Dry January: non-alcoholic wines and spirits that pass the taste test and a top tip to pimp booze-free tipples

I feature it here as my drink of the week in this second of a two-part focus on no- and low-alcohol options. Following from last week’s focus on non-alcoholic beer and sparkling wine, this week focuses on non-alcoholic still wines and spirits and their various alternatives, which are growing in quantity and quality.

My other new discovery came from a tip-off from Amy Kiernan of drinknolo.ie, who recommends adding a dash of bitters to a de-alcoholised red wine, promising that it is a ‘game-changer’. She’s not wrong.

Of all the alcohol-free categories, de-alcoholised wines are the most variable in drinkability. Buying blindly is a risky business, and the reds are notably riskier than the whites, rosés and sparkling wines, unless you happen to like thin red wines with notes of sour dish cloth, with or without cloying spices. The best tend to be relatively light and simple and very fruity, with their most endearing feature being that they taste clean and untainted.

Many back labels recommend chilling alcohol-free red wines, as cooler temperatures help rein in aromas good and bad. Kiernan’s alternative hack of a few drops of aromatic bitters helps mask the unpleasant off-notes that are the downfall of many non-alcoholic reds, and brings an added complexity to the better ones to build on their simple fruitiness. Besides the Hollow Leg below, look out for Torres Natureo De-Alcoholised Garnacha-Syrah 2022 (€9.25, independents) for its floral and balsamic-spiced character. Faber Alcohol-Free Cabernet Sauvignon (€7.99, independents) is very light and fruity but easily the best in its range.

Also here today are two gin alternatives, and a new partner to the excellent Fire&5th Chilli & Blood Orange Non-Alcoholic Spirit Alternative launched by Mary and Aonghus Maguire in 2022: a pre-mixed margarita previewed at festivals last summer and released late last year. For mixing your own mocktails, other distilled non-alcoholic spirits to look out for include Strykk ‘Not R*m’ and ‘Not V*dka’ (€25, independents).

Drinks of the week

Bemuse Original Brut Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Mead, 0pc, €18 Produced by two friends and working mothers, Anna Chalov and Nataliya Peretrutova, and inspired by the modern mead revival, the alcohol-free Bemuse range is fermented with honey, water, yeast and natural flavour infusions — in this case, English spring wildflower honey with Cascade, Citra and Ekuanot hops. Clean, crisp and refreshing with delicate tannins and delicious bite, and flavours of green apple, conference pear, whitecurrant and gooseberry layered over a soft floral honey note at its core. drinknolo.ie

Fire&5th Pre-Mixed Pineapple Margarita, 0pc, €24.99 (70cl) This Irish-made booze-free margarita is ready to chill, shake and pour. Sassy and complex, it features the Fire&5th Chilli & Blood Orange Non-Alcoholic Spirit Alternative which harnesses black pepper, ginger and chilli to mimic alcohol’s heat. Redmonds of Ranelagh, select SuperValu stores, fireand5th.com (nationwide delivery)

Bax Botanics Verbena Alcohol-Free Spirit, 0pc, €24.95 Very clean, natural tasting and smartly packaged, this is full of the promise of longer days and brighter evenings. Fresh and lively with subtle notes of mint and fennel leaf, cucumber and lemon verbena that carry through on the finish when served over tonic with a slice of cucumber. drinknolo.ie

Hollow Leg Alcohol-Free Cabernet, 0pc, €12 I’ve previously recommended Hollow Leg sparkling wines and Albariño, but its well-balanced Cabernet Sauvignon is the best red on the market, with black fruit, delicate tannins and fresh acidity. Molloy’s, Brown Thomas, Blackrock Cellar, The Wine Pair, Deveney’s, Jus de Vine, Lennox Street Grocer, cavavin.ie, stationtostationwine.ie, nolo.ie

Saoirse Winter Edition Non-Alcoholic Distilled Spirit, 0pc, €9.99 Made for Aldi by Old Carrick Mill Distillery in Co Monaghan, this winter-edition gin alternative makes a warming addition to tonic or ginger ale, with its wintry character of clove-spiked oranges meets cinnamon-stewed apple. Very different to its original edition. Aldi

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