Sip Away on These Delicious Zero-Proof Spirits

This exploding trend will make for a hangover-free future

On a recent Wednesday evening, I threw a little cocktail party.

The guest list was exclusive—me, myself and the cat—and the nibbles minimal (a single bar of dark-chocolate-and-pretzel Tony’s Chocolonely) but the refreshment menu was extensive. I served a pink gin gimlet, a strawberry-jalapeño mule, a rosemary-garnished G&T, a generous pour of an earthy and tannin-y red, rounded out by two kinds of beer—an IPA and a stout. It was decadent—and delicious—but not nearly as debauched as it sounds. In fact, I woke up the next morning hangover-free and practically glowing with wellness, of the smuggest kind.

That’s because every single one of those drinks was “zero proof.” I was sampling some of the wave of beverage offerings that mimic the hard stuff in every way but one: They contain no alcohol (or very, very low amounts, like as much as kombucha). And they’re on the rise: Zero-proof has been predicted to account for almost a third of all alcohol sales by 2024.

Do not confuse these drinks with the “mocktails” served up to kids and pregnant ladies at all-inclusives in the ’90s. In fact, every hip new restaurant and hotel worth its salt has an extensive list of thoughtfully crafted non-alcoholic cocktails teeming with fresh juices and herb sprigs. “Zero-proof is not defined by the absence of something,” explains Elva Ramirez, author of the book Zero Proof: 90 Recipes For Mindful Drinking. “Nor is it fake, like mock croc, or something to be made fun of, or mocked. They’re good in their own right.”

Ramirez would know. Her book is a curated collection of spirit-free recipes that the veteran drinks writer sourced from bartenders around the world. While this might feel like something new—and the aesthetic of these sips are certainly made for the Instagram era—Ramirez points out that non-alcoholic drinks have been around since the beginning of cocktail culture. “The earliest American cocktail book had a section on ‘Temperance cocktails,’” she says, referring to Jerry Thomas’s How To Mix Drinks, published in 1862. “But until now, there hasn’t been a lot of respect for the consumer. If you wanted a non-alcoholic drink, you’d be offered sparkling water or something that looks like a weird juice, which isn’t very sophisticated when all your friends are holding coupes.”

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Robert BredvadA delicious non-alcoholic cocktail from Zero Proof by Elva Ramirez (Houghton Mifflin).

That changed with the advent of Seedlip, billed as “the world’s first non-alcoholic distilled spirit.” Launched in 2015 and inspired by the founder’s own frustration with being served hideous mocktails as a non-drinker, it was “a blockbuster” in the drinks world. “It was an overnight success,” recalls Ramirez. “All of a sudden, everyone was like, ‘We can make something that looks like a drink and actually tastes good.’” It inspired bartenders to start tinkering with their own non-alcoholic drinks, and customers responded.

This trend is less about teetotalism and more about options. “I’d liken this to the vegan or gluten-free space, where it begins as an outlier, but now, even if you drink milk, you might have almond milk sometimes,” says Ramirez. “I think a martini is the most beautiful thing in the world, but I don’t want one all the time.”

In this sense, zero-proof is a natural offshoot of wellness culture—mindful drinking to go along with your meditation and green juice—underscored by a collective anxiety about how much people drank during the pandemic. “People probably drank a lot at the beginning, and now they’re thinking, ‘How can I balance this out?’” theorizes Ramirez. For some of us, that meant going back out into the post-vaccination Roaring Twenties with a lower tolerance than before. “When you take time off alcohol, you become more aware of what and how much you drink,” says Ramirez, pointing to studies done by the organization that started Dry January. “I’m a moderate drinker myself, but post-pandemic, I want to have more zero-proof than not—if only to protect myself from massive hangovers.”

Ramirez is hopeful that the growing interest in zero-proof will also erode some of the negative aspects of social drinking culture. “You don’t pressure vegetarians to eat chicken, but people will pressure you to drink when you’re all out having fun,” says Ramirez. She notes that almost every bartender has a story of a customer asking them to make them something that looks like a “real” cocktail so their friends won’t realize they’re not drinking. “That’s so weird! How great will it be to just order off a menu and get something non-alcoholic that doesn’t look any different to what everyone else has? Then it becomes about your company and the fun you’re having, and not what you’re drinking.”

As a never-drinker who has spent far too much of her life defending a personal choice to incredulous acquaintances in sticky-floored bars, clutching a soda-gun Diet Coke, I’ll cheers to that. Maybe with a zero-proof Old Fashioned? Or perhaps a white-wine-like spritz? Now, we’re all spoiled for choice.

 

Shop zero-proof drinks

Acid League Wine Proxies Tasting Set, $84 for 4, acidleague.com. Photo: Acid League
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These tea-based tipples with deadly design-forward labels and wax caps are flavoursome and complex enough that you can wax on about the notes with as much pomposity as a sommelier. Billed as a “non-alcoholic wine club for the sober curious, non-drinkers and wine lovers alike,” Acid League offers a subscription box for its Wine Proxies or you can purchase a tasting set to try four of their big hitters: two whites, one crisp and one aromatic, a refreshing rosé and a rich red. Bring them out when you have guests and they’re sure to impress.

 
 
Ritual Tequila Alternative, $40, ritualzeroproof.com. Photo: Ritual
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Okay, non-alcoholic beer, wine, sure…but fake tequila shots? If the reviewers are to be believed, absolutely! Its tasting notes are of “earthy blue agave, Mexican lime and tropical guava, with a smoky mesquite finish.” The brand claims it’s the world’s highest-rated non-alcoholic spirit, citing its score of 98 from the Beverage Testing Institute. Margaritas on the patio, ahoy! Also check out Ritual’s rum, whiskey and gin substitutes.

 
Silver Swallow Luxury Kombucha, $57 (3 bottles), silverswallow.co. Photo: Silver Swallow
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Looking for an alternative “pop!” at your next party? Canadian Silver Swallow kombucha is brewed with a rare organic white tea that is hand-picked once a year in Yunnan, China. With its chic label, cork and cage it looks and acts just like the real deal, but its bubbles will be kinder on your head than champers. The new rosé version has notes of strawberry and brioche, and is based on kamairicha tea, a type of pan-fried tea that gives this sip a creamy flavour—it’s available to order at the equally sweet June Motel in Ontario cottage country. (Plus, picnic-ready mini bottles are launching soon!)

 

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Fluère Pink Gin, $43, well.ca. Photo: Fluère
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Come for the photogenic, Art Nouveau-vibe bottles, stay for the award-winning zero-proof spirits inside. The Fluère Pink Gin, in particular, is a raspberry-forward tipple that just looks—and tastes—like joy in a glass, especially mixed with tonic water and an enthusiastic squeeze of lemon.

Lyre’s Amaretti Impossibly Crafted Non-Alcoholic Spirits, $45, amazon.ca. Photo: Lyre’s
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For those who miss a rich after-dinner sipper, Lyre’s award-winning Amaretti non-alcoholic spirit is a straight-up dupe for the Italian classic aperitif/digestif amaretto, with almond (obv), vanilla and spice. Use it in a faux amaretto sour, on ice or over ice cream. The brand has won 46 beverage awards in total.

 
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Sobrii 0-Gin, $36, well.ca. Photo: Sobrii
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Canada’s first non-alcoholic distilled spirit, Sobrii’s 0-Gin adds Ontario-grown ginseng to the usual botanical suspects—juniper berries, star anise, coriander—for a sugar-free gin alternative that will please even the most discerning of G&T devotees.

 

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Ceder’s Classic, $25, gourmetwarehouse.ca. Photo: Ceder’s
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Created by a South African/Swedish couple, Ceder’s leans on the herbs found in South Africa’s Cederberg mountains (home of rooibos!), distilling them with Swedish water. Its “Classic” flavour has hints of fynbos, a local plant whose smell is synonymous with summer in the Western Cape and makes for a peppery note in this intriguing gin substitute. The “Wild” flavour is a rooibos lover’s dream, especially mixed with a tangy grapefruit soda.

Seedlip Spice 94 spirit, $45, well.ca. Seedlip
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The OG non-alcoholic sprit brand, Seedlip became an overnight sensation with its first batch selling out in three weeks, its third in 30 minutes. Never judge a book by its cover, but the fantastical labels alone are works of art. With its allspice, oak, cardamom and citrus notes, Seedlip Spice 94 is a warm, aromatic spirit that works well in espresso martinis and ginger-based bevvies like a Dark & Stormy with kicky ginger beer.

 
 
Fre Cabernet Sauvignon, $17, sansorium.com. Photo: Fre
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This red from California’s Napa Valley features “dark cherry aromas framed by a rich palate of berries and spice.” It’s made using traditional winemaking methods, but then the alcohol is gently extracted, to preserve its aroma and flavour. It’s sold on sansorium.com, a Canadian online non-alcoholic beverage marketplace started by a Vancouver mother-daughter trio. Find this red, plus a wide selection of sprits and beers there.

 

 

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