The 10 Best Non-Alcoholic Drinks of 2023

Best Overall

Ghia Non-Alcoholic Apéritif

View On Amazon View On Drinkghia.com

“Ghia is one of those products I think will become a bartender staple for nonalcoholic drinks,” says Derek Brown, spirits expert and the owner of D.C.’s The Columbia Room. The spirit-free aperitif is made with natural juice from the riesling grape and a selection of herbs, extracts, and botanicals. It’s one of the most complex nonalcoholic drinks on the market with layered, nuanced flavors of gentian root, yuzu juice, fig concentrate, elderflower, orange peel, ginger, and rosemary.

This spirit-free drink is inspired by Mediterranean dinners. Sip it after supper, preferably with a seaside sunset—if only on your TV. The storied, thoughtfully designed bottle will sit pretty on your home bar.

Price at time of publish: $38

Capacity: 18.1 oz. | Calories per Serving: 15 | Flavors: Gentian root, fig, orange peel

Best Wine Alternative

NON The Everyday Set

View On Non.world

NON is a line of Australian beverages that incorporate a wide range of fruits and spices to contribute flavor notes found in wine. You shouldn't expect something that tastes exactly like the hard stuff; it's more like a fancy soda that's complex and kinda wine-like. The secret ingredient is verjus, the unfermented juice of unripe grapes. It's the base of all of NON's bottlings and contributes a nice acidity and grape-y-ness that gives the impression of wine but contains zero alcohol. (Some products start with "real" wine and remove the alcohol, but this brand never had any to begin with.)

NON's Everyday Set gets you a taste of nearly the full range, with a bottle each of the company's rosé, white, and red drinks. These flavors are multifaceted, using unexpected but delicious ingredients: NON1 (the rosé) includes raspberries and chamomile, with a hint of salt; NON3 (the white) has yuzu, orange, and cinnamon; and NON7 (the red) uses coffee and cherries stewed with a range of warm spices. All three types are just a little bubbly, with carbonation that helps make the acidity pop on your tongue but doesn't feel like sparking wine.

If you love these three bottles, you can also try NON2, a blend with savory caramelized pear, kombu, and olive brine that's more like sherry or another fortified wine. Try it with dessert, or as an after-dinner sipper.

Price at time of publish: $90 for 3 bottles

Capacity: 750 milliliters per bottle | Calories per Serving: 37 (NON1), 40 (NON3), 30 (NON7) | Flavors: Salted raspberry & chamomile (NON1), toasted cinnamon & yuzu (NON3), stewed cherry & coffee (NON7)

Best With Soda

Lyre's Summer Spritz Set

View On Lyres.com

British brand Lyre's is on a quest to create non-alcoholic replacements for every ingredient you can find behind the bar. That includes booze-free whiskey, rum, tequila, and even absinthe. There are lots of options to choose from, but our personal favorites are this pair of citrusy "liqueurs." Orange Sec is similar to a triple sec, with pure fresh-orange juiciness alongside a little bit of bitterness from the peel, while Italian Orange uses blood oranges and a little cherry for a bright-and-bitter flavor that's a bit like Aperol. Both are lightly sweet, needing just ice and some club soda to make a complex and refreshing spritz cocktail with none of the alcohol. To expand your drink options, try combining the two in different proportions, or using flavored sparkling water.

Price at time of publish: $72 for 2 bottles

Capacity: 700 milliliters per bottle | Calories per Serving: 18 | Flavors: Orange Sec, Italian Orange

Best Ready to Drink

De Soi Can Variety Pack

View On Amazon View On Boisson.co View On Drinkdesoi.com

There's nothing like a little al fresco imbibing—and the mere fact that you're taking a break from the booze doesn't mean that you need to miss out on the fun. De Soi is a line of bubbly aperitivo-themed ready-to-drink beverages offered in convenient 8-ounce cans. Crafted using natural adaptogens (the team cites reishi mushroom and ashwagandha as two of the main ingredients), as well as other recognizable ingredients such as pear juice and bergamot extract, these tasty sippers would make for the perfect pairing with an afternoon in the park.

De Soi non-alcoholic aperitifs come in three different flavors—Golden Hour, Champignon Dreams, and Purple Lune—so they're sure to satisfy the various tastes of all your assorted picnickers. The flavors are crafted by Morgan McLachlan, well-known for her work with botanicals as the distiller at AMASS.

Price at the time of publish: $57

Capacity: 8 oz. | Calories per Serving: 35 | Flavors: Golden Hour, Champignon Dreams, Purple Lune

Best Whiskey Alternative

Wilderton Earthen Non-Alcoholic Spirits

View On Amazon View On Boisson.co

Oregon-based Wilderton creates small-batch nonalcoholic botanical spirits and currently produces three distinct expressions: the bright, citrusy Lustre; the aromatic, grapefruit-forward Bittersweet Aperitivo; and their woodsy, spiced brown "spirit," Earthen.

Out of this trio, the Earthen may be the most unusual, and the closest to an aged spirit, such as whiskey. Meant to be mixed, the brand suggests pairing it with ginger ale or ginger beer with a squeeze of lime. This would also do well mixed with a lightly sweetened black tea and lemon or iced coffee and a splash of tonic. Tap into your inner mixologist and explore the earthy flavors of woodsmoke and sandalwood to create your own nonalcoholic cocktail concoctions.

Price at time of publish: $37

Capacity: 25.4 oz. | Calories per Serving: 0 | Flavors: Earthen: Spice, Wood, and Smoke Notes; Lustre: Citrus, Herbaceous and Floral Notes; Bittersweet Aperitivo: Grapefruit, Orange Blossom and Aromatic Herbs

Best Mocktail

Little Saints Plant Magic Mocktail

View On Foxtrotco.com View On Littlesaints.com

Skip the hangover and enrich your mind-body wellness with Little Saints plant magic mocktails. These nonalcoholic elixirs in a can are truly magical: They are not only sugar-free and mood-lifting, but made with a restorative blend of CBD, botanical terpenes, and natural adaptogens. Plus, these beverages replicate the flavors of beloved cocktails, including the spicy margarita, paloma, ginger mule, and mimosa.

Created by former environmental lawyer Megan Klein, Little Saints is the first and only mocktail on the market to combine CBD and reishi mushroom extract. The result is calm in a can, with uplifting and mood-enhancing benefits that won't have you missing alcohol. Try any four of the refreshing tonics for a sensory experience to elevate your wellbeing and still feel that happy buzz.

Price at time of publish: $5

Capacity: 8 oz. | Calories per Serving: 5 | Flavors: Spicy margarita, Negroni spritz, Paloma, Ginger mule

Best Gin Alternative

Fluère Non-Alcoholic Distilled Spirit

View On Amazon View On Proofnomore.com

Crafted in the Netherlands, Fluère replicates the world’s most storied alcoholic spirits, from gin and whiskey to a smoky mezcal. By mimicking the distilling techniques of spirits makers, the company is able to create a drink that tastes just like a real spirit; if you’re a cocktail fan looking for a nonalcoholic beverage, this option is for you. 

Fluère’s original flavor is an excellent alternative to gin, with elegant notes of juniper and lime peel. Try it poured with tonic water and a squeeze of citrus. 

"The floral blend of botanicals is gentle and easy to approach," says Domenico Di Bucchianico, formerly of the Ritz Hotel London and creator of the cocktail blog and learning platform Dedycated. "It opens up with ginger, black pepper, and a bit of chili, leading to a long and persistent aftertaste of botanicals that are typical of gin."

Price at Time of Publish: $30

Capacity: 23.7 oz. | Calories per Serving: 1.2 | Flavors: Coriander, Lime, Lavender, Juniper

Best Soda

DRY Non-Alcoholic Botanical Bubbly Sparkling Water

View On Amazon

DRY Non-Alcoholic Botanical Sparkling Water is specifically crafted with the non-drinker in mind. The canned mocktail company highlights botanicals and flavors to create playful canned mixers, each made with just four simple ingredients, including cane sugar to sweeten. There are nine different flavors, such as cooling cucumber, tart Rainier cherry, vanilla, juniper berry, lavender, and more. All have a light, refreshing taste. 

If you do plan on drinking, these drinks make great mixers, too. Simply add your favorite spirit—the cucumber flavor pairs well with gin, and the ginger option is great with whiskey. Keeping these on hand at home will please both drinkers and non-partakers.

Price at time of publish: $43

Capacity: 12 oz. | Calories per Serving: 45‐70 | Flavors: Cucumber, Rainier cherry, vanilla, juniper berry, lavender

Best Zero-Calorie

Optimist Botanicals Fresh Non-Alcoholic Distilled Spirit

View On Boisson.co View On CB2

These days, those of us who are choosing to abstain from alcohol have many more options at our disposal than that boring old glass of club soda that previous generations of non-drinkers would resign themselves to in social settings. There was one distinct advantage to that simple glass of seltzer, though: no calories! Sure, there are plenty of great NA options for today's abstainers to enjoy, but why do so many of them have nearly as many calories as a light beer?

Optimist Botanicals is a maker of artisinal non-alcoholic spirits based in Los Angeles, and they're one of the few producers offering a lineup of interesting and unique NA spirits that are calorie-free. While their "Smokey" bottling is reminiscent of the campfire notes in mezcal, and their "Bright" offering emulates citrus-flavored vodka, their "Fresh" label might be the most versatile for mixing. Boasting many of the same botanical notes as your favorite gin, "Fresh" plays well in a gimlet or a gin fizz—but the true low-calorie hack would be to grab a zero-sugar tonic water and fix yourself the first G&T you've ever had with no calories in it. Ah, what a time to be alive.

Price at Time of Publish: $35

Capacity: 16.9 oz. | Calories per Serving: 0 | Flavors: Juniper, cilantro, lime peel