The Best Non-Alcoholic Drinks [Best Brands + 8 Mocktails]

Whether you’re throwing a baby shower, catering to your sober friend, making a designated driver feel included, or celebrating Dry January, there are tons of reasons to grab a non-alcoholic cocktail.

Let’s talk about our favorite brands for non-alcoholic drinks. If you already know all the delicious non-alcoholic drinks to try off the shelf, it might be time to branch out to some new mocktail recipes.

What is the difference between a virgin drink and a non-alcoholic beverage? There technically isn’t a difference between a virgin drink and a non-alcoholic beverage — both lack alcohol. 

However, the term “virgin” usually only applies to a variation of a drink that would otherwise include alcohol. You hear the term “virgin mojitos,” but no one ever orders “virgin lemonade,” because everyone knows lemonade is alcohol-free.

5 Delicious Non-Alcoholic Beers, Wines, and Spirits to Try

Here are some of our favorite non-alcoholic beverage brands for all the flavor, and none of the ABV:

1. Surely 

This one’s a no-brainer in the world of non-alcoholic wine. We craft our signature rosé by making an actual alcoholic rosé, then removing the alcohol. This unique approach leaves that genuine rosé taste, but with a non-alcoholic label. (We also make a killer dealcoholized champagne.)

2. Athletic Brewing Company

Their Upside-Down Non-Alcoholic Golden and Run Wild Non-Alcoholic IPA have a great mouthfeel and a hoppy, citrusy character — uncannily resembling a West Coast IPA, especially for a non-alcoholic beer. 

Unlike a lot of beers, Athletic Brewing also offers gluten-free NA beer.

3. Erdinger 

This non-alcoholic beer skews sweet, if that’s your preference. It’s been described as bananas and toffee mixed with cereal.

Looking for more NA beer options? We’ve got you covered.

4. Lyre’s

Lyre’s alcohol-free spirits are perfect for maintaining the ritual of drinking alcohol, but skipping the booze. From Old Fashioneds to Negronis, Lyre’s has a wide range of alternative libations. 

If you want to stock your bar cart with everything you need for non-alcoholic aperitif and nightcaps, Lyre’s is a good place to start.

5. Ritual

With alternative offerings for gin, whiskey, tequila, and rum, Ritual should definitely be on your dry bar radar. 

They use the same ingredients found in the spirits you love — carefully sourced Siberian pine, Mexican agave, and American oak — to ensure high quality and uncompromising flavor. Mojitos to Manhattans, Ritual has the goods.

Check out more non-alcoholic spirits here.

9 Yummy Libations

Not all cocktail alternatives are based on existing alcoholic beverages. New demands mean innovation — including innovative new drink options. 

Plus, if you’re staying totally sober (rather than just sober curious), it’s a good idea to avoid drinks that seem “too close” to what drinks that just make you want to have booze again.

Here are some exciting new brands to check out so you can keep happy hour after ditching the sauce.

1. Seedlip

Using unique herbal blends, this odd trio of non-alcoholic spirits smells amazing. Seedlip Garden 108, and Grove 42, and Spice 94 each offer a unique flavor profile. 

Seedlip drinks are great with soda, and they now offer cocktail kits for each blend, providing a much-needed herbaceous alternative to “club soda and lime, please.”

2. Mingle

These sparkling mocktails contain organic cane sugar, real fruit, and unique botanical blends. Both their flavors and designs are fun and inviting — perfect for a laugh-filled brunch.

3. Weller

Have you heard all the benefits of CBD? Weller CBD Sparkling Water offers you the sophisticated feel of non-alcoholic sparkly, with an added boost of 25 milligrams of CBD in every can.

4. Ghia

Ghia aims to “take back the word drinking from alcohol” with fresh, bitter, alcohol-free apéritifs. With crisp flavors of yuzu, orang, lemon balm, and rosemary, this is a perfect base for a summer mocktail. For a bubbly take, try Ghia’s Le Spritz.

5. Rock Grace

This rosé-like elixir utilizes a proprietary crystal energy infusion process. If this is your thing, Rock Grace has you covered. Every ethically sourced crystal is positively charged under a new moon and indirectly infused into each bottle of Rock Grace Crystal Elixir.

6. Recess

Recess combines hemp extract and adaptogens to “can a feeling.” Their unique flavors, from coconut lime to blood orange, make for a calming experience to combat any 2 PM sugar crash.

7. De Soi

De Soi is Katy Perry and business partner Morgan McLachlan’s contribution to the wellness drink market. De Soi currently comes in 3 zero-proof varieties: Golden Hour, Purple Lune, and Champignon Dreams. 

Each is packed with functional ingredients — from chamomile to ashwaghanda — to make happy hour a healthy hour.

8. Humm Kombucha

Yes, it’s fermented. No, it’s not an alcoholic drink. Humm Kombucha offers low-sugar, gut-supporting probiotic beverages in a ton of flavors. (Bonus: They’re available at Target!) 

In addition to kombucha, Humm offers a few zero-sugar alternatives also packed with probiotics.

9. Three Spirit

Three Spirit was developed by bartenders and botany-enthusiasts who wanted to focus more on what goes into the product than what should be eliminated — namely the alcohol. From this starting point, they’ve developed drinks using nootropics and adaptogenic ingredients for a non-alcoholic beverage that still gets you pumped.

Most of these brands offer recipes and tips to enjoy their drinks in a variety of way. If you’re feeling low key, you can always just garnish with an orange peel and call it a day.

How can you get a buzz without alcohol? If you’re after the feel-good effects of alcohol without getting drunk, you might try a drink from Recess or Three Spirit.

Our Favorite Mixers

If you’re stocking up on NA spirits, it’s worth grabbing some mixers, too. Here are a few of our favorites to help keep things interesting.

Verjus

Somewhere between wine and vinegar on the tasting front, verjus — translated “green juice” — is pressed from unripened grapes. No one recommends drinking it straight from the bottle, but it can definitely punch up a mocktail. It’s not fermented, so there’s no alcohol involved.

Ginger Beer

Generally spicier than ginger ale, ginger beer  is always a zesty mixer. If you’re a seasoned Moscow Mule drinker, you know ginger beer packs a wallop. 

Fruit Juice

This is another no-brainer, as fruit juices are famously linked to various cocktails. You can’t have a proper margarita without lime juice, and what’s a brunch without some form of spiked orange juice? 

Because we’re already used to adding juice to cocktails, it doesn’t require mental gymnastics to shift gears and use them for fruity mocktails instead.

Juices we love:

• Lime juice
• Orange juice
• Cranberry juice
• Grapefruit juice
• Pomegranate juice
• Pineapple juice
• Lemon juice

Simple Syrup

If you’ve never made simple syrup for cocktails, it’s time to try. Made from equal parts sugar and water, this is a staple in so many cocktails and mocktails, that it should really be required learning. 

The best part? Once you know the basics, you can infuse simple syrup with almost any flavor. Want a floral drink? Whip up some elderflower simple syrup. Need something on the spicier side? Try cinnamon or cardamom simple syrup — which are also great in coffee, by the way.

All the Fizzy Waters Explained

If you’ve heard of all the bubbly water options, but aren’t sure what separates them, we’re here to help. Many non-alcoholic cocktail recipes lean into bubbles, so it’s good to know the difference. Let’s demystify the fizzy waters!

First thing’s first: they are all basically carbonated water. The major difference is some have additives, and some don’t.

Club Soda

Club soda, or soda water, is carbonated (injected with CO2) before minerals are added. These minerals are added for flavor and the exact combination depends on the manufacturer. The minerals give club soda a subtle salty taste.

Most of the time, these minerals are:

• Disodium phosphate
• Potassium sulfate
• Sodium bicarbonate
• Sodium chloride

Tonic Water

Like club soda, tonic water is is carbonated and infused with minerals. The main difference here is added sugar and quinine — a compound used in many medications. 

The quinine concentration in tonic water is too low add any health benefits, but it does add that distinctive, bitter tonic water flavor.

Seltzer

Seltzer is carbonated water without any added minerals. Usually flavorless, seltzer water is a good standby mixer when you want to add fizz without altering the flavor profile of your booze-free drink.

Sparkling Mineral Water

Sparkling water is water that is naturally carbonated. Brands like La Croix, Waterloo, and Liquid Death have taken the world by storm in recent years. With delicious flavors like limoncello, hibiscus, and passionfruit, they make easy additions to any non-alcoholic beverage. 

And you can buy sparkling water super easily from Amazon or most grocery stores.

Ready to Try NA Wine?

There you have it! The bestalcohol-free drinksaround. For the best non-alcoholic wine, try Surely’s sparkling rosé. Want something on the drier side? Our sparkling Brut is perfect on its own or as a base for mocktails.

Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Brut

$24.99

Award-winning alcohol-removed bubbly white. Hints of apple, pear, honey and citrus notes. Better than champagne.TASTING NOTES: The vibrant combination of apple, pear, honey and citrus notes intertwined with a crisp backbone. The acid and sweet notes of the fruit pair… Read More

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