I tested the best Dry January drinks in supermarkets – and winner was only £1.75 and paired perfectly with salty snacks
BINNED booze for Dry January? If so, you are not alone.
More than a quarter of us planned an alcohol-free start to the year – joining a growing tally of teetotallers.
If you still want to enjoy a tipple that tastes like the real thing, worry not.
From beer and wine to spirits and cocktails, there have never been so many non-alcohol choices.
Drinks expert Helena Nicklin tastes and rates a selection.
Sparkling wine
Fizzero, £6 Marks & Spencer – 4/5
POP a cork to celebrate a hangover-free knees-up with these bubbles from M&S.
When it comes to soft versions of popular drinks, wine often fares quite badly as the alcohol-removal process frequently makes it taste cooked and unfresh.
However, sparkling versions are usually better – and this grapey fizz from M&S is a reliable go-to.
Think baked pear and pastry – it tastes much like sipping a light prosecco.
The retailer’s pink version is good, too, and both have very pretty packaging.
It means you still get all the ceremony as you open and enjoy a delicious flute of this.
Pre-mixed cocktail
Belvoir Farm peach bellini 750ml, £3.25, Sainsbury’s – 3/5
DESPITE its fancy cocktail name, this is really just a peachy soft drink with a premium price tag.
But the ingredients are good quality, the drink slips down a treat and it is done very well.
Seriously fresh and made with real fruit and grape juice, it is designed to mimic the classic orange or peach puree mixed with sparkling wine.
And despite no boozy bubbles, it is utterly delicious, especially if you drink it from a flute with ice and even sliced peaches for garnish.
You could even mix it with booze-free sparkling wine for a Bucks Fizz. The only problem is, it is so gluggable you will sup it all in no time.
Flavoured gin
Whitley Neill rhubarb & ginger £10 (was £15), Asda – 4/5
WHITLEY Neill’s rhubarb and ginger spirit is an icon of the flavoured gin world, so it is great to see this non-alcoholic version.
Whether or not you are a fan of the original, it is well worth giving this a try.
There’s lots of attention to detail – this sober spirit comes in the same purple glass bottle as its boozy parent and has a similar tart rhubarb tang.
In the glass, it is much simpler and a tad more synthetic, so it needs a large splash of flavoured tonic to hide that.
But a hefty slug and a slither of ginger gives you a lovely grown-up glug. Looks and tastes like a premium product and great value at the offer price.
Tequila
Almave £22.02 Amazon – 4/5
THERE aren’t many alcohol-free tequilas but this one, from Formula 1 race ace Lewis Hamilton’s brand, deserves a special mention.
It is a de-alcoholised anejo tequila – a luxury and more complex version of the spirit, which has been aged in oak barrels.
Amber in colour with woody flavours and a gentle, spicy kick on the finish, this will make a good mocktail so it is ideal for a dry Margarita.
You will need a lot of it in your mixer for the flavour to come through as it is more subtle than the real thing.
Well worth seeking out for tequila fans. Smooth to sip neat.
Weiss beer
Erdinger wheat beer 500ml, £1.75, Tesco – 5/5
A GREAT alternative to your usual hops-based drink. This was one of the original non-alcoholic brews and is still the best, as long as you like white beer.
With a characteristic white peach flavour, lots of texture and a generous bottle, this tastes very much like the real thing.
There is none of that burnt cereal note you can get with some de-alcoholised beers.
Comes in a big bottle so it doesn’t matter if you drink it rather fast.
And it pairs perfectly with salty snacks, perhaps while sitting on the sofa as you watch the footie this January.
For the price, if you like the style, I would say this is unbeatable.
Ready-to-drink tinnie
Greyson’s 0% London dry gin & tonic 250ml, 79p, Aldi – 3/5
FOR train-tinnie excitement factor, this alcohol-free G&T from Aldi will brighten up the end of your day.
It more than looks the part and goes big on the bitter quinine to give you a fairly authentic taste.
Considering it contains no spirit, it is still very crisp with a pleasant and tangy subtle squeeze of citrus.
But there’s not much flavour to work with and it is rather small, so without any ABV you might find yourself knocking it back quickly rather than savouring it slowly.
Still, for less than a quid a can, it is a good drop that is worth a try as a change from your normal tipple. The pink version isn’t bad either.
Wine
Nozecco still rosé £5, Morrisons – 4/5
SADLY, whether red, white or rose, many still wines struggle to taste enjoyable – through no fault of the makers – due to the de-alcoholising process.
The good news is, Nozecco recently released a range of booze-free vinos that are actually very good.
Packaged in funky, patterned bottles, they look like a proper bottle of plonk.
For me, its pink offering is the top pick because it is particularly peachy and pleasant.
While still on the sweeter side, it is fresh to sip and looks and feels quite a lot like the real thing. A great substitute.
You will like it, particularly if you are a Zinfandel fan. Quite a good price, too.