Wine has a long way to go until a non-alcoholic one can really replace the real thing. Removing alcohol also removes flavour and in my experience they often end up tasting more like grape juice than wine. However, alcohol-free sparkling wines tend to style it out a bit better than most and this relatively new …
If you’re looking for a non-alcoholic replacement to top up with tonic over ice, this is brilliant. Created by the gardeners and cooks of Pythouse Kitchen Garden in Wiltshire, it’s made from a blend of botanicals picked from their own kitchen garden including hops for dryness, rhubarb for tang, ginger for heat and fennel seeds …
Kombucha is simply fermented tea known for its gut-friendly properties and this one is a collaboration between Suffolk-based brewers Adnams and L.A Brewery, a local micro-distillery run by foraging fanatic Louise Avery. Louise gets her inspiration for her blends by going for a walk and seeing what’s in season, in this case elderflower, rhubarb and …
Founder Bethan Higson created this ingenious ginger switchel when, pregnant a few years ago, she couldn’t find anything interesting to drink in place of her usual glass of wine. It’s based on an old ‘shrub’ recipe – namely apple cider vinegar, honey and ginger – and she’s fired it up a little with a touch …
Most non-alcoholic wines taste more like fruit juice than wine – and that’s the good ones. But there are a few wine-like ones around and this is one of them. Made from the Riesling grape, it actually smells grape-y, which definitely helps. And although not bone dry, it’s not too sweet either (most of them …
This is a flavoured syrup, a kind of non-alcoholic answer to Campari. With its bitter orange flavours, it makes a glass of sparkling water way more interesting as well as giving it a terrific splash of colour. And even though it’s not cheap, a little goes a long way; we’re talking a dash to a …
I was given a bottle of this as a present last year and it’s turned out to be one of the most useful bottles in the stash. Verjus, meaning ‘green juice’ is basically a fancy cordial but, brilliantly, it’s made from unripened Riesling grapes and infused with herbs and flowers from the Saar region in …
I first tasted this last year when it was stocked in Tesco. I can’t find it on the shelves there anymore but you can buy it direct from the brewer, Innis & Gunn. As 0% lagers go, this is brilliant. It’s brewed but not fermented, meaning you get the lovely hoppy flavours you expect rather …
I’ve spent much of the last month trying to make not drinking easy. I mean, water’s fine during the day but in the evening, especially when everyone else is on the wine, I want something a little more grown up. Seedlip, then, has been a saviour. It’s the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirit according to founder …
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