If you’re a person who feels like they need a break from boozy cocktails and high-ABV beers this holiday season, you’re not alone. There’s a rise in the “sober curious” lifestyle. Not only is it a way to “dry” out from your usual weekends of boozing, but taking a break from alcohol can lead to a variety of positive health and mental responses. Taking part in “Sober October,” “Dry January,” or any other brief or longer break from alcohol can lead to many health benefits, including better sleep, greater productivity, weight loss, and overall better mental health.
And if you’re planning for a sober(ish) holiday season, that doesn’t mean you need to stick to tap water. There are a variety of balanced non-alcoholic beers, spirits, wines, and pre-made cocktails waiting to be imbibed this holiday season.
Pro Tip: Even if you’re not dry-holiday-ing, have at least one of these options on hand.
Photo via Total Wine
St. Agrestis Phony Negroni
When it comes to aperitif cocktails, nothing beats the timeless, bittersweet Negroni. One of the best N/A options is St. Agrestis Phony Negroni. This award-winning mocktail is made with 30 raw, non-GMO organic herbs, botanicals, and ingredients. This ready-to-serve N/A cocktail is carbonated, so it’s effervescent. It’s filled with flavors including piney juniper, zesty citrus, light herbal notes, fruity sweetness, and a pleasant bitter finish.
Photo via Alesmith
Alesmith Speedway Stout N/A
If you already love the classic Alesmith Speed Stout, you’re going to love the N/A version. The perfect complement to a heavy holiday meal, this non-alcoholic beer is available year round. This full-bodied, flavorful N/A stout is loaded with notes of freshly-brewed coffee, dark chocolate, roasted malts, and toffee. It’s so delicious, you might just drink it even when you aren’t going “dry.”
Photo via The Sobr Market
Dochus Smokey Isle N/A Whisky
There are few things better than sipping a nice glass of peated single malt Scotch whisky with a heavy meal. But, if you’re going the N/A route, there’s still a way to enjoy the smoky flavor of the style that made Islay famous. Dochus Smokey Isle is a non-alcoholic whisky crafted to taste like your favorite peat-smoked drams. Featuring ingredients like botanical extracts, barley malt, aged whiskey barrel elicitation, burnt sugar, caramel, sea salt, and Scottish seaweed, it’s known for its flavors of salted caramel, cracked black pepper, and campfire smoke.
Photo via Curious Elixirs
Curious Elixir N/A Smoked Cherry Chocolate Old Fashioned
Fans of the classic Old Fashioned will love this non-alcoholic version. This smoked cherry chocolate Old Fashioned features ingredients like carbonated filtered water, dark cherry, elderberry, organic orange and organic lemon juice concentrates, cacao extract, American oak extract, sea salt, and more. The result is a bold, memorable mocktail loaded with flavors like dried cherries, dark chocolate, and oak, all with none of that pesky hangover.
Photo via Total Wine
Three Spirit Non-Alcoholic Nightcap
With a name like Three Spirit Non-Alcoholic Nightcap, you better believe this N/A spirit is a great end-of-the-evening drink during the holidays. And beyond. This award-winning, non-alcoholic botanical elixir is made with a variety of ingredients including valerian (a traditional sleep aid), Mosaic hops (known for their antioxidant properties), and lemon balm (known for its rejuvenation properties). The result is a flavorful, memorable NA spirit known for its flavors of maple candy, vanilla, cracked black pepper, citrus peels, wood, and herbal qualities.
Photo via The Zero Proof
Les Marées Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Blanc de Blancs
Made with organic Chardonnay grapes in Southern France, Les Marées Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Blanc de Blancs is made the same way your favorite sparkling wine is made. The difference is that after the process, the alcohol is removed. The result is an effervescent, refreshing N/A sparkling wine centered on flavors like green apples, ripe grapes, and a light, memorable kick of minerality. Toast the year in style with this N/A sparkling sipper.
