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Whether you’re practicing Dry January, Damp January or just want to know what the fuss is about when it comes to non-alcoholic spirits, today is a good day to dive in. The non-alcoholic world is admittedly small, although growing quickly. On Drizly, the NA category experienced a 62% increase in 2023 over 2022, making it among the fastest-growing subcategories across the drinks marketplace. That said, non-alc accounts for just .42% of the total share of the site’s sales.
Interestingly, about 41% of U.S. adults surveyed last year intended to take part in Dry January 2023, but only 16% actually managed to abstain from alcohol all month, according to CivicScience. Maybe it’s more trouble than it’s worth? Or maybe the only thing lacking in the non-alcoholic drinks space is knowledge. People seem to know if they like whiskey, but do they want to part with the equivalent amount of money on a bottle of a plant-based botanical non-alc “spirit” with nebulous tasting notes?
Things to Consider
- Taste: As an experienced drinker but someone curious about the booze-free market, I’ve had mixed results with n/a products. Most of them admittedly lack the viscosity or depth that you’d find in alcoholic spirits, even if they offer wonderful flavors. Speaking of taste, some of these no-ABV spirits stray from what you’d expect; a “tequila replacement” probably won’t provide the same experience on the nose, palate or finish as a real blanco or reposado. Recognize that you’re going to get something that isn’t a 1:1 replacement for your favorite booze.
- Price: Most of these bottles are in the $30 range, though some are also available in individual cans/bottles and sometimes the bottles are 750ml (fairly standard for booze) or 375ml. There’s not a lot of variance, but if smaller sizes are available, you may want to test those out first.
- Versatility: At their best, non-alcoholic spirits can be served on ice, as a base for a mocktail or even as a modifier in a low-ABV cocktail.
Thankfully, given where we were a few years ago — when it was basically O’Douls and then up-and-comer Seedlip — the non-alc market has grown exponentially in quality. Below, some of our favorite bottles in the non-alcoholic space. We’ve left no-ABV beer and wine for future articles, and while we mention hemp a few times below, we’re also leaving out the CBD- and THC-infused drinks (though we’ve covered all of these before and will do so again).
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