The Next Round: What happens after you change your drinking?
The Next Round: What happens after you change your drinking?
For fans of a light, clear, bubbly beverage, we all know that there’s a different gin type for different occasions. It’s no different with alcohol-free gin. There’s a moment where a sophisticated alcohol-free gin and premium tonic is the right grown-up drink for the event mood. Certain food pairings will dictate which alcohol-free gin you’ll opt for. And on warm, sunny summer holidays, perhaps only a fruity pink gin will do!
Our alcohol-free drinks journey articles have been inspired by the Club Soda Alcohol-Free Off-Licence and all we’ve learned from meeting customers, sampling drinks, and learning about individual taste journeys. The off-licence is open until the end of March, but there will be future opportunities to sample and discuss a fantastic range of alcohol-free drinks, so keep your eyes peeled on our socials.
Alcohol-free gin can be separated into two categories; alcohol-free alternatives and alcohol-free drinks that resemble the taste palette of familiar drinks but are totally unique. We start with some of the classic alternatives and lead on to drinks that are akin to a gin.
Strykk’s Not G*n is a delicious alcohol-free alternative to London dry gin made from a combination of tasty botanicals such as coriander, sage, and juniper. Much like their other ‘Not’ range, this popular non-alcoholic gin is sugar and fat free, 100% natural, and still manages to pack as much punch as alcoholic gins.
If you hadn’t guessed by the name, this alcohol-free gin has been made in the style of a London Dry gin. With notes of peppery juniper and floral jasmine and orange blossom, this will satisfy all gin lovers with distinct, familiar flavours.
Clean G’s alcohol-free gin alternative was a Gold Award winner at the International Wines and Spirits Competittion 2021. It’s not surprising – this crisp, botanical alternative tastes as punchy as its alcoholic counterpart. With an intense juniper experience, this distinctive alcohol-free gin pairs well with tonic, lemon, and mint.
Ceder’s Classic in everything a good alcohol-free gin should be, with classic notes of juniper and coriander over floral notes. This brand also combines classic gin botanicals with rare botanicals from the Cederberg region in South Africa, which gives this mouth-watering range of gin alternatives its name.
If you’re not sure how much tonic to add to your alcohol-free gin, then Highball have done it for you! This delicious pre-bottled cocktail has just the right amount of citrus, botanicals, and quinine to quench the thirst of any fan of this time-honoured favourite.
Similarly, popular alcohol-free cocktail brand Square Root have created an award-winning, top notch non-alcoholic G&T in a bottle – the perfect thing to have in your fridge for a go-to Friday night drink without the hangover. Bursting with Perian lime over hints of liquorice, all you have to do is add ice for a juicy treat.
This deliciously refreshing non-alcoholic alternative to gin and tonic is inspired by the sea. With marine flavours such as bergamot, dulse, and sea buckthorne, the aroma of sea spray and punch of saline seaweed combine to create a G&T worthy of post-beach tipples.
This particular brand of gin alternative has an easy familiarity whilst also combining some distinctly different flavours. Inspired by classic gins but with a warmth normally attributed with dark spirits, using orange, ginger, and cardamom. Refreshing, bitter, and with a kick, this drink has been described as ‘the birth of an icon’.
This range of botanical beauties were the original distilled non-alcoholic spirits. While Garden 108 is widely regarded as the first alcohol-free gin alternative, Grove 42 and Spice 94 both bring a punch usually attributed to mixers. All three stand up amidst this growing market and create wonderful AF cocktails.
As we verge into bigger flavours, Sea Arch feels like a natural next stop. Created in the same way as other gin alternatives, Sea Arch focuses on seaside botanicals, capturing the spirit of the Devon coast. Packed with sea kelp, samphire, cardamom and blood orange, the alcohol is gently removed from this traditionally distilled drink to create a grown-up alcohol-free favourite.
Just around the coast in Cornwall, Pentire Adrift also reflects coastal sea air with fragrant botanicals and salty undertones. Not overly sweet, it’s best served simply with tonic water to allow the subtly of taste to wash over your tastebuds.
This is an alcohol-free gin with a lively Latino twist! Caleno adds golden Inca berry, pineapple, and papaya to its list of familiar ingredients for a tropical, Columbian drink experience. Zesty, spicy, and perfect for sunny days.
Speaking of zingy gin alternatives, Atopia’s 0.5% ABV ultra-low alcohol spirit comes in two flavours. Spiced Citrus is light, refreshing, with warming spices for a satisfying mouthfeel. Wild Blossom’s enlivening apple notes are balanced perfectly with a hint of smokiness creeping over floral notes.
Mahala, meaning ‘free’ in Zulu, is a non-alcoholic, triple distilled gin that uses nine hand-sourced botanicals picked from the brand’s land. The ingredients are then infused under vacuum to extract as much flavour as possible, resulting in a complex, health-conscious ‘M&T’.
Conker distillery brings you its alcohol-free offering, Bowser Leaf. Woody patchouli, vanilla sweetness, and effervescent mint make this gin alternative moreish with a lingering dryness. Quite an unique flavour, perfect with tonic, while sitting firmly in the gin category.
This distilled botanical spirit takes the addition of herbal products up a notch with its CBD drink. It adds natural hemp to its list of classic gin botanicals, blending the unique and subtle taste of CBD with citrusy flavours to create a sophisticated, adaptogenic drink that helps you to relax without the hangover.
This alcohol-free gin journey begins with pink and flavoured gins, a trend that started in the 90s and has now firmly planted itself within the non-alcoholic spirit sector. These on-trend drinks are sweeter, fun alcohol-free options that are playful and Instagramable as well as being delicious. If flavoured gin is your thing, then this journey is the one for you.
The party drink of choice, Lyre’s Pink London Spirit is as colourful as it is tasty, with the immediate flavour of rose and cherry sitting over red and blackberry base notes. Pairs beautifully with sliced fresh strawberries and grapefruit soda.
The most British of tastes graces this delightful alcohol-free gin. Deemed by the brand as a ‘pretty in pink hangover-free hero’, this tart and tasty spirit is fruity, punchy, and moreish. Mix with tonic and ice to best savour the rhubarb or add a slice of lime if you like yours extra tangy.
Ceder’s Pink Rose is a soft and subtle taste with sweet notes of rose and hibiscus teamed with the classic gin botanical, juniper. This pink alt-gin is great for cool summer evenings, and is irresistibly delicate and refreshing over ice with raspberries and tonic.
Highball haven’t left you pink gin lovers out of their extensive bottled cocktail collection. With a distinctive blend of raspberry and lavender providing a gentle, warm sweetness, with punchy juniper providing the gin-like bite, this pre-mixed cocktail is a great convenient fridge option.
Midnight Sun is a mouth-watering non-alcoholic aperitif like nothing you’ve tasted before. This pink phenomenon is packed full of seaberries and elderberries with hints of pine and kelp, making it an adventure in taste and complexity of flavour. If you’re looking to serve a pink gin alternative before dinner, then this is a great choice.
Specifically crafted for pink gin drinkers, Mountain has all the botanicals usually associated with an alcohol-free gin, with the addition of cherry blossom, rosehip, savoury murtle, and sweet strawberry. Bitter undertones balance this elegantly fruity drink, becoming moreish as the evening goes on.
Fluere claim that pink makes everything enticing, and with the fresh tastes and smooth texture of this pretty drink, it’s hard not to agree. Fresh raspberries give this booze-free beverage a fruity kick, with juniper, lime and coriander seed at its base and lavender top notes adding a floral aftertaste. For an elegant drink, add to a champagne flute and top up with kombucha.
From the distillery at Penrhos Farm comes a non-alcoholic gin alternative which comes from the land. The botanicals are mixed to a fine balance, with blueberries and raspberries providing a fresh burst, and creating the first distilled non-alcoholic spirit using real fruit juice. This brand champions home-grown fruit and combats fruit waste while providing fantastic flavours without the alcohol.
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