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Double Dutch tonics mixers

What mixer should I use with my alcohol-free spirit?

The world of alcohol-free spirits is growing fast, with new drinks appearing weekly, if not daily. Some of the new non-alcoholic drinks are very different from their alcoholic counterparts, so it may be difficult to know how best to serve them. We try to provide some help in this article, with expert help from Double Dutch, producers of premium mixers and tonics. Double Dutch was founded by twin sisters Joyce and Raissa de Haas (yes, they are Dutch too!) in London and has won many awards for the quality of their drinks. They are widely available in the UK, and also sold online in the EU and a few other countries.

Types of drink mixers

The four most commonly used types of mixers are tonic, ginger ale/ginger beer, cola, and lemonades. Tonic water, sometimes also called Indian tonic, gets its bitter taste from quinine. Quinine has been used as a medicine against the tropical disease malaria. You can buy unflavoured tonic, low calorie versions, and nowadays also many flavoured variations.

Ginger ale is a light, carbonated, clean drink made with ginger and water. Ginger beer is brewed and fermented, which makes it more spicy with more heat and ginger flavour than ginger ale. Mass produced cola drinks are amongst the most popular drinks on earth, but for a mixer for your alcohol-free spirit you may want to look for better quality brands. We are big fans of Square Root cola for example. And lemonades and other soft drinks come in an infinite variety.

Choosing a mixer for a non-alcoholic spirit

So how to go about choosing a mixer for your alcohol-free spirit? Sometimes just thinking about the alcoholic alternative may be helpful, especially for alcohol-free drinks that mimic a full strength one (for example rums, gins, and vodkas). There may be a classic mixer you can use for your alcohol-free spirit as well – gin with tonic is perhaps the example most of us would think of first.

A more difficult – and interesting – question is what to mix with a non-alcoholic drink that doesn’t resemble any existing alcoholic drink. And these types of drinks are becoming more common as producers experiment with new flavours and production methods. A good starting point is to consider the flavours and ingredients of your drink, and try to match your mixer to them. Feel free to experiment and try different combinations of drinks! And don’t forget that most drink producers have suggested serves on their websites, so it’s worth checking what they recommend too.

To help you get started, we have listed below the suggestions from Double Dutch for all the spirits for sale in our alcohol-free pop-up shop in London.

Pairing an alcohol-free spirit with a mixer

The table below lists, first in the left-hand column, in alphabetical order 64 alcohol-free spirits. The second column has the suggested Double Dutch mixer (or mixers, for some drinks we have more than one recommendation).

Alcohol-free spiritMatching Double Dutch mixer
Anon Bittersweet AperitifPomegranate & Basil
Anon Spiced CaneGinger Beer
Atopia Spiced CitrusCucumber & Watermelon
Caleño Dark and SpicyCranberry & Ginger / Ginger Ale / Ginger Beer
Caleño Light and ZestyCucumber & Watermelon / Bloody Mary Soda
CEDER’S CrispCucumber & Watermelon
CEDER’S Pink RoseCranberry & Ginger
Celtic SoulGinger Ale
CleanCo Clean GCucumber & Watermelon
CleanCo Clean G RhubarbCranberry & Ginger / Cucumber & Watermelon
CleanCo Clean RCranberry & Ginger
CleanCo Clean TMargarita Soda
CleanCo Clean VCranberry & Ginger / Cucumber & Watermelon
Conker Bowser LEAFCucumber & Watermelon
Everleaf ForestGinger Beer
Everleaf MarineCucumber & Watermelon
Everleaf MountainPomegranate & Basil
Fluére Original Botanical BlendIndian Tonic Water / Skinny Tonic Water
Fluére Raspberry BlendPomegranate & Basil
Fluére Smoked AgaveMargarita Soda
Fluére Spiced CaneGinger Beer
Gimber No 1Margarita Soda
Gnista Barreled OakGinger Ale
Gnista Floral WormwoodPomegranate & Basil
Good Koffee Black CardamonGinger Ale
Good Koffee Saffron GoldDouble Lemon
Highpoint Amber DigestifGinger Ale
Highpoint Ruby AperitifPomegranate & Basil
Lyre’s AbsintheCucumber & Watermelon
Lyre’s AmarettiCranberry & Ginger
Lyre’s American MaltGinger Ale
Lyre’s Aperitif DryCranberry & Ginger / Cucumber & Watermelon
Lyre’s Aperitif RossoPomegranate & Basil
Lyre’s Coffee OriginaleDouble Lemon
Lyre’s Dark CaneGinger Beer
Lyre’s Dry London SpiritCucumber & Watermelon
Lyre’s Italian OrangePomegranate & Basil
Lyre’s Italian SpritzPomegranate & Basil
Lyre’s Orange SecGinger Beer
Lyre’s Pink London SpiritPomegranate & Basil
Lyre’s Spiced CaneMargarita Soda
Lyre’s White Cane SpiritCranberry & Ginger / Margarita Soda
Mahala BotanicalCranberry & Ginger
Maria and Craig’sCucumber & Watermelon
Marie LaveauMargarita Soda
NLL Aegean SkyPomegranate & Basil
NLL First LightCucumber & Watermelon
NLL Midnight SunCranberry & Ginger
Ovant GracePomegranate & Basil
Ovant RoyalGinger Ale
Ovant VerveCucumber & Watermelon
Penrhos Zero RaspberryPomegranate & Basil
Pentire AdriftCucumber & Watermelon
Pentire SeawardCranberry & Ginger
Sea Arch Coastal JuniperCucumber & Watermelon
Seedlip Garden 108Cucumber & Watermelon
Seedlip Grove 42Pomegranate & Basil
Seedlip Spice 94Indian Tonic Water / Pomegranate & Basil
Sprigster Original Shrub Infused LiquorDouble Lemon
Strykk Not Vanilla VodkaDouble Lemon
Strykk Not VodkaBloody Mary Soda
Three Spirit LivenerMargarita Soda
Three Spirit NightcapCranberry & Ginger
Three Spirit Social ElixirGinger Ale

Pairing a mixer with an alcohol-free spirit

Our second table works the opposite the way: for each mixer type in the first column, we list the matching alcohol-free spirits in the second column.

Double Dutch mixerMatching non-alcoholic spirits
Bloody Mary SodaCaleño Light and Zesty, Strykk Not Vodka
Cranberry & GingerCaleño Dark and Spicy, CEDER’S Pink Rose, CleanCo Clean G Rhubarb, CleanCo Clean R, CleanCo Clean V, Lyre’s Amaretti, Lyre’s Aperitif Dry, Lyre’s White Cane Spirit, Mahala Botanical, NLL Midnight Sun, Pentire Seaward, Three Spirit Nightcap
Cucumber & WatermelonAtopia Spiced Citrus, Caleño Light and Zesty, CEDER’S Crisp, CleanCo Clean G, CleanCo Clean G Rhubarb, CleanCo Clean V, Conker Bowser LEAF, Everleaf Marine, Lyre’s Absinthe, Lyre’s Aperitif Dry, Lyre’s Dry London Spirit, Maria and Craig’s, NLL First Light, Ovant Verve, Pentire Adrift, Sea Arch Coastal Juniper, Seedlip Garden 108
Double LemonGood Koffee Saffron Gold, Lyre’s Coffee Originale, Sprigster Original Shrub Infused Liquor, Strykk Not Vanilla Vodka
Ginger AleCaleño Dark and Spicy, Celtic Soul, Gnista Barreled Oak, Good Koffee Black Cardamon, Highpoint Amber Digestif, Lyre’s American Malt, Ovant Royal, Three Spirit Social Elixir
Ginger BeerAnon Spiced Cane, Caleño Dark and Spicy, Everleaf Forest, Fluére Spiced Cane, Lyre’s Dark Cane, Lyre’s Orange Sec
Indian Tonic WaterFluére Original Botanical Blend, Seedlip Spice 94
Margarita SodaCleanCo Clean T, Fluére Smoked Agave, Gimber No 1, Lyre’s Spiced Cane, Lyre’s White Cane Spirit, Marie Laveau, Three Spirit Livener
Pomegranate & BasilAnon Bittersweet Aperitif, Everleaf Mountain, Fluére Raspberry Blend, Gnista Floral Wormwood, Highpoint Ruby Aperitif, Lyre’s Aperitif Rosso, Lyre’s Italian Orange, Lyre’s Italian Spritz, Lyre’s Pink London Spirit, NLL Aegean Sky, Ovant Grace, Penrhos Zero Raspberry, Seedlip Grove 42, Seedlip Spice 94
Skinny Tonic WaterFluére Original Botanical Blend
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