time, hope, and money. How can you separate the Lucky Saints from the Cobra Zero 0%s? Also, whilst there was a time not all that long ago when the only alcohol free option was a Becks Blue or a water, there are hundreds of alcohol free alternatives these days, from wine, to gin, and even tequila.
We've rounded up the best drinks in each category that will get the job done.
Gin
Gin falls somewhere in the middle of the most difficult drink to recreate alcohol free (wine) and the easiest (beer). Spirits can still be difficult to get right without the alcohol but there are a range of fantastic alcohol free gins available.
- Tanqueray 0.0% alcohol free spirit, RRP £17, available at Tesco
- Everleaf Marine, RRP £22, available at Amazon
- CleanCo, Clean G, RRP £16, available at Tesco
Spirits
We may have cheated a little and clubbed together the rest of the spirits as to be honest, there aren’t exactly a plethora of good ones to choose from. Unlike Gin, spirits like vodka are a lot harder to replicate as the nuance of flavour isn’t exactly what it’s known for. However, there are a couple of spirits that are definitely worth adding to your repertoire.
- Rum: Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 0.0%, RRP £15, available at Amazon
- Whisky: Lyre’s American Malt, RRP £23.99, available at Lyre's
- Tequila: Almave, RRP £24, available at Amazon
(Note, Almave does not massively taste like tequila, nor does it claim to, but what it does deliver is a light agave style spirit which - tried and tested - tastes great mixed into a simple Tommy’s Margarita)
Wine & Sparkling
Wine is probably the hardest one to get right as a no and low alternative. However, there are a couple of people really getting it right. We’d recommend going to White Wine or Rosé as these are generally better than any red alternatives.
Sparkling wine is probably the best place to start in our opinion, as most use fermented tea / kombucha to achieve the bubbles without the sweet, overly syrupy artificial fizz. Whilst there are a lot of supermarket own brand versions, you’ve also got some very premium offerings which are delicious in their own right. Companies like Oddbird and Bolle - even Fortnum & Mason have great options, so it’s worth trying some out and finding what you like.
Sparkling
- LA Brewery Sparkling White Rose, RRP £13, available at Ocado
- Wild Idol Alcohol Free 0.0% Sparkling White, RRP £29.99, available at Ocado
- amie non alc: sparkling rose, RRP £16, available at Drink Amie
Wine
- Moderato Colombard Cuvée Révolutionnaire, RRP £13, available at Majestic Wine
- 6Percent Mid Strength White Wine*, 6% ABV, RRP £12.99, available from 6Percent website
Aperitifs
Alcohol free aperitifs are growing in popularity with a couple of great alcohol free alternatives being produced in recent years. If you’re a regular alcohol-free drinker these are probably more up your street as they’re a little more unusual and will likely quench your curiosity more than a 0% Beer will.
Special shout out to Pentire - their entire range is knockout, and is my personal go-to for any alcohol free alternatives. They have recently released a series of canned cocktails to their range including a Margarita, a Paloma, and a Coastal Spritz - all of which are great alternatives for festivals, picnics, and barbecues.
- Pentire Seaward, RRP £27.80, available at Amazon
- Botivo Botanical Aperitivo, RRP £32, available at Amazon
- Three Spirit Non Alcoholic Botanical Elixers, The Collection, RRP £77.97 (for x3 bottles, £25.99 per bottle), available at Amazon
- The Pathfinder distilled non-alcoholic spirit, RRP £34.99, available at Amazon
Beer
Beer is the easiest to replicate sans alcohol - brewers tend to use one of four major methods: controlled fermentation, dealcoholization, dilution, or simulated fermentation. In all four scenarios, brewers use standard beer ingredients to maintain that familiar hoppy beer taste without the punch of alcohol. This is probably the biggest no & low category there is - in fact there were so many alcohol free beers to choose from, we did a separate round up, but our top choices were:
- Mash Gang, Chug, RRP £3.00, available via Mash Gang
- Fierce Beer, Cerveza, RRP £2.85, available via Fierce Beer
- St Austell, Proper Job, £2 from Morrisons
Switching up your regular order with an alcohol free alternative is becoming more popular for good reason. If you're looking to cut back a bit without missing out, these drinks are a great place to start.
*6Percent wine is a lower alcohol wine alternative. It is not specifically considered a low or no alcohol free, but is a reduced alcohol offering which is a lovely alternative to try if you are looking to lower your alcohol intake.