Dry January: The non-alcoholic drinks that taste like the real deal

These are the alcohol-free beers, wines and spirits you need to ace the challenge

Dr Richard Piper, chief executive of Alcohol Change UK shares his tip on how to ease yourself in (The Independent)

If your new year’s resolution is to make healthier choices when it comes to consuming alcohol, why not set yourself the challenge of completing Dry January – the campaign which aims to encourage abstinence for the whole month.  

Following a poll by Alcohol Change UK – the charity behind Dry January – a record number of Brits are expected to take part in this year’s challenge – with more than 6.5 million adults intending to participate, up from last year’s 3.9 million.  

Whether you’re looking to cut it out completely or reduce your alcohol consumption, it’s easy to feel like the only option is to sip on sparkling water.  

However, as the demand for low and no alcohol drinks has soared, the market has evolved to offer a range of options for every palette, be it a refreshing tonic or a non-alcoholic rum that still tastes like the real deal, there’s something for everyone.  

If you’re feeling daunted by the challenge, Dr Richard Piper, chief executive of Alcohol Change UK, shares his tip on easing into Dry January. 

“Be really clear about why you're doing it. 2020 has been tough, and lots of people will be going into their Dry January hoping just to feel better. But what does ‘better’ mean to you?"

"Whether you’re sick of hangovers, want to sleep more deeply, seek to save money or you have a health and fitness goal, it can help to write these reasons down somewhere you can access them easily, to keep you going if you have a wobble," he tells The Independent. 

Whatever the reason you’re taking part in this year’s challenge, we’ve found the alcohol-free alternatives to help you smash Dry January, and make permanent lifestyle changes into the new year too. 

You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Spirits

Partial to a whisky? Treat yourself to this Celtic Soul spirit (Amazon, £18.99) that our writer found particularly impressive when she reviewed it for our round-up of the best alcohol-free drinks. She noted that it smells “smokey, peaty and downright whisky-like”. 

(Celtic Soul)

As for the taste, it doesn’t deliver quite the same fiery burn as you’d get from the real deal, but it does have a good dose of vanilla, spices and subtle woodiness and makes a great alternative to booze. Try mixing with Fever Tree ginger ale (Sainsbury’s, £1.45) and garnish with a twist of your chosen citrus. 

If you’re worried you’re going to miss your crisp G&T of an evening, enter Stryyk not g*n (Tesco, £18), which might just fill that void. 

(Stryyk)

While there are a large number of alcohol-free gins on the market, they are often too sweet and don’t come with enough burn. But, this is not the case with this sugar-free gin. Our writer gave it high praise, noting that the “herby, botanical flavours of coriander, sage, basil and that classic juniper come through in bounds, making it a good pretender to a London Dry Gin”. 

For more of an aperitif, try Three Spirit (Amazon, £24.99), which has prominent savoury notes and expressed bitterness, and is made from a blend of botanicals. 

(Three Spirit)

“With ingredients like lion’s mane mushroom, yerba mate, black carrot concentrate and coconut vinegar, this isn’t your run of the mill pre-drink and could prove divisive but we welcome the choice,” noted our reviewer. 

The brand suggests trying with ginger ale and a slice of orange, or if you want to get experimental, create an espresso martini like serve. 

Beers

Any beer with less than 0.5% ABV is considered alcohol-free, so whether you’re tee-total or challenging yourself to Dry January, there are a whole range of full-bodied beverages on the market for you to enjoy. 

If it’s a pale ale you tend to lean towards, Leffe blond Belgian beer (Tesco, £4.50) got rave reviews in our guide to the best alcohol-free beers thanks to its aroma of clove, banana and coriander, not to mention its all-important thick body.  

(Leffe)

When it comes to taste, “it’s a little sweet, but not excessively so. And there are some tasty dry malt notes that cut through the vanilla. Overall, it’s pretty close to the original," praised our writer. There’s really no reason to miss out on the real deal with Leffe’s alcohol-free beer. 

Another stand-out brew that impressed our reviewer was the Brooklyn special effect alcohol-free lager (Tesco, £4), which took the top spot in our guide – good news then for anyone partial to a lager. 

(Brooklyn)

“Exceptionally smooth, with a full, foamy mouthfeel, solid body, and a beautifully hoppy flavour, there are some bright citrus notes and just a touch of pine. Fulsome and fragrant, we think it’s exceptionally close to the real thing," noted our writer. 

If it’s an IPA you’re after, you’re in luck. Coast Beer Co has produced this centennial IPA (Beer52, £2.49), which the brewery claims is the world’s first alcohol-free single-hop beer.  

(Coast Beer Co)

In our guide to the best alcohol-free beers, our tester noted its “delicate bitterness, slight burst of bubbles, and toasted notes that cut through the hints of orange and a slight pineapple taste”, adding that it “has that long, dry finish that so many non-alcoholic beers miss. One to keep coming back to, there’s enough here to keep even the most discerning drinker interested." You can’t argue with that! 

Wines

Even if you’ve drunk plenty of vino during the Christmas holidays, chances are you might start to miss it during January, luckily this Scavi & Ray alcohol-free sparkling wine (DryDrinker, £8.99) received high-praise in our guide to the best low and alcohol-free drinks. 

(Scavi & Ray)

While alcohol-free wine is often hard graft to get right, this one is “almost a convincing prosecco alternative”, praised our writer. Made from solely of grape juice, it tastes pleasantly lemony and apple-y.  

For a delicious white, turn to this Torres natureo de-alcoholised muscat (Waitrose & Partners, £5.99), which featured in our guide to the best alcohol-free and low alcohol wines. 

(Torres)

“A big name when it comes to Spanish wine, Torres has turned its hand to alcohol-free varieties to complement the main range”, wrote our reviewer. “Medium-sweet, as most low alcohol wine is, make sure this is well chilled before serving,” she added. It’s a safe bet that will see you through Dry January and beyond. 

For something completely different, take a punt at Nine Elms no. 18 (Master of Malt, £16.95), while it’s not technically a wine alternative, it certainly looks the part. Made from an infusion of 20 botanicals and four berries, it’s been crafted to be drunk with food. 

(Nine Elms)

In our review of the best low and alcohol-free drinks, our tester wrote that it’s “there’s the full body you’d find in a wine, and lots of the complexity too, but there’s also the bitterness of some aperitifs”. Adding that “importantly it’s not sugary sweet or anything like a juice”. Try drinking straight or mix into cocktails. 

Cocktails

For a beverage that requires minimum effort, but has maximum potential, it’s got to be a pre-mixed cocktail – particularly useful if you’re going on a socially distanced stroll. 

Seedlip is one of the most well known alcohol-free brands having been named the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirit, and its Seedlip and tonic (Drydrinker, from £18.94) landed a spot in our round-up of best pre-mixed canned cocktails. 

(Seedlip)

“Complex and refined, these drinks make sure no one gets left out when it’s canned cocktail o’clock”, wrote our tester. Adding that the Seedlip garden 108 (Drydrinker, from £18.94) with cucumber tonic was their pick of the three, "it’s bursting with bright, fresh flavours, with a lovely savoury note from the homegrown peas the gin-style spirit is distilled with.”

Similarly, Punchy Drinks got serious kudos for its offering. The brand is all about natural fruit punches and flexibility. 

(Punchy)

Golden hour (Punchy, from £12) got rave reviews for its “sun-kissed flavour of blood orange and spicy notes from bitters and cardamom” and the amount of information on the can, which is a gorgeous design. 

If you’re thinking of Dry January as an exciting opportunity to try a range of delicious drinks you wouldn’t otherwise consume, turn to the Little Rick pina (CBD Wellness Centre, £3.50), which landed a spot in our guide to the best CBD drinks. 

(Little Rick)

Inspired by the pina colada cocktail, this is a lightly sparkling tipple that, according to our writer, tastes like the real deal – “although sweet, the tang of fresh pineapple upfront gives way to a creamy coconut finish," she wrote. 

It’s also got a high CBD content, 32mg per 300ml, and the brand claims that its production methods mean the active ingredients are absorbed into the bloodstream more effectively. 

Alternatively, if you’re feeling creative and want to put your skills to the test, a recipe book is a good place to start. Redemption Bar: Alcohol-free cocktails with benefits by Andrea Waters and Catherine Salway (Waterstones, £12.99) was a big hit in our guide to the best cocktail books since it covers every type of cocktail possible, from margaritas to mojitos. 

(Waterstones)

This book – “from the brains behind London’s popular Redemption Bar group – is a tasty tour de force of all things non-alcoholic, plus there’s recipes for canapés, too,” wrote our reviewer. 

Adding that “recipes include detailed introductions explaining the inventive and experimental cocktails and their health benefits, and the accompanying photography is luscious and seductive enough to make anyone forgo the booze.” 

If you go down the DIY cocktail route, you’re sure to need a cocktail shaker fit for a mixologist, this KitchenCraft cocktail shaker (Wayfair, £18.99) took the top spot in our review of the best. 

Glasses

What’s a good drink without a good glass, especially if you’ve shaken it yourself? We’d recommend reaching for this set of four rose pink and gold glasses (Rocket St. George, £32.50), which landed a spot in our guide to the best tumblers. 

(Rockett St George)

Each glass is finished with a gold colour rim, which gives a vintage nod, while the rose gold has been a firm homeware trend for some time. 

If it’s something slightly less trend-led you’re after, Villeroy & Boch vivo water glasses (Ocado, £12) recieved similar kudos, with our tester noting the “thin delicate edge and dazzling shiny glass”, perfect for an alcohol-free G&T.  

(Ocado)

These “tumblers felt more special and elegant than the price tag would suggest, preferring them to some of the more heavy-duty designs made with thick glass that we tried” praised our writer. 

If it’s a glass of the Torres natureo de-alcoholised muscat (Waitrose & Partners, £5.99) you’re after, turn to the Villeroy & Boch vivo red wine glasses set (Ocado, £12), which landed a spot in our guide to wine glasses thanks to their terrific value. 

(Ocado)

These “glasses have a generous and slightly tapered bowl with an overall size which feels just right for everyday use,” noted our writer. 

Fancy another challenge? Read our guide to everything you need to smash Veganuary