The Top 20 No-Low Drinks to Try

Happy Sober October! When you’re looking for an alternative to alcohol, it can be difficult to navigate the ever growing world of no/lo drinks. Worry no more! We’re here to run down our 20 favourite no/lo drinks for this Autumn.

Crossip Drinks Pure Hibiscus

A delicious alternative to Campari, Crossip Pure Hibiscus is brilliant in a spritz or a Negroni. Its gorgeous magenta colour makes for beautiful cocktails with big flavours.

ABV: 0%
Size: 500ml
Find here: £22

Herbarium Distillation 29

With a perfect balance of juniper, citrus, and spices, Herbarium has a classic flavour that works well with any kind of tonic and garnish. If you love a classic G&T but don’t want the G, swap it for Herbarium!

ABV: 0%
Size: 700ml
Find here: £24.80

New London Light

We already love Salcombe Gin, and their reputation for high quality drinks does not waver with their non-alcoholic alternative: New London Light. Bold and refreshing, New London Light combines juniper, citrus, and ginger for a tasty gin alternative.

ABV: 0%
Size: 700ml
Find here: £22.39

Portobello Road Temperance Lower Alcohol Spirit

With the same botanicals as Portobello Road’s usual gin, Temperance is great for those nights where you don’t want to be drinking. Serve with tonic and orange slices to elevate the subtle orange notes in the drink.

ABV: 4.2%
Size: 700ml
Find here: £23

Fluère Spiced Cane

Though Fluère Original is a triumph in itself, it’s Fluère’s Spiced Cane that we find most exciting as darker spirits rarely get themselves non-alcoholic alternatives. Mix with some high quality ginger beer and lime for a simple and tasty mocktail!

ABV: 0%
Size: 700ml
Find here: £20

Lyre’s Italian Spritz

A non-alcoholic alternative to Aperol, Lyre’s Italian Spritz has a mouth-watering bittersweet taste. Serve with tonic water and citrus slices, or add to your favourite Prosecco for a dazzling spritz.

ABV: <0.5%
Size: 700ml
Find here: £23.50

Something & Nothing French Rosé + Hibiscus & Rose Spritz

Something & Nothing have been making seltzers for a while now, but they recently introduced a line of low alcohol wine spritzers using their seltzers. French Rosé + Hibiscus & Rose is a dry but delicate blend perfect for a chilled out evening.

ABV: 4%
Size: 12 x 330ml
Find here: £29.75

HUN Alcohol-Free Chenin Blanc

For a fun night in with none of the day after nightmare, try setting up with some cans of Alcohol-Free Chenin Blanc HUN. A sparkling non-alcoholic white, HUN is semi-sweet with rich citrus notes and slight apricot aromas. Serve in a flute to keep those bubbles!

ABV: 0%
Size: 3 x 200ml
Find here: £7.50

Jukes 6

Non-alcoholic wines definitely aren’t as big as non-alcoholic infusions and aperitifs, but if you look closely they are out there! It’s not often you find a good non-alcoholic red, but Jukes 6 is surprisingly deep with lots of spicy red fruit flavours. Definitely worth a look at.

ABV: 0%
Size: 9 x 30ml
Find here: £35

Seedlip Æcorn Bitter

The sister company to the already hugely successful Seedlip, Æcorn has created three non-alcoholic signature aperitifs perfect for delicious pre-dinner cocktails. We love Æcorn Bitter, with its bittersweet grapefruit and earth notes ready to be served in a sophisticated spritz.

ABV: 0%
Size: 3 x 500ml
Find here: £60

Sprigster Non-Alcoholic Shrub Infusion

A non-alcoholic aperitif infused with hops, rhubarb, ginger and fennel seeds, Sprigster’s unique blend of ingredients makes for a sophisticated non-alcoholic choice. Take this with tonic water and plenty of seasonal fruits and herbs.

ABV: 0%
Size: 700ml
Find here: £26

Mary

A herbaceous spirit-alternative, Mary is a delicate blend of basil, thyme, sage with a touch of alcohol. With a light tonic and garnishes of fresh herbs, Mary is a breath of fresh air on those rainy Autumn afternoons.

ABV: 6%
Size: 700ml
Find here: £17.90

Botivo Non-Alcoholic Aperitif

With a blend of raw honey, raw apple cider vinegar, gentian, wormwood, rosemary, thyme and orange zest, Botivo combines the freshest of ingredients to create a non-alcoholic aperitif like no other. Try with sparkling water and a twist of orange.

ABV: 0%
Size: 500ml
Find here: £26.95

Bax Botanics Verbena Alcohol-Free

Bax Botanics’ Verbena is a drink that packs a serious punch of herbs and botanicals. It’s refreshing while still being flavourful, and is to die for with a splash of elderflower cordial and light tonic.

ABV: 0%
Size: 500ml
Find here: £17.95

Bowser Leaf

For Conker Spirit’s line of gins and liqueurs, the only way is up! With Bowser Leaf, they’ve taken on the challenge of a non-alcoholic spirit, and it’s seriously good. With a marvellous aroma and fresh leafy taste, you won’t want to miss out on Bowser Leaf.

ABV: 0%
Size: 700ml
Find here: £20

Brewdog Nanny State

Though the alcohol content of Nanny State may be low, that doesn’t mean that the flavour is! Just like Brewdog’s other beers, Nanny State is definitely hoppy. There’s lots of orange, grapefruit, pine and mango to satisfy any Brewdog lover, so crack one open today!

ABV: 0.5%
Size: 330ml
Find here: £1.79

Aldi “Rheinbacher 0%” Pilsner

Yeah, Aldi! Sometimes it can feel like to get a good alcohol-free beer or spirit one has to endlessly scroll through the internet, but now you can get a good alcohol free beer in stores! With a hoppy lemon and grapefruit flavour and a biscuity finish, this beer is a steal at £2.49 for a pack of six!

ABV: 0%
Size: 6 x 330ml
Find here: £2.49

UNLTD. IPA  Alcohol Free Beer

UNLTD Non Alcoholic IPA is a non-alcoholic beer made for beer lovers who aren’t so keen on hangovers… With its low calorie content and full bodied malt flavour, UNLTD IPA is a perfect IPA alternative.

ABV: 0.5%
Size: 6 x 330ml
Find here: £15

Hofmeister Ultra Low Beer

Not only is Hofmeister’s Bavarian Helles Lager super low in alcohol, but it’s expertly crafted too! There’s sweet grain, fresh grassy hops and a good crisp finish, which aren’t at all affected by its lower alcohol content. Big thumbs up from us!

ABV: 0.5%
Size: 12 x 330ml
Find here: £17.99

Brothers Alcohol Free Toffee Apple Cider

Made in Somerset, this cider is perfect for those who love a toffee sweet drink. With a smooth and creamy taste that incorporates Brothers’ delicious Somerset apples, this cider is an alcohol free winner!

ABV: 0%
Size: 12 x 500ml
Find here: £15

Not quite ready to give up the alcohol yet? How about having a look at The Best Scotch Whisky To Try This Year, 8 Rums You Have To Try or The Best Hard Seltzers Right Now?

The Best No-Low Alcohol To Drink and Gift for Christmas

With Lockdown 2 moving seamlessly into Christmas, the period of extended drinking just got a whole lot bigger! We find that having a stash of genuinely delicious, no and low alcohol drinks in the fridge make it much easier to take breaks and have nights off from the booze, while still feeling like you’re treating yourself. Here are the no and low drinks we’ve fallen in love with this year. 

Caleño Dark & Spicy

Fresh to the market is Caleño’s new baby: Dark & Spicy! We adored the original, with its infusions of inca berry and juniper - a perfect gin alternative perhaps, though very much of its own style. This new version does the same for lovers of dark rum. Think of riper, tropical notes of pineapple with a kick of ginger, vanilla pod and a twist of lime. They’ve nailed it!

Size: 50cl
Gifting: Various delicious gift bundles available
Find here: Bottle £18

Small Beer

The Small Beer Brew Co. are going strength to strength with their low alcohol beers that are good for you (being under 3% and isotonic) and good for the planet. Given what could end up being a marathon of drinking over the next two months, wouldn't it be good to have a stash of these lower alcohol beers in the fridge? 

ABV: Under 2.8%
Gifting: For a limited time from now until 20th Dec, they are also offering a 6-month gift subscription, complete with brilliant videos and a gift pouch for under the tree!
Find here

OTO CBD Drinks

Meaning 'sound' in Japanese, OTO feel they represent ‘the space between sound and silence’. These are subtly flavoured soft drinks that promote focus, relaxation and balance throughout the day and into the night. Each drink contains 25mg CBD, which is proven to promote balance within the body, which ultimately keeps our bodies functioning properly and helps us get more sleep. 

ABV: 0%
Gifting: Discovery 3 packs available along with lots of other gorgeous CBD products
Find here: Currently on offer at £8.25 for 3 (usually £11)

Saicho Tea

Saicho is a brand new sparkling cold-brewed tea brand that comes in a range of three sparkling teas; Jasmine, Darjeeling and Hojicha. Made sparkling with a hint of sweetness, this has more of a distinctive tea flavour than Fortnum’s sparkling tea below and is a great sparkling wine alternative for fine tea lovers. 

ABV: 0%
Gifting: Luxury gifting box and selection boxes available.
Find here: £7.99

Mooze low alcohol low calorie Gin - 12% ABV

A great concept from founder Mel Sims, this is a much lower alcohol (and therefore calorie) gin than the usual suspects of around 40% ABV. It does a great job at keeping the mouthfeel, crispness and botanical flavour of a full proof gin too and is a perfect way to be a little more mindful about your consumption. It’s also vegan, sugar and sweetener free so all in all, that’s 36 calories for a double Mooze & Tonic compared to 154 for a regular double G&T plus less of a hangover. Win-win.

Size: 70cl Mooze alt gin
ABV: 12%
Gift idea: Can be sent to your recipient without pricing.
Find here: £24

Fortnum’s Sparkling Tea

We talked about how much we loved Fornum’s sparkling rosé tea here and in our podcast, so it was great to get to try the white! Certified organic and a blend of eight teas, this version is subtle, fragrant and elegant with both tropical notes and more darjeeling-like tea flavours. Totally refreshing! It’s worth noting that this sparkling tea contains 150mg of caffeine per litre.

ABV: 0%
Size: 75cl
Find here: £16.95 

Gibsons Goodology CBD Drinks

Gibson’s Goodology is an exciting new entry in the wellness market with their palate-pleasing drink with superior CBD quality. Created by award-winning, London-based mixologist Oskar Kinberg and renowned tea expert Stefan Gieschke, these drinks are already making waves on the CBD scene with their original flavours: Shiso Tea and Blueberry, Green Tea and Passionfruit and Jasmine Tea and Rhubarb.

ABV: 0%
Gifting: Available in packs of 3 and packs of 6.
Find here: £14.99 for 3

Aecorn Aromatic

The three Aecorn drinks could be described as aperitifs and are made with wine grapes (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay). They are more silky and full-bodied than wine and you can drink them neat, chilled or with a splash of sparkling water as a spritzer. The most wine-like (and my favourite) is the ‘aromatic’, which is warm, woody and smoky. They also have a ‘bitter’, which reminds us of Campari and a ‘dry’, which is more for Sauvignon Blanc or Gin lovers.

ABV: 0%
Size: 50cl
Find here: £19.99

Three Spirit

There is no category to put these in, but I love them. Three styles of plant-based alternatives to alcohol with a different attitude, that, as they say ‘celebrates what you put into a drink, rather than what you take out.’ Using plants traditionally used in potions and ceremonies around the world, these are non-alcoholic drinks 'with benefits’ such as the addition of ashwagandha to relax in Nightcap or guayusa, guava leaf and green tea in Livener. It’s alchemy, it’s different and it’s delicious. You’ll want to keep the bottles too as they’re so pretty!

ABV: 0%
Gifting: Triple bottle gift packs available.
Find here: £24.99

Lucky Saint Beer

This is a bubbly beer that actually tastes like a fully fledged, flavoursome full-alcohol beer. In a slow and meticulous process, Lucky Saint delicately extracts the fermentable sugars from the mash as temperatures increase and leave it unfiltered to keep all the flavour and complexity. The beer is then distilled in a vacuum, which avoids the burnt and oxidised flavours many other non alcoholic beers have. I tested it with a bunch of beer drinkers and we all thought it was the best ‘ non-alcoholic’ beer we’ve tried (0.5% is considered to be alcohol-free). Now available on draught too.

ABV: 0.5%
Gifting: Find it in boxes of 4 or 48. 
Find here: £25 for 12 x 300ml

Brancott Estate Flight - Low Alcohol Sauvignon Blanc

Sitting at an ABV of 9% as opposed to 13 - 13.5%, this wine is lighter on the alcohol and therefore lighter on the calories that other Sauvignon Blancs. Made with grapes that are harvested earlier than usual before all their sugars develop, it is crisp, lean and clean but still packs the flavour punch you would expect from Sauvignon. Try it with goats cheese, salads and smoked salmon.

ABV: 9%
Find at most supermarkets for £7. Here’s Sainsburys.

Bax Botanics - Alcohol-free spirits

New to the market, this sustainable, Yorkshire-based company distills plants along with other botanicals to create an aromatic, clear non-spirit with lots of flavour that can simply be served with ice and a slice. We love the herbaceous verbena and the quirky sea buckthorn which has a fresh rosemary and orange citrus vibe. Lovely packaging too and apparently, it’s made with waste sugar cane!

ABV: 0%
Size: 70cl
Find them here and here.

Looking for more Christmas wine and spirits inspiration? Then take a look at these guides: wine, gin, vodka.

New No and Low Drinks for November

Sober October may be past but with lockdown and the festive season coming up, many of us are vowing to take it a little easier on the booze this time. Here are some great, new products that feel like a treat and in some cases, can actually do you good. 

SPIRITS ALTERNATIVES

Caleño Dark & Spicy

Fresh to the market is Caleño’s new baby: Dark & Spicy! We adored the original, with its infusions of inca berry and juniper - a perfect gin alternative perhaps, though very much of its own style. This new version does the same for lovers of dark rum. Think of riper, tropical notes of pineapple with a kick of ginger, vanilla pod and a twist of lime. They’ve nailed it!

Find it for £18 for 50cl at calendodrinks.com (with discounts for multiple bottle buys!) 

Warner’s Juniper Double Dry Gin - 0% ABV

Hats off to Warner’s for being the first English gin brand to bring out its own 0% ABV versions. Using 100% natural botanicals and 90% of their ingredients being sourced from their farm in Northamptonshire, its herbaceous and powerful with a kick or warm spice on the finish. Also try their Pink Berry version, which is packed full of red fruit and spice. 

Find it at 31Dover.com for £17.95 for 50cl

BUBBLES

Fortnum’s Sparkling Tea - 0.0% ABV

We talked about how much we loved Fornum’s sparkling rosé tea here and in our podcast, so it was great to get to try the white! Certified organic and a blend of eight teas, this version is subtle, fragrant and elegant with both tropical notes and more darjeeling-like tea flavours. Totally refreshing! It’s worth noting that this sparkling tea contains 150mg of caffeine per litre.

Find it at Fortnumandmason.com for £16.95

Good One, Craft Hard Soda - 4 % ABV

Hot on the trails of the hard seltzer trend, Good One is an English hard soda company with three, genuinely good flavours that taste natural, where so many others feel synthetic. Its sleek, vibrant, matte packaging makes it feel like a step up from a regular soda too. We particularly loved the raspberry, lime and basil but the cloudy grapefruit and thyme and the lime and cucumber are darn good too. Gluten free, vegan, lo carb and low calorie, there’s a lot to love about these.

Find mixed packs of 12 for £33 at haveagoodone.co.uk

BEER

Small Beer  - under 2.8% ABV

The Small Beer Brew Co. are going strength to strength with their low alcohol beers that are good for you (being under 3% and isotonic) and good for the planet. Given what could end up being a marathon of drinking over the next two months, wouldn't it be good to have a stash of these lower alcohol beers in the fridge? For a limited time from now until 20th Dec, they are also offering a 6-month gift subscription, compete with brilliant videos and a gift poach for under the tree!

Find the beers and the subscription pack at theoriginalsmallbeer.com