But if you fancy yourself a mixologist, dont worrymany companies offer their own recipes for mixed drinks made with their spirits. Others have additives that are supposed to relax you. The flavor reminded us of a minty tea, with notes of lemongrass and a sour aftertaste. We found the Floral Wormwood to be the more drinkable of the two Gnista options. Ingredients: organic Vermont maple syrup, organic bourbon-barrel-aged fermented maple, gourmet coffee, natural essences. You may choose a nonalcoholic drink for a host of reasons, whether youre sober, avoiding alcohol for medical or religious reasons, pregnant, driving home, or just wanting to avoid a hangover. Rassvda Black Ginger: Black Ginger was the most savory drink we tried. Tasting notes: In a sea of challenging drinks, this spicy-sweet aperitif (a drink that aims to stimulate your appetite) is one of the only nonalcoholic beverages we tried that is flat-out quaffable. Its very little, but its still a residual amount if you are in recovery or cant consume alcohol for medical reasons. Some had extra touches like corks or resealable caps, which we appreciated. It looks, smells, and tastes like a concentrated berry juice, and it reminded us of medicinal elderflower syrup. Curious Elixir No. How wed drink it: If you like pia coladas or want a bright, punchy drink, go for the saturated fruity flavors of the Caleo Dark & Spicy. We didnt try it for this update, however. You shouldnt feel limited to what we include in this guide (but if you are sober, check to make sure drinks are truly zero proof). Ingredients: water, white grape juice concentrate, ginger juice, lemon juice, rose extract, rosemary extract, natural elderflower flavor, black currant juice concentrate, chamomile extract, ginseng root, lemon balm extract, bitter orange rind, fruit & vegetables extract (for color). Serving suggestion: Serve over ice with a lime wheel and (optionally) a salted rim. Often, to make up for the lack of alcohol, creators of NA drinks carefully craft them and pack them with tantalizing ingredients. Ingredients: carbonated water, sugar, gentian root extract, Hella Aromatic Bitters (Jamaican allspice, black peppercorns, caraway, cinnamon sticks, cloves, rose hips, angelica root, gentian root, Chinese star anise, chamomile), citric acid, natural flavor, fruit and vegetable juice, paprika oleoresin. If we missed one of your favorites, add suggestions to the comments section below. Han Suk Cho, founder of Zero Proof Bevs, says she honed her nonalcoholic mixology skills by following regular cocktail books; the basic principles still apply. We loved sipping the dark pink Livener plain, and just a fingers width sated us. Its light-bodied, with a cloudy mauve color, and it reminded us of tea. Rassvda Ruby Artemisia: With bruisy, dried-fruit notes from raisins and plum syrup, plus tannins from puer tea, Ruby Artemisia reminded us of a Riesling, but the flavors were too cloying. The tall, stunning bottle, which has a real cork, is a bit hard to fit in a fridge, but hopefully it will last a long time. The bottles chic, minimalist design makes Pentire Adrift feel especially fancy, like something youd display on a bar cart. If youre skipping alcohol entirely, search for nonalcoholic bitters. It stands up well on its own over ice. Three Spirit bottles are short and slender, but the drinks are concentrated enough that a little goes a long way. Tasting notes: Rassvda Rose Bergamots rose aroma and flavor dominate the drink, but the bittersweet bergamot and herbaceous lemongrass cut through. by Michael Sullivan, Emily Han, and Nick Guy. We think our current aperitif picks are more versatile, but this is still a nice ready-to-drink option. Its also acidic and vegetal, and it tastes slightly like tomato juice. During her time at Wirecutter, she reported on various topics including sports bras, board games, and light bulbs. And when Pentire Adrift is served with tonic, the result is a close dupe to a gin and tonicand the herbal flavors still sparkle. The brown glass bottles feature pastel, art deco designs depicting enticing, escapist scenes of river sailing, sunsets, and mountains. You might cut an alcoholic drink with an NA mixer to lower the alcohol by volume, negating some of the alcohols effects, or you might alternate drinks throughout an evening to lower your intake. We thought it clashed with tonic and instead preferred it mixed with ginger ale. Casamara Club Como: With notes of grape candy, juniper, orange, and sage, the Como tasted mintier than other Casamara Club flavors. How wed drink it: Slightly herbaceous, deliciously citrusy, and a little bitter, Wilfreds Bittersweet will whet your appetite or offer an end-of-day pick-me-up before dinner. This drink ticks all the boxescitrus for acid, grape juice for sweetness, ginger for spice, gentian for bitterness. Plus, this bottle is nice to serve from and easy to transport, whether youre pulling it out of your fridge or bringing it to a gathering. Ghia: For a straightforward, orangey aperitif, Ghia fits the bill. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. We tasted sunscreen, rosemary, and anise, with a hint of lavender. We tried each drink plain first and then mixed according to the brands basic serving suggestion. Learn more. Bax Botanics Sea Buckthorn: The Sea Buckthorn flavor was the lighter of the two Bax bottles we tried, and it didnt stand up to mixers at all. The squat Rassvda bottle fit neatly in the fridge and was easy to pour from. (The company doesnt call this an imitation gin, but Pentire Adrift does have some characteristic gin flavors.) In 2021, to learn more about what makes a delicious nonalcoholic drink and how people should shop for them, we spoke with four experts: Julia Bainbridge, author of Good Drinks, who has reported extensively on the NA beat; John deBary, author of Drink What You Want and founder of Proteau, who ran the bar program at Momofuku for nine years; Douglas Watters, owner of Spirited Away, a spirits-free bottle shop in New York City; and Han Suk Cho, a nonalcoholic beverages mixologist and creator of Zero Proof Bevs. How wed drink it: Drink this lightly spiced, citrusy drink alongside Thai takeout, while watching a movie, or sitting on a blanket for a park hang at sunset. We got grassy notes of fresh spinach and salty preserved lemon. You dont need any mixers, and its a perfect amount for sharing. Serving suggestion: Serve over ice with tonic. Ingredients: water, champagne vinegar, strawberry juice concentrate, chamomile extract, da huang (Chinese rhubarb), hibiscus extract, gentian root extract, purple carrot extract, xanthan gum. But the elegantly layered flavors, lingering tartness, and lightly bitter tannins help make this drink feel special. It reminds us of tepache, a Mexican fermented pineapple brew; the company compares it to a pineapple margarita. Serving suggestion: Enjoy chilled straight from the bottle or over ice with an orange twist. We sampled the companys other flavors, and we found them to be more savory and bitter than we like. This is a fermented drink, and it shows. It isnt as mind-bending as some other beverages we tried, like the Three Spirit Livener, but it is delicious and approachable. Ingredients: carbonated filtered water; organic pineapple, lime, and orange juice concentrates; organic extracts of ginger, jalapeo, ancho, chili, damiana, rosemary, star anise; smoked sea salt, herbs and spices. Celebratory and special: A nonalcoholic drink shouldnt be a compromise. Some of these drinks claim to alter your nervous system, as alcohol does. Ingredients: filtered water, rhubarb juice, white wine grape concentrate, organic sweet orange peel, organic bitter orange, organic beet root powder, organic gentian root, organic rhubarb root, organic hibiscus, organic spices, non-GMO monk fruit, non-GMO citric acid, organic hyssop, organic angelica root, organic roasted dandelion root. In 2022, we checked back in with Bainbridge and Watters, and we spoke with Louis Borrelli, co-founder of the online NA retailer No & Low, to see what was new and notable in the NA space. Over ice and gussied up into a No-Groni, its herbaceous enough to feel like a fancy cocktail. These glasses are suitable for all types of wine, so theres no need for separate stemware specifically for red, white, or sparkling wines. Although we appreciate that large-format bottled NA drinks are versatile and shareable, theres a time and a place for a single-serving drink. Note, though, that this drink was one of the most expensive options we tried; you can ration it out by mixing it with seltzer or into cocktails, but for some it may not seem worth the investment. It got lost in mixers, but it may work as a building block for cocktails. We appreciate that they dont take up much shelf space and dont need refrigeration. But the spicy-citrusy flavors meld together seamlessly, and this drink pulled us in again and again. In NA drinks, added glycerin or thickeners, such as xanthan gum, can mimic alcohols body. Since the Rivington Spritz drink doesnt need a mixer, its perfect for sharing around a table or at a picnic. The ginger was subtle and warming. Or you may simply want a delicious and interesting beverage. The High Rhode has a syrupy consistency that lingered on our tongues like medicine. There are many NA options in the single-serving category, and weve included a few of our favorites in the 2022 update. We wanted to include beverages that looked beautiful and wouldnt feel out of place on a bar cart or a dining table, as well those that would make a good gift. A tingly, warming spicinesssimilar to that of Sichuan peppercornbuilds at the back of the throat and settles into the chest. The earthy and molasses flavors also weighed it down. Though this wasnt the most luxurious or complicated drink we tried, sometimes convenience and ease are what you need. Kin Lightwave: Though this product is admittedly more palatable than the bottled Kin, it still has some flavors that are just a little too funky. Yet the drink still tastes juicy, thanks to the fruity watermelon and strawberry flavors. Harmony Alpine Digestif: Licorice and mint flavors dominate this digestif, which reminded us of flat root beer. As with all Seedlip drinks, Garden 108 is thin, watery, and lacking any sugar or sweetener (many drinks we tried were balanced with some added sweetness). Dark & Spicy is marketed as being a rum mimic. Bottom notes of herbal ginseng, earthy beet, and tart pomegranate round it out. 4 missed the mark for us. But of all the drinks we tried, Livener best approximated the burning sensation of drinking alcohol. See more recipes here. Although its not traditional for a Negroni, the light effervescence of the Phony Negroni helps it feel as tantalizing as a just-made drink. Taste is, of course, subjective. De Soi Champignon Dreams: Ironically, this mushroom-inspired drink does not taste like mushrooms, but rather like a green tea Snapple/strawberry Fanta monster thats just too saccharine. We have barware recommendations for outfitting a stylish and functional bar at home, with options for every skill level. But those flavors overpower the more-nuanced ingredients, resulting in a drink that feels simpler than other aperitifs we tried. All of the bottles were thoughtfully designed, but we considered how easy it was to store and pour from the different bottles. Ghia Le Spritz has more sweetness than Ghia Ginger to balance it out, at least. You can also order most drinks directly from the companies that make them. And we detected a forward hit of sugar, perhaps from the monk fruit (which serves as a sweetener). All of the experts we spoke with highlighted bitterness as a key element. How wed drink it: Wed make a Pentire Adrift and tonic to revive us on steamy days. How wed drink it: Figlia Fiore is refreshing enough to serve with pre-dinner snacks on a fading summer afternoon, true to the Italian aperitivo tradition. Ingredients: carbonated water, organic turmeric juice, organic ginger juice, organic cane sugar, orange peel, rose hips extract, vanilla extract, organic ginger essence, citric acid. Below we list our 16 favorite bottles and single-serving options (as well as everything else weve tried), with detailed tasting notes to help you choose based on what you like and the experience youre seeking. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing to save people time, energy and money when making buying decisions. The flavors are more pronounced than in many other drinks we tried: The spritz tastes like cinnamon bubblegum with a minty finish. Its a new favorite for when we want a light, tasty NA option that doesnt take itself too seriously. NB, the company donates part of its proceeds to Partnership to End Addiction and the environmental organization 1% for the Planet. Of the NA spritzes we tried, this carbonated, ready-to-serve version from For Bitter For Worse tasted closest to a classic Aperol spritz. Harmony Smoked Apritif: Billed as a spinoff of mezcal, the Harmony Smoked Apritif missed the mark for us. Caleos cocktail recipes seem transportive, too, and were excited to try them whenever we need a little escape. This article was edited by Gabriella Gershenson and Marguerite Preston. Ghia Ginger: Cut with ginger ale, Ghia Ginger is more bitter than Ghia Le Spritz, and we preferred the balance of the sweeter drink. The short, slim can is similar to many that house NA drinks, with a jewel-toned, matte label and sans-serif lettering. Sure, Livener has caffeine, which likely accounts for some of that effect. We enjoyed it over ice, but you can brighten the drink even more if you mix it with tonic. Because theyre highly diluted in drinks, most people consider a bitters and soda a mocktail. Health advisory: Seedlips drinks are less than 0.5% ABV (alcohol by volume). The trick is to create that nuance without using alcohol as a base. Serving suggestion: Serve chilled as is or on ice, garnished with an orange wheel or a rhubarb ribbon. This drink has a long and varied list of herbal ingredients, but we primarily tasted notes of shiitake mushroom, soy sauce, iodine, anise, mole, and chicory. The ruby-red liquid glows through a cone-shaped glass bottle thats unique among drinks weve seen, and akin to that of an Italian bitter soda. Julia Bainbridge, author of Good Drinks: Alcohol-Free Recipes for When Youre Not Drinking for Whatever Reason, has reported on how most drinks incorporate it. For each beverage, we considered the overall taste, aroma, texture, and flavor complexity, as well as whether the drink changed over time and whether the flavors on the ingredients list shone through. Its always worth doing a quick search or calling your local liquor store to see what it has in stock. You can order a smaller sample pack to taste all of the companys flavors (though we found the other two to be funkier and tea-like). Experts recommend their top picks for books, bottles, and barware for the cocktail lover in your life (with ideas for teetotalers, too). As this category has grown, some companies have started to offer both bottled and premixed versions of their drinks. See Seedlips FAQ page for more information. We picked up on notes of sugar snap pea, hay, thyme, and mint, as well as Meyer lemon. Supervising editor Marilyn Ong, who helped taste these drinks, thought the Ludlow Red was well balanced. Alcohol has a signature burndifficult to replicatethat helps slow down the drinker. Casmara Club Sera: The Sera has a more warming flavor profile. Serving suggestion: Serve 2 ounces plain or over ice with tonic. But we mainly tasted lemongrass and sweet citrus, with some background notes of grass and lime.