Overview of alcohol-free alternatives and aperitifs | Soberito (2024)

Alcohol-free distillates are on the rise. Until about two years ago it was almost impossible to find an alcohol-free alternative to Gin, Rum or another strong alcoholic beverage, but during the last year and a half these kinds of drinks spring up like mushrooms. That is certainly positive news for people who want to give up alcohol temporarily or permanently, but the ever-increasing supply also means that less quality products are being marketed here and there. All the products in this list should be ok, some of them we already tasted and reviewed, you will find the link to our review next tot he name of the drink.

This list is not complete, but we do try to make a wide selection of drinks and where to get them. Some can easily be bought in the supermarket others you will only find online. To make it simple, we divide the drinks into a few categories that refer to the alcoholic beverage for which they can be an alternative.

Alternatives for Gin

Seedlip (read our review)

Seedlip is perhaps the best-known alcohol-free distillate. This drink comes in three flavors: Seedlip Spice, Seedlip Grove and Seedlip Garden. You can find Seedlip in various supermarket chains.

Ceder’s alt (read our review)

“Cedar’s Distilled Non-alcoholic” was founded by South African Craig Hutchinson and his Swedish wife, Maria Sehlström. Currently they market three alcohol-free alternatives to Gin under the brand name Ceder’s alt, these are the Ceder’s crisp, wild and classic. Ceder’s alt is available in a few supermarkets and online at Wise bartender

Borrago (Read our review)

Borrago inherits its name from the borage, a herb with blue flowers that is responsible for the taste of this alcohol-free distillate. The herb on which Borrago is based is very friendly to bees. The producers therefore want to help a hand in maintaining the bee population by growing the herbs for their drink. You can order on their own site www.borrago.com, on www.wisebartender.co.uk or www.drydrinker.com

Stryyk

Alex Carlton had its own brand of co*cktails and noticed the demand for alcohol-free alternatives started to grow at the beginning of this century. After a few years of development, he came up with an alternative to Vodka, Gin and Rum under the Stryyk brand name. These products are available at https://wisebartender.co.uk/alcohol-free-spirits-29-c.asp.

Silk Tree Botanics

Andrew and Tracy are an Irish couple. Some years ago they decided to stop drinking alcohol. Because they did not find a decent alternative for their beloved Gin-Tonic, they started to make a drink themselves. Silk Tree Botanics was born. You can find Silk Tree Botanics mainly in Ireland and on the webshop Wise bartender.

Sea Arch

Founders Sarah and Geoff live on the South coast of Great Britain and used to have a cafe. They thought the range of non-alcoholic drinks was too limited and started working with different botanics to produce their own AF alternative to Gin. The typical taste of Sea Arch comes from seaweed. You can order at www.wisebartender.co.uk, www.drydrinker.com or www.lightdrinks.co.uk

Caleño

Eleanor “Ellie” Webb is British with Colombian roots. Because she too could not find a delicious alcohol-free drink, she decided to make an alternative for Gin that was inspired by the lively, energetic culture of her homeland. The result is Caleño. Caleño is currently available on the site calenodrinks.com , on Wise bartender or Dry Drinker

Bax Botanics

Chris and Rose Bax are two food experts who decided to make an alcohol-free drink that contains a lot of flavour from a variety of herbs. It is made entirely organic and is marketed as a luxury non-alcoholic beverage. More info on their site www.baxbotanics.com or order on www.wisebartender.co.uk

Xachoh blend no5.

The founder of Xachoh (pronounced: Za-Ko), Mohamad Djahanbakhsh, wanted to develop products for people who don’t want to drink alcohol, but do not want to compromise on taste. With Xachoh blend no.5 and blend no.7, they currently make an alternative for Gin and a darker version based on malt that can be seen as an alternative to whiskey. You can order Xachoh on their own site https://www.xachoh.co.uk/, via www.wisebartender.co.uk and via www.drydrinker.com

Pentire adrift

Pentire adrift is a distillate of various botanics that can be found in the region around Cornwall. According to the producers, it is a drink for tomorrow, because more and more people will renounce alcohol or start drinking less alcohol. You can order it via their own site pentiredrinks.com or via www.wisebartender.co.uk

Atopia

Lesley Grace is a master distiller who learned the job at William Grant & Sons, a well-known distributor and producer of spirits. He wanted to use all his experience to make an alcohol-free distillate with a taste just as good as an alcoholic beverage. Atopia comes in two flavors: Spiced Citrus and Wild Blossom. You can order atopia from www.wisebartender.co.uk and www.drydrinker.co.uk

Lyre’s

Lyre’s is an Australian brand of non-alcoholic drinks. They make non-alcoholic alternatives to just about any strong drink or aperitif you can imagine. You can find the drinks at www.wisebartender.co.uk or Dry drinker

Memento (read our review)

Memento is an Italian aromatic alcohol-free distillate. It was one of the first non-alcoholic alternatives to Gin on the market. Meanwhile, Memento is available in two versions that contain a lot of taste. You can order Memento on their own site, or at Dry drinker

Nona June (read our review)

Charlotte Matthijs from Ghent in Belgium, developed Nona June based on distillates from nine botanicals. A few chefs and well-known bartenders have helped to perfect the taste. You can find Nona June online at Delicious drinks shop

No ghost in a bottle (read our review)

Ludwig Lampaert from Belgium, made a few Gins, a rum and a vermouth under the brand name Ghost in a Bottle. All based on high-quality products. This year Ludwig launched two Belgian non-alcoholic distillates with No Ghost in a Bottle Herbal and Floral Delight. You can find No Ghost in a bottle at Delicious drinks shopnon-alcoholic-spirits

Saint G&T (read our review)

At the South African “Qualito Craft Distillery” they produce Gin, Vodka and Rum in a traditional way and with a lot of love and craftmanship. Often with local products from the valley where they are located, and where the Sa Gelati and the Elephant River flow together. Recently they produced a distillate without flavour enhancers, colorings, sugars and calories, but especially without alcohol. The result is the Saint G&T, the first “Virgin-Gin” from Qualito. You can find more information about points of sale on the Qualito website.

Fluère

This Dutch “Spirito Non Alcolico” comes in one of the nicest bottles that we ever saw and will therefore look great on the party table. You can find more info on their website.

Goodsack Virgin

This is also a Dutch product that should be an alternative to Gin. The flavour is floral with some citrus. Seven botanicals are used in the production. More info can be found on their website. Goodsack Virgin is also available at delicious drinks shop.

It’s undone

Undone makes four different alternatives for an existing spirits. The German producers make an alternative to Rum (No.1 Sugar Cane Type), Gin (No.2 Juniper type), Amaro (No.7 Italian bitter type) and Vermouth (No.8 Italian aperitif type). The presentation certainly looks promising. You can order It’s Undone via their webshop www.cranehouse.de

Alternatives to Rum and whiskey

Rumish

Ish spirits is a Danish company that makes two alcohol-free distillates with Rumish and Ginish. As the name suggests, Ginish is an alternative to Gin and Rumish to Rum. Rumish is now also available at delicious drinks shop.

Celtic Soul

Celtic Soul is made with sweet vanilla, a (secret) herbal blend and aromas of oak barrels. The brew must bring attitude and personality to non-alcoholic drinks. It must exude class and sophistication for adults who are looking for a good alcohol-free alternative. You can best see it as an alternative to Whisk(e)y. Celtic Soul is only available at Sainsbury’s supermarkets in Great Britain.

Stryyk (See the description above)

Xachoh Blend n°7 (See the description above)

Lyre’s (See the description above)

Premade mocktails

If you prefer not to spend too much time mixing your co*cktails, you can purchase pre-mixed drinks or mocktails. Very easy, but maybe a little less festive than preparing them yourself. Below you will find some possible ready-made mocktails.

Vintense Ice

Vintense is best known for non-alcoholic wines and sparkling wines, but they also market three pre-prepared mocktails under the name Vintense ICE: The Hugo, Bellini and Americano Spritz. All three are an alternative to their eponymous alcoholic co*cktail. Available at www.drydrinker.com

Gordon’s Ultra Low Alcohol G&T

Gordon’s Gin is perhaps still the best known Gin there is. Gordon’s does not market an alcohol-free alternative to Gin as such, but they do have a pre-made Gin Tonic. This one is available in two variants: Lime and Grapefruit. You can find Gordon’s Ultra Low Alcohol G&T in most major supermarkets

The duch*ess G&T (read our review)

The duch*ess G&T is also a pre-made alternative to a Gin & Tonic. Produced in South Africa, it is slightly more exotic than the Gordon’s Ultra Low G&T. The bottle also seems a bit more luxurious. The duch*ess is available at www.drydrinker.com

Highball AF co*cktails

Highball Alcohol Free co*cktails are six pre-mixed co*cktails in 25 cl bottles. The six flavours are: Classic G&T, Pink G&T, Mojito, Italian Spritz, Cosmopolitan and Ginger Dram. More info can be found on their website www.highballco*cktails.com Available online at www.drydrinker.com

Teetotal drinks

Just like Highball, Teetotal drinks offers pre-mixed drinks, but in 20 cl. bottles. The Teetotal co*cktails are available as an alternative to a Gin Tonic and a Cuba Libre. More info on their website teetotaldrinks.com. You can order online via www.drydrinker.com

Other aperitifs

Pacific Pastis

An alternative that has been on the market for years is Pacific. This is an alcohol-free anise drink that can replace the typical French Pastis or Ricard. You can simply dilute this Pacific with water, or you can use it in a co*cktail such as The Perroquet or the Jaune Lemon. Pacific is available in some supermarkets. Another alternative for pastis can be found on the delicious drinks shop.

Palermo Vermouth

Palermo makes some non-alcoholic vermouth like drinks. In addition to the traditional white and red vermouth, an Amarino and Gentian version is also available. The latter two can be an alternative to make a Spritz Veneziano (better known as Aperol Spritz). The four varieties are sold online at the delicious drinks shop.

Crodino, San Bitter

Perhaps the best-known alcohol-free bitter appetizer is Crodino. You can drink Crodino pure or use it in a co*cktail. An alternative to Crodino is San Bitter from San Pellegrino. These small bottles can be found in just about every supermarket.

The Bitter Note (Read our review)

In Italy, an Amaro is often drunk as a digestif. Because such an Amaro contains numerous herbs that have a beneficial effect on digestion, the drink is an ideal end to a copious meal. You can find The Bitter Note at the delicious drinks shop. A well-known alcoholic Amaro is Jägermeister, The Bitter Note tastes a bit like that.

Aecorn

Aecorn is an aperitif from the Seedlip stable that is available in three varieties: Dry, Bitter and Aromatic. Aecorn is available in some supermarkets or on www.wisebartender.co.uk