A complete N/A bottle companion guide: written by an actual sober person
From wine to spirits to apertifs, I've tried them all, and I'm here to tell you what to get.
Hi! I’m Kirstie. I’m sober and let’s be real, I still love to drink. I’ve drunk my way across the category and I’m here to tell you my favorite N/A drinks.
There’s lots of good drinks out there, but with information overload, it can be hard to choose. So I’m giving you my 1-2 of favorite bottles in each category instead of a long list. These are just my standouts, just my stars, and if there’s not a good version of something (hello, vodka), I won’t make a recommendation.
Here’s why you should trust me:
I’ve drunk over 90 N/A tasting menu pairings in the last two years. I try a new drink almost every week to understand the category. I seek out N/A drinks at bars (including their bottles) and rank them. As of this writing, I have 40 different bottles of some kind of N/A drink in my house—from large format to little cans.
But I also was a bit of a snob when I drank. I was a wine snob, a beer snob, a collector of port bottles and Japanese whiskey, and a lover of Amaro. I knew my shit with booze and I can still help you pair beautiful meals with wine. I chased rare bottles and rarely drank cocktails, preferring alcohol straight up and taking notes on the flavor profile in a little, geeky notebook. When it comes to drinking, I was a professional (hence the being sober). I bring that same passion to N/A drinks.
This list has the following categories: wine, beer, N/A spirits, apertifs/digestifs, canned/bottled cocktails, bitters and mixers, where to order, a book I love for your first attempt at N/A cocktail recipes, and my favorite at home N/A cocktail.
One little plug before you dive in. This is a free resource because I love sober people and want you to have it no matter your budget—it also took me about 30 hours to complete. If you plan to use this list, becoming a paid subscriber would mean a whole hell of a lot to me. Being a paid subscriber is about the cost of one bottle and I’m a fully independent writer, meaning I buy all these bottles myself.
The more people who subscribe, the more bottles I can drink, the better your 2026 drink list will be.
All photos featured here came from the company’s Instagram posts or website. If you click on the photo, it will take you to their Instagram!
Wine
For wine, there are two categories: dealcoholized and alternatives.
Dealcoholized is wine that was is made just like normal wine and they take the alcohol out of it, so it has trace amounts. There’s lots of methods to do that, and some places even have patents on theirs.
Alternatives are made from other things like tea or juice or adaptogens.
Why does it matter? Lots of people won’t drink wine with trace amounts of alcohol in it and most people prefer one over the other.
Alternatives
Champagne
Copenhagen, Any/AllIt seems that every single restaurants N/A pairing opened with Copenhagen in 2024—and for good reason. It’s really and honestly best in class above dealcoholized champagne. Not wine based, but tea based, it pairs with caviar the same way champagne does. I drink it straight up, in mimosas, and also in any N/A cocktail that calls for champagne or sparkling wine. I’m partial to the B L A (blue label) but most restaurants are pouring Lysegrøn (green label). Look at the ingredients and pick your favorite. You can’t go wrong.
White
Dry Wit, PippiDry Wit’s Pippi is one of my favorite drinks of all time, sober or not. It’s light and refreshing, pairs well with butter and fish, and plays well with the fresh produce of summer. And, of course, it’s also BFFs with caviar. It’s my go to white. You can’t get Dry Wit everywhere. Right now, you can only get it in Minnesota, but have no fear, you can order it from my favorite bottle shop, Marigold. It regularly sells out, so be ready to jump when you see it.
Orange
Non, 6Hear me out, okay? Non 6 is made up of roasted peppers (yes), tomato water, and basil. It’s seasonal and I’ve only ever seen it in the wild twice, but I chase it. It’s wild, it’s whacky, it’s complex. It’s also a little bit feral. It’s the kind of N/A drink you’ll like if you chased whacky wines in your drinking days (I did). It doesn’t taste like an orange wine, but it pairs like one. I dream of drinking this with a savory scone on my deck in the summer, but I also want to drink it alongside a really spicy vindaloo. If you find it, grab two, and mail one to me. If you find it locally, you better be sending me the stockist so I can sell them out.
Rosé
Rosé is hottttly debated in N/A circles and I considered not giving you my picks because of it. It’s really personal, because the notes you liked in rosé are the ones you want in a drink—and rosé runs the gamut. But these are my top two. You might hate them, who knows?
Proxies, Pink SaltProxies really was an industry disrupter when they launched, giving us some of the first good N/A wine alternatives. The reason I like this one over the other rosé alternatives is that it has peppercorn and salt in it, meaning it has a bit of a zing that cuts through the sweetness. But, to me, it also means it pairs better with food than most of its sweet counterparts on the market. It’s citrus forward with a smooth finish. You can pair it with most things you can pair rosé with, but I love to pair it with salty potato chips on my couch or really smoky barbecue.
De Soi, RoséFor a fruitier, more traditional take on rosé, the Trés Rosé from De Soi is my pick. This drink also leans on the acid, but undertones of rooibos balance it out. Instead of pairing this with smoky or salty foods, I pair it with more delicate ones like strawberry shortcake, summer melon salads, and mild cheeses. The nice thing about this drink is that it’s in a can, so you don’t need to worry about finishing a whole bottle for yourself (but it’s so good, you might).
Light Bodied Red
Dry Wit, BruceRed wine alternatives are hard to do well. In the category of wine alternatives, Dry Wit’s Bruce stands alone. Most other red wines take away from the food with notes like raw garam masala or rich, deep berries that make it hard to actually taste the steak you’re eating. Dry Wit is light, but juicy and dry. And that dryness is what you want in a good red wine alternative. Dry red wines balance fat meaning you can legitimately pair this with Wagyu (or Cheetos). No other red wine alternative does this. This wine is so good, I joke that it is my boyfriend (sorry to Greg, my real boyfriend). Just make sure to serve it chilled. Again, you can’t get Dry Wit everywhere, but have no fear, you can order it from my favorite bottle shop, Marigold.
Full Bodied Red
Muri x The Four HorsemenMuri x The Four Horsemen is a darker wine alternative than Bruce. This is a mix of sour cherry wine, tomato water, beetroot, and spices. It’s one of the first bottles I’ve come across that goes cross category, mixing unique wine ingredients with notes normally found in red wine replacements (standard verjus doesn’t count). It’s rich and full bodied, something rare in this category. It was built to pair with anything a deep red wine pairs with and somehow, it does. It has an intense flavor like some of the deeper red wines, but if you liked something full bodied and complex, you’ll probably like this.
Dealcoholized
Champagne
Kolonne Null, Cuvée Blanc No.01There are lots of good N/A champagnes on the market, but very few have notes of brioche. If you were a serious wine drinker, you know what I mean, but if you weren’t, essentially what it means is that drink doesn’t just have notes of fruit. Rich, buttery, and toasty, with the main fruit on your palate being pear, Kolonne Null’s Cuvée Blanc No.01 is the kind of champagne I liked when drinking (I was a Pierre Peters Cuvée Reserve kind of girl). For me, this is the best champagne on the market by a significant margin. Their rosé variety is also great. You can get it in three sizes—a magnum, a regular 750ml, and a half size. I always have one on hand, so that I’m ready to pop a cork for whatever you’re celebrating.
White
Null, Grüner WeissOkay, look, when I was drinking, I wanted dry white wine. Like Assyrtiko dry. So getting into N/A wines and seeing them defined as dry left me a little confused. With time, I’ve adapted. And while I’m still hoping for the day of (good) bone dry white wine, Null’s Grüner Weiss rocks. No weird aftertaste, just a little bit of fruitiness you wouldn’t find in the alcoholic version, and overall extremely pairable with anything you would pair with a similar white. I also use it in cooking, because some N/A white wines just don’t cut it, even in sauce.
Rose
Oddbird, Sparkling RoséI’m honestly not a sparkling rosé fan most of the time. I prefer a non-bubbly version of this almost always too sweet drink, but Oddbird’s Sparkling Rosé is a great bubbly—and it’s on the dryer side. It’s matured for 12 months giving this bottle a good amount of depth missing from most other rosés. The grapes are Syrah, one of my favorites for rosé and this wine company focuses on bringing tradition into N/A winemaking. You can tell. This drink goes well with cheese plates, giant salads with shaved Manchego, and just about any seafood you can think of. Just make sure to get it in the bottle and not the can—these are two different drinks.
Red
NoneLots of pieces about N/A wine published in 2024 focused on how much better N/A reds got this year—and they’re right, they have. But have they gotten good enough for me to make a recommendation? No. Bottles I love, other people whose palates I trust hate. And some they love, I hate. There’s no universal winner. And I feel like whatever I put here will make a large enough group of people unhappy that in 2025, I’m skipping it. The wines are too fruity or too sweet or taste a bit off in a way that N/A champagne, white, and rosé wines don’t. I hope we see companies keep pushing for that perfect red. But we’re not there yet.
Beer
I’m leaving lots of styles of beers out not because I don’t know them (reminder: beer snob), but just because something is best in class doesn’t mean it’s good enough for me to encourage you to drink. There is not a single kolsch, double IPA, gose, or saison worth your time. Yes, I’ve had that Kolsch and best in class doesn’t mean it’s actually good.
Amber
Brooklyn Brewing, Special Effects Hoppy AmberBrooklyn Brewing coming out with their N/A marked a clear turn in the N/A market, with other regular old breweries following on their tail to send out their N/A beers. They were one of the first in this category, and one of the best. They have multiple N/A beers in their lineup, but Hoppy Amber is the star. Multiple people who drink have told me it tastes like a beer. It’s malty and very hoppy (it’s in the name) and has notes of toasted bread, making it easy to pair with food.
Lagers
Nah, Helles Lager | Whatever cheap beer you used to drinkNah is from a local Minneapolis brewery, Bauhaus. It drinks just like a Helles with rich malty bread vibes. It stands out in a category plagued by hops in everything—the hops here are exceptionally mild. The mouthfeel on this beer is excellent and one of the closest I’ve found to alcoholic beer (many beers seem to be missing body). N/A beers often finish with notes of toasted cereal (or worse, wort) instead of finishing clean and it’s less prominent here than in most other beers, making it one of my go-to picks. You might not be able to find it in your state, but you can order it direct from their website. They have multiple other flavors, too, but this is my favorite of theirs.
Everywhere from Budweiser to Heineken has a beer now. Even Pabst has one. (Miller High Life when, bestie?). For easy drinking, the best in class is definitely the breweries who make cheap beer you can get on happy hour specials at bars. One person said to me that Heineken 0.0 (my beer of choice) is not good beer, but when I asked them if they thought Heineken was bad when they were drinking, they said yes, which left me to look at them like this:
Don’t expect the beer to be anything other than it is, but it will be a good approximation of what you remember.
IPA
Deschutes, Fresh Squeezed | Athletic, Free WaveDeschutes Fresh Squeezed was my second favorite IPA when I was drinking (my favorite was Sloop’s Juice Bomb). I love a juicy, citrus-y, low bitterness IPA. Fresh Squeeze is that. Made with both Citra and Mosaic hops, it’s has a lot of juiciness with notes of tropical fruit but it’s well balanced. Perfect for summer days on a patio, this is my new go to. A friend drank her alcoholic Fresh Squeezed next to this one and she said it was close enough to the real thing that she grabbed it for her second beer of the night.
For a drink that doesn’t lean into all that juiciness, Athletic Free Wave is my pick. It’s a Hazy IPA that Athletic itself defines as “hugely hoppy.” You get three hops here: Amarillo, Citra, and Mosaic—and Amarillo really is the star. This beer is heavily awarded and for good reason: when it came out, it was the best in category and somehow no one else has been able to catch up. Pair with a big burger and fries, or just a sunny day.
Porter
Deschutes, Black ButteThere’s a very popular N/A Porter that lots of people love and that honestly is flat. Not moderately carbonated like a porter normally is, but flat flat. So when Deschutes put out Black Butte, I ordered it as fast as I could, because I love dipping chocolate chip cookies in a good porter. Roasty, toasty, and full of those spicy notes from tettnanger hops that cut through the chocolate and coffee notes, this beer is highly awarded for a reason: it’s damn good. It’s my go to for chocolate cake, cookies, and mole.
Sour
Athletic, Soul Sour Most sour N/As have a flavor profile that reads a little off, but Soul Sour by Athletic is a gorgeous sour. It’s not too sour, it’s heavy on the fruit, and it’s easy, easy drinking. If you were the kind of person who drank more fruity beers before going N/A, this is for you. This beer is only available during Black History Month, so stock up, because most other sours don’t come close to this one.
Stout
Guinness, Stout | Summit, NIALAS DarkI was never really a Guinness drinker, preferring other kinds of dark beer like porters and barley wine. But when the Guinness N/A came out, I have to admit that it was fun to grab one of those aluminum cans with a little plastic ball in it. It tastes like a Guinness, it has the mouthfeel of a Guinness, and there’s something playful about drinking this classic beer sober that means it tops my stout list.
Summit is a local brewing company with a decent selection of N/A beers, but their Nialas Dark is one of my favorites. It’s an Irish Style Dark with lots of those big espresso and chocolate flavors you’d expect in the category balanced by a good amount of hops. Full bodied and uber rich, it’s the kind of beer you want to drink next to a fire after a -5 winter day. If you’re not used to drinking N/A beers, it does have some of the similar aftertastes that N/A dark beers often do, but you only taste it here on the first few sips. Drink it while you finish off a pot roast or eat mashed potatoes, as it sticks your ribs in the same cozy way.
Witbier
Blue MoonBlue moon is such a good imitation of the alcoholic version of this drink. More than one place where I ordered it poured it in the glass but left me the can, saying to me, “We just wanted to make sure you knew it was N/A.” That’s because this drink tastes so much like Blue Moon, people think it’s booze and send it back. Get it for your home fridge and bougie it up with some blood orange.
Spirits
Spirits have a long way to go, lagging far behind the advanced in beer and wine. So when you’re reading the below, keep that in mind. I drink and use all of these, but I’m still trying other products as they hit the market.
Whiskey/Bourbon
Spiritless, Kentucky 74Spiritless Kentucky 74 is a category leader if there ever was one. This drink is so much like the real thing, multiple people I know who are sober do not drink it because it’s too real. If you’re looking for drinks that taste similar to alcohol, this is your go to. Technically a take on bourbon, you can use it how you would use whiskey or scotch. It’s super oaky, with notes of caramel and vanilla notes, and none of the aftertaste or weird mouthfeel of other N/A spirits due to it actually being whiskey, with alcohol removed. You can even drink it straight up, something rare for N/A spirits. If you going to have one N/A liquor in your bar, this is the one.
Rum
Caleño Dark & SpicyI taste tested every single rum on the market to find the perfect one for a rum cocktail I was working on for a dinner party I hosted. Lots of N/A spirits have problems with viscosity, but they also have problem with depth. The only way I can explain it is that many N/A rums taste like water you added spices to. Not so with Caleño Dark & Spicy. Billed as a tropical rum, it has all the things a good spiced rum needs, with a good amount of ginger and major fruit notes on the top. Is it a 1:1 comp for rum? No—and if that’s what your looking for, in my opinion, it doesn’t exist (yet). But it’s delicious and worked far better in rum cocktails than any other spirit I’ve tried.
Gin
NoneEvery single gin has a split feeling texture common in N/A alcohol substitutes: you feel this glycerin or cough syrup like thickness that tastes like nothing and then you get a mouthful of juniper. Do some of these gins play well in gin cocktails? Yes. But all of them taste bad enough on their own that I won’t recommend them, though in my cocktail section, I do make a Gin & Tonic recommendation.
Tequila/Mezcal
Little Ember, Little SaintsI never thought I’d find a solid tequila. They’re too viscous and just a mouthful of mesquite with no other notes. But the good people at Marigold let me taste every single bottle in their store and the Little Ember from Little Saints is stellar. It’s more expensive than its other tequila N/A counterparts, coming in at $50, but it’s worth it. Their website says it has “a lot of spice and a little smoke,” and I think that definition is apt. The smoke in it is not mesquite, but palo santo, meaning it has a bit of a unique flavor. I’ve mixed it in margaritas and drunk it as tequila soda and it’s not only a great drink, but it has enough of a unique twist to it to make drinks feel signature to you.
Vodka
NoneVodka is literally straight alcohol and I’m so sorry, but a good one doesn’t exist. I’ve tried them all and the only way I can describe them is “rancid water.”
What to avoid
This is the only category I’m doing this for, but because it is necessary.
When Lyres first came on the market, they created many of the first versions of actual N/A dupes out there. They were the first with a full line up and at the time, it was good. Their bottles have the viscosity of glycerin and many of their bottles lack bite, but the relatively short shelf life also makes these an avoid.
Ritual tries to approximate N/A spirits with pretty bad results, meaning that things you’re used to seeing (say, smoke in mezcal) are the entire flavor profile of the drink.
I wanted to love Tilden, I really did. Unfortunately, it’s not balanced, hard to drink on its own, and overpowers any drinks you put it in.
I’m gonna say it. Seedlip created the category. We honor them and salute them for their service. But if you’ve never used them before, don’t start now. There’s a reason most N/A bottle shops don’t carry it—it’s not best in class anymore. Their recent attempt to add an agave style spirit was a bust and unless you’ve been using it for years and know how to use their other spirits, you have to learn a whole new lexicon of flavor profiles and drinks to pair with it. There’s easier, better options.
Apertifs/Digestifs
Amaro
DrZeroZero, AmarNoI was an Amaro drinker—it was my second favorite drink, behind port (I was a bougie alcoholic what can I say?). There is more than one good Amaro on the market, but DrZeroZero is, in my opinion, the most complex, using some of the bitter herbs found in regular Amaros. This bottle is so good, even when I serve other after dinner drinks at my dinner parties, someone always asks, “Kirstie, where is your amaro bottle?” I have to keep at least one full bottle stocked to my house at all times because if I don’t, people are genuinely heartbroken when they come to dinner. If you scroll all the way down to the bottom, you’ll see my favorite and a cocktail that I make at home and it includes this drink.
Campari
Abstinence, Blood Orange ApertifThe first time I was served Abstinence Blood Orange Apertif was at a bar I know would never serve me alcohol and I still had a moment where I asked my boyfriend if it was alcohol. “No,” he said, “But it sure tastes like it.” The Cichona Bark in this drink gives it that dry mouthfeel after a drink of Campari and the blood orange makes it feel premium, versus other brands that use “flavors.” I sip this alone, but I also pour it over ice cream and top with Maldon for a sweet summer sunset treat.
Vermouth
3Leche, Rosso Vermut | Roots Divino, Apertif Rosso.Okay first thing’s first, the Vermouth from Eleven Madison Park is so bad that when I served it at a party, people thought I was punking them. Others in the category are also similarly bad. But there’s one that reigns supreme, you can only get it at a very select few bars in Minnesota. This is me begging 3Leche (their website is down) to release their bottles of Rosso Vermut to the public again. If you see it on any menu, do not think twice. Get it. For now, because you can’t, the runner up is Roots Divino, Apertif Rosso.
New School
Three Spirit, Nightcap | Ghia, ApertifThree Spirit has a trio of drinks, but Nightcap is their true star. Wood-y, maple-y, with a good hit of vanilla and black pepper, this is one of the few drinks I almost always drink on its own in a 2oz pour. I drink it before bed, sometimes with a decaf coffee, but usually in a cute little vintage glass with a bit of blood orange peel and little piece of dark, dark chocolate. Most of the time when I drink it, I wish I had french toast sticks, the frozen kind, with lots of syrup—that would be a pairing made in heaven.
Ghia was first of its kind when it came on the market, being the first very good apertif. For a while, it was King. Since then, they’ve created everything from a spritz to a spread. Their canned cocktails are a ton of fun and a good entry point if you’re not used to drinking apertif style drinks, but I still think that having a bottle of their Original Ghia (they also have a berry) on hand for mixing is the way to go. They published a good list of their cocktails on Instagram—you can read those here—so you know how to mix your first few drinks.
Canned/Bottled Cocktails (Large and Small format)
The Classics
Ish, G&T, Mojito, Paloma, and Spritz | St. Agrestis, Phony Negroni I was hesitant about Ish’s line of ready to drink cocktails, because I don’t really love their spirits on their own. But their G&T and their Mojito are stellar if you don’t want to mix these drinks up at your own bar or if you want to bring a few cans for a picnic. These all come in a can, with the spritz having a large format option. Just skip the daiquiri, it’s too sweet. I keep these in my fridge at all times, so that friends can grab something other than a wine or beer. They’re a fan favorite.
The entire line up of St. Agrestis Phony Negronis is a hit, but the classic is my personal favorite. Rich, deep, and the singular best N/A cocktail on the market, it’s featured on lots of menus for good reason. It comes in bottles and cans, but I prefer the bottles, and it’s a good enough negroni dupe that my friends who don’t drink N/A drinks most places pick up this one. Their sister alcoholic also comes in a fountain (think boxed wine), and I’m begging for an N/A version.
The Unique
Unified Ferments, Soba & Lapsang Souchong | Kally, SageI am not a big kombucha person, but I am huge into tea based cocktails. United Ferments has a kombucha line that reads like cocktails. They have a main line of drinks that is beautiful, but their recent collaboration with Kettl is a stunner. The soba knocked my socks off. I’m huge into turning barley tea into a sparkling mocktail and this did what I’m trying to do with barley with buckwheat—but better. And their Lapsang Souchong is now a regular appearance in my bar for the scotch-like depth it adds to cocktails, due to the pinewood smoke in the tea. Their drinks are incredibly pairable with food, with each of these stunning against winter preparations of duck.
Kally used to have my favorite drink on the market: Vanilla Smoke. That drink was removed from their line up along with a lot of their other drinks but it was one of the richest and darkest N/A drinks I’ve had. The first iteration of their drinks were my favorite—I just think they were too early in the category. It doesn’t show up on their website anymore, but as of writing, you can still find retailers selling Kally’s Sage online. It’s gorgeous as a party cocktail and is a true crowd pleaser. Super herby, with a great mouthfeel, this is a great drink to serve before dinner while you cook at a dinner party. I’m just praying they didn’t stop producing it.
The Truly Weird & Whacky
De Soi, Champignon Dreams Dei Soi’s cult classic drink starts with a fun name, a take on champagne, but it is definitely not champagne. I tell everyone that this is a love it or hate it drink—and I love it. This drink has a hit of bitterness to it and while some people say they cannot taste the mushroom that makes up the base of the drink, I can, and I love it. This drink is often described as a drink with earthy undertones, but I think it’s just because the fruit hits your palate first. To me, this is a super earthy drink that has the floral notes of passion flower. It’s complex. It’s personal. You might not like it, but I love it paired with funky cheese, olives, or a board of summer pickles. It looks like they might be discontinuing this drink as it’s no longer in their store, but you can still get it a lot of places online.
Bitters, Mixers, and More
Bitters
All the Bitter, Aromatic & Orange | Dram, Cardamom and BlackBitters make a drink and while I drink bitters with trace amounts of alcohol in them, lots of people do not. There are two types of truly N/A bitters I keep on hand at all times, the bitters from All the Bitters (Aromatic and orange) and Dram’s Cardamom and Black Tea bitters. Both of these brands are 100% alcohol free. Dram has a larger variety of bitters like Palo Santo or Citrus. And All the Bitters has Lavender and New Orleans style.
Mixers, Etc
I have to admit that I’m not a mixers girl. I like to craft my own drinks from scratch, but here’s a few I’ve worked with that I’ve been quite fond of!
Mixers
Strongwater, Entire Line | Filthy, Bloody Mary and MargaritaWhen my favorite tonic water, made by a dude named John, stopped selling, I went looking for the best one (All you need to know is that product was just called John’s Tonic, you could only get it from a website that looks like it was built in 2005, and he shipped it himself). I tasted tonics from all over the world on their own and with N/A gin. The correct answer is make it yourself but if you aren’t doing that, it’s Strongwater, which has a range of everything from Indian to Nordic tonics.
Look, you won’t get a true Bloody Mary with N/A ingredients, but you can get a damn good Michaelada. Filthy has a stellar Bloody and Margarita mix (it’s just lime and agave I promise!) if you don’t want to make either yourself, but they also have Paloma mixes or olive brine to put in your attempts at N/A martinis.
Shrubs
Element Shrub, Entire Line | Siren Shrub Company, Basil The first shrubs I mixed in N/A drinks was Element Shrub and most I’ve tried since haven’t come close. Fun flavors like Blood Orange Saffron or Grapefruit Vanilla are the star here. Unlike lots of restaurants that serve you a mouthful of shrub, these come in small bottles, designed to be mixed. They even have a whole page of spirit free recipes, so that you don’t have to think them up yourself.
My friends and I went to the Upper Peninsula for a holiday this summer and a friend brought me back this delightful basil shrub from Siren Shrub Company proudly proclaiming, “I knew I wouldn’t like it so it was right for you.” Know your audience. But he was right! I loved it. I use this shrub in drinks all the time as a top off to give it an herbaceous touch. They have other shrubs, but I haven’t tasted them yet.
Syrup
Cheeky, Entire Line | Meadowland, Entire LineCheeky has a gorgeous line of syrups ranging from espresso to habanero hot honey to honey ginger (my go to). Their syrups are well balanced, not overpowering, and if you’re getting just one line of syrups in your collection, theirs is my recommendation.
Meadowland takes it a step further with wild syrups like earl gray tea and orange blossom water or rhubarb and shave grass. The syrups come in single packs or in packs of four that are themed. I got the Daydream collection up north and am obsessed with the Peach & Thyme. Add these to your drink for a way to make a gin & tonic something else entirely without much effort at all.
Where to order
If you have an N/A bottle shop local to you, you should order there! I know it’s a few dollars more per bottle, but they’re also often the ones bringing you bottles first before anyone else and pushing your local liquor stores to add more bottles due to those places trying to compete. So stock up at the local joint.
If you don’t have a local store, order from an independent N/A bottle shop online. My local shop is Marigold and they ship! There’s also New York based Boisson which is where I ordered bottles before Marigold opened. If you are having a hard time finding specific bottles above, go direct to their sites (all linked above). Most of them sell direct to consumer.
Recipe Book
When Good Drinks came out, I wasn’t yet sober, but I was making N/A drinks a lot as a way to dip my toe in. I bought Good Drinks on preorder and have made my way through most of the book. The recipes are not based on spirits like most books, so it actually teaches you how to make things beyond just mixing. You’ll make shrubs and shiso tea and tomato/watermelon juice. It’s a gem, truly, as is Julia Bainbridge, who I can credit with helping me realize I could be sober and still be very into drinks. Even though it wasn’t that long ago, 2022 was a very different time in N/A cocktail culture. If you’re going to have one book on your shelf, it’s this one.
My favorite at home N/A cocktail
My favorite N/A cocktail is easy and totally customizable. I don’t measure anything, I just go on vibes, but it’s a take on an Amaro Soda.
I take a 4oz glass and fill it with ice.
I fill it about 3/4 of the way with tonic.
I take some of the DrZeroZero Amarno (linked in the apertif section above) and fill about half the space from the tonic to the rim.
I juice half a blood orange into it, sometimes less, sometimes more, depending on the size.
I put a dash of aromatic bitters in.
I stir. I drink. I repeat.
I don’t add any syrup, but you might want to!
Sometimes, I leave out the ice and put vanilla ice cream in instead. It’s simple and delicious, but it’s also a reminder to play with the goodies you got! This drink came about from just wanting some blood orange and Amaro one night. If you fully stock your bar, playing with drinks like this is the best way to learn what you like.
This is a free resource because I love sober people and want you to have it no matter your budget—it also took me about 30 hours to complete.
✨✨ If you plan to use this list, becoming a paid subscriber would mean a whole hell of a lot to me. ✨✨
Being a paid subscriber is about the cost of one bottle and I’m a fully independent writer, meaning I buy all these bottles myself.
The more people who subscribe, the more bottles I can drink, the better your 2026 drink list will be.