I could not believe the avalanche of responses I got to Part 1 when I shared it on social media last week. [1] Many more friends than I expected (including a couple brewers) agreed with or at least appreciated my comments about loving the taste of alcohol but hating how it made me feel. I also got an impressive number of recommendations – from recipes, to recipe books, to a local store that specializes in non-alcoholic (NA) beverages. So what I originally expected to be a very short Part 2 is jam-packed with a lot more research!
Better Ingredients
One of my friends here in Pittsburgh suggested I check out a local store called Open Road. [2] He knows I’m a negroni fan, and he specifically suggested a brand of canned cocktail, which was the first thing I pulled off the shelf. I don’t know that I had ever tried a canned cocktail before (at least not in the US) because I really do enjoy the process of mixing them for myself, and I definitely prefer mixing them to my taste. But by the time I reached the checkout counter, I had assembled a variety of canned cocktails and, unexpectedly, a couple more bottles of NA spirits, even though I wrapped up last week’s post having given up on them.
I explained to the clerk that I had tried Seedlip and Ritual, that they had left me unimpressed, and that my approach for finishing those bottles was going to be using them in Prohibition-era cocktails (which were specifically crafted to help cover bad flavors in sub-par booze). She nodded–knowingly–and explained–tactfully–that they were some of the earliest brands to market, and that others have built upon those first steps with “better technology,” e.g. herb blends to replicate flavors, sugar or other thickeners to replicate mouthfeel, and capsaicin to replicate heat (though, as I argued, that spice is a completely different type of heat than you get from alcohol). While we chatted, she let me try samples from several bottles.
First, I sampled something that could substitute for Campari (Lapo’s Aperitivo [3]) and something that could substitute for sweet vermouth or amaro (simply called The Pathfinder [4]), both of which were surprisingly good. While it was obvious I wasn’t drinking alcohol, I really enjoyed the flavors (especially Pathfinder), and I bought a bottle of each so I could try to make myself a fully NA negroni at home with the Seedlip Grove 42 I bought for the experiments in Part 1. The resulting negroni turned out to be fine – obviously not the real thing but close enough that Christian could guess what it was supposed to be without prompting.
Then, from South African brand Abstinence, I tried “Cape Spice,” [5] a rum alternative that didn’t taste at all like rum but that I thought would be very tasty in a tiki drink with a mix of fruit juices (because a good tiki drink tastes dangerously non-alcoholic, anyway). And “Cape Malt,” [6] also from Abstinence, had some smoky, peaty aspects of my favorite type of Scotch. It was definitely not for sipping, but was far better than the Ritual Whiskey Alternative, and I think it could probably bring some of the right notes to a Scotch cocktail (though I don’t drink Scotch in cocktails – only neat). Because I don’t make tiki drinks at home and I keep nice Scotch for special occasions, I didn’t buy either of the Abstinence bottles, figuring that between the two bottles of spirits and six-pack of canned cocktails I had assembled at the counter, I probably had more than enough for one trip.
Better Technology
Over the last couple weeks, I have tried a lot of fully non-alcoholic drinks, either mixing them myself or drinking pre-mixed, canned products. Some of the canned cocktails were decent; some were disgusting; most, in the middle, were vaguely disappointing. And why wouldn’t they be if you’re hoping for the taste and kick of alcohol? Some of these products use ginger or peppers to give a bit of a warming sensation, but it’s not the same. One brand includes a trademarked ingredient called “Afterglow,” a proprietary blend that “delivers all the cocktail sensations – warmth, tingle, and good vibes.” [7] There is some speculation as to what it contains, possibly peppers for tingle and kava depressant qualities, [8] but their bold and opaque marketing turned me off, so I didn’t try it.
Part of the problem with making non-alcoholic alcohol is that the fermentation process itself creates complex flavors that you can’t otherwise replicate. While many brands of NA alternatives try to replicate flavors simply by combining ingredients like those mentioned above (herbs, sugars, peppers, etc.), others actually make use of fermentation to capture more complexity and then remove the alcohol through distillation, filtration, or spinning it in a centrifuge. [9] The result is a “dealcoholized” product (which generally results in less than 0.5% ABV), rather than a “non-alcoholic” product altogether. The dealcoholized version may still be too much for people who are pregnant, in recovery, or following certain religious guidance – that’s a personal decision that should be made in consultation with one’s doctor, counselor, or religious leader.
I did happen to try a few beverages in this category, with mixed results. The ones I could find that definitely fell into the category of dealcoholized spirits included The Pathfinder, which was very good but also very dominated by the blend of medicinal-tasting herbs I look for in an amaro, so I’m not sure I can speak to the quality of the dealcoholization process in generating a tasty alternative. Spiritless is another, a bourbon alternative that I tried in a pre-mixed old fashioned; unfortunately the cocktail was so sweet I considered pouring it down the drain (it tasted like flat Coke mixed with flat Dr. Pepper), so I definitely couldn’t speak to the quality of the spirit itself.
Finally, good old Seedlip was among those listed in my online research for dealcoholized spirits, which surprised me. Apparently their product is a technicality, as they don’t start with a finished spirit and then remove the alcohol, but rather infuse grain alcohol with botanicals before distillation. [10] So while the alcohol is used to extract flavors from their botanicals, the product lacks any flavor imparted by fermentation, as the others do. My verdict of Seedlip stands from my previous post: it has a nice flavor, but definitely without the bite or mouthfeel of alcohol, and still tastes like water infused with botanicals. Though, to its credit, it was far preferable to whatever was in a canned gin & tonic I tried.
Half Measures
I recognize where I’m about to go with this post is not what some of you, dear readers, will want to hear. There are many reasons to cut out or cut back on alcohol, and some guidelines are stricter than others. For example, I have continued to use bitters (which are alcoholic) in my cocktails throughout this experiment because I’m not worried about a few dashes. People who are sensitive to alcohol or have strict religious prohibitions may not be able to accommodate that much. But if your goal is to reduce your intake, as mine is, I’ll note that I had some considerable success and enjoyment with a very middle-of-the-road approach.
The best standard cocktails I’ve had through this whole process were citrus forward and/or lengthened with some kind of carbonated mixer. In both of those cases, the spirit will take a back seat. I’ve also had luck with unfamiliar-to-me cocktails (such as the original Cosmo from the 1930s), in which case I don’t know what to expect and therefore don’t know what I’m missing. Spirit-forward drinks have been “fine” at their best; the refreshing, effervescent drinks have been enjoyable, if missing a certain something. If you’re not under a complete prohibition on alcohol, another option to consider is making drinks that are partly alcoholic, either using some NA and some regular spirits or using half NA and half regular in your recipe.
I did wind up making a mostly virgin 1930s Cosmo for myself (using Seedlip Grove and a locally produced blood orange liqueur), and it was delicious. I made a regular one with all gin for Christian, and it was good but really intense (especially for me, since I really haven’t had time to drink much alcohol the past few weeks while sampling all of these NA options!) The middle ground of half gin and half Seedlip was legitimately good and something I will absolutely consider in the future when I want a little bit of the real deal but don’t want to pay for it the next morning.
Recipe: Pick-Your-Poison 1934 Cosmopolitan
Based on the original Cosmo recipe, [11] not what the girls were drinking on Sex and the City. Use whatever amount of alcohol you’re comfortable with.
- 2 oz Seedlip Grove 42, OR 2 oz gin, OR try half and half if you want some of the kick without all the consequences
- 0.5 oz non-alcoholic Cointreau alternative, OR 0.5 oz Cointreau / orange liqueur (I used blood orange liqueur and loved it)
- 0.75 oz lemon juice
- 0.25 oz raspberry syrup
- Shake with ice and garnish with orange twist
~
I recognize that for people who want to avoid alcohol entirely, what I’ve presented so far will get you to “fine” at best. And in recognition of that, I will have more to share in a truly unexpected Part 3 next week that makes use of more creative and non-traditional options when it comes to cocktails (thanks to another friend’s recommendation).
But for now, have you tried any NA cocktails or alcohol alternatives that you love… or at least like? I’d love to hear about them below. Do you have any preferred middle-of-the-road options to share for people who can be a little flexible?
Thanks for reading!
[1] https://radicalmoderate.online/zero-proof-part-1/
[2] https://www.openroadbarpgh.com/
[3] https://drinklapos.com/products/aperitivo
[4] https://drinkthepathfinder.com/products/pathfinder-hemp-root
[5] https://drinkabstinence.com/products/cape-spice-new
[6] https://drinkabstinence.com/collections/cape-spirits-1/products/cape-malt
[7] https://www.af-drinks.com/en-us/pages/afterglow
[8] https://radicalmoderate.online/climate-lab-fiji-in-the-field/
[9] https://winesformothers.com/blog/alcoholfree-vs-dealcoholized-wine-5-differences/
[10] https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/people/seedlip-mocktails-ben-branson
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