Best non-alcoholic alternatives to wines, beers, and spirits to check out in 2020

We’re big on booze, and you’d have to try really hard to even get us off the stuff for more than a few days. We get why people would want to lay off the alcohol from time to time though.

Pregnancy or being a designated driver are obvious reasons, and then there are people who are unable to process alcohol properly (yes, the dreaded Asian flush), health reasons, and challenges like dry January.

For whatever reason you decide not to indulge, it’s great that there’s a new crop of alcohol-free drinks that are getting popular so everyone can join in on the fun.

Technologies used to remove alcohol in wine or beer usually involve fancy sci-fi type equipment, and can inadvertently suck out some of the key flavours you want with your booze, which make the resulting drink quite unpalatable. Still, these are the people and products that do it right.

Spirit alternatives

Bacardi Martini Vibrante & Floreale

You know their classic vermouths, but Bacardi is now taking its Martini brand into the booming no-alcohol market. Made with the same high-quality wines that are used in their core range, the booze is gently removed before they are further infused with a selection of sustainably-sourced botanicals.

The Vibrante is balanced with Italian bergamot to create a fruity aperitivo, while Floreale takes a cue from the delicate sweetness of Roman chamomile. Bacardi recommends serving the drinks with equal parts tonic over ice and a slice of orange for the ultimate aperitif!

Find out more here.

Seedlip

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We can’t imagine ever having to give up gin, so thankfully, the botanical-forward distilled spirits from Seedlip come darn close — without any of the hangovers. While the current range do not contain any juniper, you still taste a complex flavour profile from a unique set of herbs, spices, and peels.

There are only three variants at the moment: The herbal Garden 108 with handpicked peas and gay and a base of spearmint; the oaky and aromatic Spice 94 that blends together all spice, bark, and citrus peels; and zesty Grove 42 with three types of oranges, lemon, and both ginger and lemongrass distillates.

Serve them with tonic for a non-alcoholic G&T or with ÆCORN’s bitter aperitifs for something like a ‘Nogroni’.

Find Seedlip products in Singapore at TANGS and RedMart.

Lyre’s

Having just been awarded 10 medals at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC), Lyre’s uses the finest natural essences, extracts, and distillates from around the globe to created its non-alcoholic spirits.

With 13 different labels to its name, you’ll find flavours that pay homage to the cocktail world’s most time-tested spirits.

We’re talking things like London Dry Spirit, American Malt, White Cane Spirit, Italian Orange, Amaretti, Aperitif Dry, Absinthe, and Italian Spritz, crafted to look, taste, and sashay around your palate like the original — serving as a tasty toolkit for your next non-ABV cocktail.

The full Lyre’s range will soon be available in Singapore, with an expected RRP of $59 per bottle. Find out more here.

Wine alternatives

Leitz Eins, Zwei Zero Riesling

Leitz is a German wine producer better known for their Rieslings, but as it turns out, they can make a decent non-alcoholic version as well.

To remove the alcohol, they use a gentle vacuum distillation to extract the alcohol under extremely low pressure and temperature, preserving the natural Riesling Flavours.

Dubbed the Eins, Zwei Zero, this wine is refreshing and spritzy with a crisp texture and grapey palate, accentuated with faint notes of lime and white peach. You don’t get the same depth and structure as a wine with alcohol, but this is otherwise very impressive. Pair it with light Asian cooking or some goat’s cheese.

Find out more here.

Élivo Zero Zero Deluxe Sparkling

The Élivo winery in Spain makes some pretty spectacular non-alcoholic wines, but our choice pick is the Zero Zero Deluxe Sparkling styled after a semi-dry cava.

Produced with chardonnay grapes, this yellow and straw-coloured wine tastes clean and bright with a generous reservoir of bubbles from carbonation of the dealcoholised wine. There’s a long smoothness in the mouth too – absolutely delicious despite the lack of alcohol.

Élivo Zero Zero Deluxe Sparkling is available in Singapore at Spice Wines. Find out more here.

Beer Alternatives

Clausthaler Unfiltered Dry Hopped Lager

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The German brand Clausthaler makes very good non-alcoholic beers, and get this: they’ve been doing it for more than 40 years, using a process called extract fermentation to capture the aroma of hops during the brewing process without producing much alcohol (technically, their brews are about 0.4 per cent but you don’t have to worry about getting drunk).

Our choice pick? The Clausthaler Unfiltered Dry Hopped, which looks, smells, and tastes like a classic lager. Copper-coloured and cloudy in appearance, the Dry-Hopped has a malty richness that’s plenty balanced — we reckon it’ll be good with chicken and potatoes.

Find out more here.

BrewDog Hazy AF

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Did you know Scotland’s BrewDog makes alcohol-free beers as well? The new Hazy AF comes after the brewery’s other boozeless beers, Nanny State and Raspberry Blitz. This one is particularly juicy, with all the attitude and flavour of a quality Hazy IPA without the alcohol.

The aroma of tropical fruits (think mango and grapefruit) and grassy notes mix it up with oats and wheat for a smooth malty ride. There’s also more fizzy carbonation and body than you’d expect from a non-alcoholic beer, and we have no idea how they do it.

BrewDog Hazy AF is available in Singapore at Craft Beer SG. Find out more here.

Brutal Brewing A Ship Full Of IPA

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A Ship Full of IPA is Brutal Brewing’s 0 per cent version of its namesake India Pale Ale. It shares all the same ingredients, but goes through some extra steps: Namely a cool vacuum distillation to boil off the alcohol, followed by a dry hopping session to maximise the hoppiness of the thing.

There are no grains like wheat or oat here, just loads of barley malts to make a fine traditional bitter beer. There are also tropical hops that contribute a touch of tanginess to this amber brew. It’s the kind of drink we can down bottle after bottle of – and now we won’t even get a sore head!

Find out more here.

This article was first published in City Nomads.