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.

5 Reasons to Love Small Beer

Words by Helena Nicklin

** NEWS **

Small Beer are offering 6 month subscription packs for the festive season. Running from December until May, you’ll get a gift pack to put under the tree, followed by a 6 pack of their beers each month together with a brilliant tasting video. Finally, in May, you can pick your favourite and get a 5L keg of the good stuff! You can buy the subscription until the 20th Dec only, so get on it!

In the unassuming back streets of Bermondsey, South East London, an industrial estate is home to a tiny company that’s making big waves across the London drinks scene and beyond. It’s called the Small Beer Brew Co. These guys have found a much-needed niche in the brewing industry and are absolutely nailing it with their premium products and quirky packaging. Here are four reasons why you need to get to know Small Beer even if you don’t really drink beer. Yet…

1)    Low ABV, High Flavour

“We wanted to create something with world class taste, but a sociable ABV.” Felix James, co-founder.

Small Beer founders Felix James and James Grundy created their own beer brand from scratch after searching in vain for truly delicious, well-made beer under 3% ABV (they would snatch precious minutes from their busy jobs to catch up with a beer before getting back to an afternoon of work). Everything they found was either too strong or too thin, with that cardboard, boggy flavour that gives away a low or no alcohol beer. There was literally no one making what they wanted: refreshing, aromatic, flavoursome beers well under 3% ABV that tasted like they were 5%. There was still work to be done in the afternoon; they didn’t want to reek of booze after a couple of pints after work; they wanted to remember - and enjoy - evening events without feeling like they were missing out on the epicurean, sociable side. So, they quit their jobs at a well-known distillery where they had met and began building their brand. Small Beer Brew Co. now produces four labels representing key beer styles, all of them aromatic and rich in flavour with an unctuous mouthfeel that belies the low alcohol level:

Lager (2.1%): Pale yellow, floral, crisp and citrussy. A classic pilsner style.

Steam (2.7%): Amber in colour, dark fruited and hoppy with notes of liquorice.

Session Pale (2.5%): Vibrant ‘session’ pale ale with tropical, pineapple notes but a super-dry finish. New!

Dark Lager (1%): Dark, malty and mocha. Incredible flavour and texture for a 1% beer.

2) Small Beer is good for you!

Ok granted, we have to be careful what we say here. Everything in moderation and all that, but did you know that under 3% ABV, beer is hydrating rather than dehydrating? Above this level it becomes a diuretic. Lower alcohol also means fewer calories, which is another huge bonus. An equivalent serving of standard lager, for example, is around 180 – 200 calories. The Small Beer lager has only 79 calories and the dark larger, despite its mocha richness, has only 49.

As if we didn’t love it enough already, Felix goes on to explain to us that Small Beer is also isotonic and is packed full of minerals such as selenium, which is great for skin hair and nails. If you think about it, it’s little wonder that back in the 17-1800’s, ‘small beer’ was drunk instead of water as sanitation was so bad, water could make you sick. By the middle ages, they had realised that fermented drinks were less likely to make you ill, so everyone drank it, including children. Made to around 1% ABV at this time, it was also incredibly cheap. This is where the expression ‘small beer’ came from, meaning that something isn’t particularly important.

3) It’s authentic, small scale - and they know how to party!

Created by two friends with a simple, good idea for a product they saw the world needed, Small Beer’s home is in London, near the city and near the founders’ family and friends. It’s a modern, high quality take on a centuries-old English staple, it’s unique, looks great and it serves a fantastic purpose. Despite only having been trading for 18 months the capital has taken Small Beer to its heart and you can already see Small Beer in bottle shops, butchers and cheesemongers etc. as well as on draft in pubs around London (especially the South East, where James hand-delivers samples and personally talks through the range).

4) Did we mention that it’s all vegan?

Nuff said. Stop by for a quick tour of the brewery and a drink. If you’re lucky, there will also be an amazing pop up there, or a music or comedy gig. Felix and James have even hosted weddings on site!

5) Small Beer is sustainably made.

Last year, they became London’s first B Corp Certified sustainable brewery. Whoop! B Corps™ are leaders of a global movement of people using business as a force for good™. Well done everyone!

Seriously, check them out. The three of us just got back into beer.

You can find all their details here