Whether you are teetotal or just looking to drink less alcohol, these tipples are not just sustainable made but alcohol-free too. Also good for designated drivers, see which one you fancy trying first.
Tonic waters contain quinine, so avoid serving them if pregnant or you have an abnormal heart rhythm, kidney or liver disease or low blood sugar. Avoid grapefruit slices for certain medical conditions, and avoid rhubarb tonic waters for stomach/kidney issues.
A Complex Non-Alcohol Aperitif
Everleaf is a complex non-alcoholic aperitif, in 3 versions; all made with sustainable ingredients. Choose from Forest (citrus and spices), Marine (juniper, bergamot, citrus, sea buckthorn and olive leaf) or Mountain (floral sweetness with piney juniper, rosehip and black cherry). The founder is a conservation biologist. There are three versions:
- Everleaf Forest has layers of citrus, bark spices, bittersweet roots and savour saffron
- Everleaf Marine is clean and crisp, with bold juniper bud and bergamot citrus, with tropical notes from sea buckthorn and olive leaf
- Everleaf Mountain has a bright floral sweetness with piney juniper, filling out to rosehip & black cherry.
Native Botanical Drink from Cornwall
Pentire Drinks (Cornwall) offers a drink made with native botanicals of rock samphire, sage and Cornish sea salt. Garnish with rosemary, sage, rock samphire or lemon peel.
Borage Drink from Oxfordshire
Borrago (Oxfordshire) is a teetotal gin that contains the herb borage, which bees love. Although it’s toxic to pets (only plant borage in pet-free gardens), our buzzy friends use it as food, and the company uses profits to help buy borage seeds to save our bees. This dry spirit has sweet floral spicy notes of cardamom, with a rosemary layer and peppermint finish. Not designed to taken straight, this spicy peppery citrus taste is cool and clean, and ideal as a mixer. Avoid borage tea, if pregnant/nursing.
Spirits from Lincolnshire
Seedlip Drinks (Lincolnshire) makes quality non-alcoholic spirits, made to an ancient recipe devised by a medical doctor around 200 years ago. Made with herbs and spiced in copper pots, they are expertly blended without sugar or sweetener, to create a sophisticated alternative, when mixed with tonic water. The name comes from the basket used to sow seeds, back when herbs and spices where used in apothecaries to make non-alcoholic herbal remedies.
The range includes:
- Garden 108 – a herbal drink with handpicked peas.
- Spice 94 – a complex blend of allspice, bark & citrus
- Grove 42 is a blend of orange, ginger & lemongrass
Æcorn Bitter Non Alcoholic Aperitif is a blend of English-grown Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier grapes, with notes of grapefruit, bay leaf and orange. Best served with soda (paired with roasted almonds, cashews or pimiento-stuffed green olives – keep in fridge once opened, use within 4 weeks). Also in 2 other versions:
- Aromatic has notes of smoked cherrywood, vanilla, kola nut and chinotto, with warming notes of clove, cassia and oak.
- Dry has notes of clary sage and chamomile, with finishing notes of black tea, quassia and oak.
Nogroni is a non-alcohol version of the Italian spirit. With chinotto orange, grapefruit, all spice and gentian (not for high blood pressure) .
Nogroni from east London
Square Root Soda’s Italian Negroni (East London) gives a cockney slant to the popular Italian cocktail. This alcohol-free version is a blend of orange, raspberry and blackcurrant) with gently infused spices. Also try their Square Root Gin & Tonic with dried lime and spices Avoid liquorice for high blood pressure or heart/kidney/liver disease.
Latin Spirit from Bristol!
Caleño is a fun tropical spirit created in a Bristol by a woman with Colombian heritage, who wanted to bring some Latin funk to town, without any alcohol. Feeling uninspired by other alcohol-free drinks, she got the idea when visiting the country of her Latin roots, 5000 miles later. This spirit captures the sun-drenched flavours of the Americas, and you can keep on dancing without falling over! Serve these over ice or with tonic and a golden inca berry or fresh citrus.
- Light & Zesty features a tropical blend of juniper, citrus and spice botanicals. It’s a lively mix of inca berry, pineapple, papaya, coriander, green cardamom and lemon peel.
- Dark & Spicy is a rich blend of pineapple, coconut, ginger, black cardamom, vanilla, lime and coconut night. Ideal for balmy nights.
Bax Botanics Alcohol-Free Spirits
Bax Botanics makes alcohol-free spirits distilled in beaten copper alembics, choose from Sea Buckthorn (a rich complex flavour with bittersweet Seville orange, aromatic Mediterranean herbs and sea buckthorn berries). Or Verbena (a refreshing herbal profile with bright menthol, anise and subtle florals).
Eastern-Inspired London Spirit Drinks
Xachoh offers Eastern-inspired London spirit drinks. Although these are made in the city, they are from a different part of the world and age. Pronounced Za-Ko, this drink is named after a Persian philosopher (who discovered alcohol, but did not drink!) Made with ancient herbs and spices, the founder leaned on his family’s ancient recipes to create the brand. The drinks are free from alcohol. Choose from:
- Blend No 5 (star anise, ginger, long pepper, turmeric, chamomile, barberry & rosemary). This tastes of fresh aniseed with fruity ginger, pepper and turmeric.
- Blend No 7 (ginger, mace, cinnamon, saffron and dark crystal malt). This tastes mostly of ginger and mace (nutmeg) with subtle fruits and cinnamon.
The drink’s motif is Huma, a Persian mythical bird which is the symbol of enlightenment and upliftment. It was believed to spend its whole life in the air, sailing above the world.
