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Help! It's the Holidays! When you don’t feel like drinking, or want to drink less, here are some ideas by Dee-Dee Stout www.deedeestoutconsulting.com

Help! It’s the Holidays!!

When you don’t feel like drinking, or want to drink less, here’s some ideas


One of my favorite things to do around this time before the holiday season is in full swing is to look around for articles on non-alcoholic beverages, otherwise known as NA drinks. When I stopped drinking alcohol decades ago, the only choice out there was a really awful NA beer, O’Douls. Ugh.  I don’t think I even finished my first one, it was so bad. So, I stopped looking for alternatives-to-alcohol choices for decades.  Then, about a decade ago, I was visiting family in Chicago, and we went out to my father’s favorite Mexican place.  As luck happens on occasion, the owner was walking by and overheard me complain about the lack of beverage options without alcohol other than soft drinks or water.  Excitedly he approached me at the table and told me that he also didn’t drink alcohol anymore and had been told about a good NA beer by one of his distributors.  Was I interested in trying one? I looked at my family and finally said, “Sure why not.” Well, was he right!  This NA beer was incredible! Hailing from the internationally famous Guiness brewing company, it’s called Kaliber.  It’s deep complexity and smooth taste won me over – and I was impressed that it was from Guiness!!  I enjoyed Kaliber for a few years.  Sadly, I had to give up gluten so there went my only decent choice for an NA drink then.  Sigh.  Until now! 

You may have noticed the explosion in the market for NA drinks in the past few years.  And that’s really exciting for those of us who want choices for those of us who no longer imbibe.  But there are so many other reasons to want choices in non-alcoholic drinks too: how about people who are pregnant, on medications or have health challenges, or perhaps folks who don’t drink alcohol for religious reasons? But today there’s even more reasons for alternatives to alcohol: people who simply don’t want to drink much alcohol today/tonight but don’t want to give it up completely.  Now they have choices too.  Many of my clients are interested in ballgames and the music scene of the Bay Area but they don’t always want to drink alcohol on a weekday due to work and other obligations.  Perhaps you’re tired of the alcohol-fest that is called The Holidays and would simply like to drink some alcohol but not only drink alcohol-laced cocktails all the way through the season.  Aren’t there other ways to be merry?? The good news is that today the list of reasons to have good NA choices is endless and the efforts to make yummy options for any reason are many.  And creators are listening!

So, I decided to let others do the heavy lifting so here’s the best NA drinks according to Bon Appetit with their (edited) descriptions and comments (from January 24, 2023). I’ve included my list from January 2022 at the end in case that could be helpful. But I just found a fabulous website devoted to everything NA which I encourage everyone to check out, regardless of your planned alcohol intake this holiday season.  ZeroProofNation.com has divided their impressive website into numerous specific and useable categories including “Beers and Malts”, “Ciders & Mead”, “Wines & Wine Alternatives” and even “Cannabis & Hemp-Based Beverages” and “Shrubs & Syrups”. You can click on any of the multiple hyperlinks to order.  Plus, the site even lists local bars that serve NA drinks.  You’ll also find a list of pop ups serving NA drinks, podcasts on everything NA, and even a Global Map to show where you can go in many parts of the world to find NA thirst-quenchers.  Incredible!  It’s truly a new world for non-alcoholic alternatives!!  Finally, since we’re definitely not against alcoholic drinks, we do like to remind folks to please do so mindfully – and, bottom line, enjoy whatever it is that you drink!

The List

(all commentary is from Bon Apetit writers, edited, except where noted)


  1. Ghia le Spritz

Ghia’s Le Spritz is a sparkling canned beverage with all the bitter complexity of an aperitivo but none of the booze. The liquid is the color of a dusky, unfiltered rosé, and the bubbles are present but gentle. Like any good pre-dinner drink, Le Spritz whets your appetite. There’s sweetness from Riesling grape juice and fig concentrate; citrusy and herbaceous notes thanks to yuzu, lemon balm, and rosemary; and a bitter wallop from gentian root, a flowering Alpine plant showcased in aperitifs like Suze and Salers. The newest addition to the Le Spritz line-up adds a squeeze of lime juice and a touch of salt to the original formula. It’s so complex that it feels like a thoroughly adult beverage, even though it’s zero-proof. 

  1. St. Agrestis Phony Negroni  (this is my personal fave right now, so much so that my daughter in law and I fought over the last one recently!)

“Phony Negroni” is from Brooklyn-based distillery St. Agrestis. By starting with the same raw botanicals used in their alcoholic version of the cocktail, St. Agrestis has managed to translate the essence of a negroni, so that it doesn’t feel like you’re missing out on its big, bold, and bitter glory. 

Aplos’s Calme is made with both yuzu and calamansi, its bold and bright citrusy flavor makes it delicious enough to enjoy solo over ice, but feel free to serve it with a splash of tonic or sparkling water as a mixer for a more mellowed-out vibe.  Calme is infused with broad-spectrum hemp (and contains CBD and other cannabinoids, but no THC), and it’s sister product Arise boasts adaptogenic ingredients like ginseng and moringa seed extract paired with notes of agave, lemon verbena, and black Sarawak peppercorns.

For a booze-free sparkling wine moment, Töst offers both white and rosé options. Rather than a straight wine dupe, these are sweetened white tea beverages flavored with ginger and elderberry or white cranberry, depending on which flavor you opt for, and plenty of fizz. They taste something like a light ginger beer, but with a floral, honeyed backbone. Straight from the bottle they pair great with any meal, but for a cocktail hour, they’re a touch sweet. That’s easily fixed, though, with a splash of seltzer and maybe a dash of bitters, turning the drink into a Champagne cocktail experience. 

Seedlip Garden became a mainstay of many a bar cart after Julia Bainbridge touted it in her alcohol-free cocktail book Good Drinks. Distilled from botanicals, this no-ABV "spirit" is made with peas, hay, spearmint, rosemary, and thyme. It's aromatic, mildly floral, and a great stand-in for gin. It shines without needing to fuss with too many add-ins or garnishes: It’s good with some tonic water and basil for a crisp, simple nonalcoholic drink (jazzed up with a cucumber ribbon like Bainbridge calls for in her book), but a spritz of lime or any herb you have on hand can make for a refreshing pick-me-up. 

Trailblazer Katy Perry has launched a line of non-alcoholic bevs. De Soi (pronounced, Frenchily, “swah”) comes in three flavors, all of which claim adaptogenic properties thanks to ingredients like maca, ashwagandha, and L-theanine. The Purple Lune flavor, which is all earthy berries with a touch of not-too-perfumey rose is bitter but balanced. A variety pack of all three flavors, which in addition to Purple Lune includes the herbal-citrusy Golden Hour and the strawberry-forward Champignon Dream, comes in cans or 750 mL bottles. 

The beers from Athletic Brewing is a nonalcoholic brewery that’s big on craftsmanship. If you prefer a lighter beer, try their Upside Dawn Golden Ale; crafted to remove gluten, it has a citrusy, floral-leaning flavor, without the lingering, wheaty heaviness of even the palest of ales. If you’re a craft beer die-hard, go for the Free Wave Hazy IPA, which is pleasantly bitter and tremendously hoppy. 

A shrub is vinegar that’s been infused with ripe fruit and sugar, resulting in a tart-sweet syrup that adds tangy complexity to a cocktail or plain seltzer. This golden-hued one by Element is like eating spears of sunny-sweet pineapple on a balmy beach. The addition of turmeric lends a subtle grounding flavor that, along with the acidic vinegar, makes for a perfectly balanced drink. It’s potent stuff—all you need is a tablespoon or two mixed into a glass of seltzer on ice for a gulpable fruit drink.

Stappi Red Bitter (sometimes also called Stappj) comes in a small slender bottles filled with liquid the color of cherry cough syrup looked like something that Alice had drunk in Wonderland. Try it with a slice of orange and seltzer for a beautiful spritz that’s a combination of bitter & punchy. 

Packaged in wine bottles with colorful labels, they’re made from fruit juice, tea, spices, and bitters and have all the complexity that you’d normally find in wine. Bottles come with descriptions like “McIntosh apples mesh with maple syrup, spruce tips, Labrador tea, and spicy cedar to capture a spring walk.” While Proxies mimic the experience of pouring and drinking wine, they aren’t claiming to perfectly replicate a particular type. But if you’re open to an experience that’s distinct from other nonalcoholic wine options out there, and you’re looking to be more conscientious about your booze consumption, then you’ve met your match. 


Dee-Dee’s NA Spirits, Elixirs, Wines & Beers List

(Jan 2022)


https://www.lisaangel.co.uk/ (UK-based; spirits)

https://athleticbrewing.com/ - Athletic Brewing Company (JJ Watt, NFL)

https://bettybuzz.com/  (Blake Lively)

https://drinkfose.com/  (Wine – Countess Luann, Real Housewife)


Brands:

Everleaf Non Alcoholic Bittersweet Aperitif

Three Spirit The Livener / Non-Alcoholic Aperitif

Ceder's Wild / Non-Alcoholic Spirit

Aecorn Bitter / Non-Alcoholic Aperitif

Aplos Aplós Non-Alcoholic Spirit

Tanqueray 0.0 Alcohol Free


Beers!

  • Kaliber: Non-Alcoholic Beer (my personal fave; Irish lager; Ireland- Non-Alcoholic- Euro Pale Lager- Pours a clear golden amber. Aromas of sweet grains, honey, caramel malts and toasted bread. A predominantly sweet taste with a caramel and grain backbone and hints of corn and cooked vegetables. Finishes with a slight bitterness present.) 

And of course there’s the old guard NA beers:  Clausthaler & Clausthaler Dry Hopped, Beck’s, St. Pauli NA, and O’Doul’s all of which get good ratings (so they must have gotten better!_

Coor’s Edge (NA) beer

Moritz (NA) beer

Golden Road Mango Cart Non-Alcoholic:  CA fruit beer

Special Effects is made using a special fermentation method, according to the brewery, that allows it to retain flavor without the alcohol.

A very light and refreshing Hefeweizen with a touch of hops and the overall feeling that you are, indeed, drinking beer.

Connecticut’s Athletic Brewing does one thing and one thing only: nonalcoholic beer with a craft brewery mentality. 


In addition to the original flavor, there are new styles such as a dry-hopped brew made with Cascade hops.


It has that characteristic skunkiness and mouthfeel.


Two Roots is leading in this category, removing alcohol from its beer and infusing it with THC to produce a slight buzz.


Each can only has 17 calories, but keeps the crisp, malty character of a Kölsch.


Hazy AF is bold and assertive, but with no alcohol, you can drink a few of these without worrying about slowing down.

WellBeing Brewery describes this beer as part cold brew, part latte and part beer.

The beer is packed with the bitterness and citrus that you’d expect from any full alcohol version you can find. (*List is from Liquor.com, 2022)


Articles & Lists:

https://www.betterrhodes.com/ (website for NA drinks)



Note:  This list is not exhaustive, and more and more options are available every day.  Please let me know when you find something new that’s yummy and if you try one of these, how you would rate it.  That way I can continue to make this available to all (since I can’t possibly try all these!).  Cheers!











Photos from Unsplash contributors Karol Chomka & Brook Lark

 
 
 

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