The best non-alcoholic party drinks tried and tested
Words Emma Vidgen // @emma_vee
Styling Nat Turnbull Photography Annika Kafcaloudis
As anyone who has taken a break from alcohol or just isn’t a drinker can attest, alcohol-free beverages can be pretty grim. Soda water, orange juice, a soft drink if you’re lucky… it doesn’t exactly make abstaining (or going out) a whole lot of fun. “If you pick up a non-alcoholic wine it's super sweet because when the alcohol comes out, it just tends to taste like grape juice,” says Kat Brophy, founder of Killjoy Drinks. Ugh!
It’s enough to make you want to stay at home, which is exactly why Kat Brophy, decided to launch Killjoy – a boutique, booze-free bottle shop dedicated to taking the FOMO out of not drinking.
After getting sober curious and deciding to take a year-long break from drinking, Kat realised almost immediately just how dire non-alcoholic options often are. “I think in the past there's been some not-so-great results because there wasn’t a lot of care put into it,” Kat says.
But non-alcoholic drinks are one of the fastest growing corners of the hospitality market, with more and more people choosing not to drink. "There are some really interesting innovation happening creating products that are much more complex in flavour using different techniques like kombucha,” Kat says.
In architecture it’s considered best practice to create something intentionally new, innovative and noticeably different rather than trying to copy or imitate traditional design, and when it comes to alcohol alternatives, the same design ethos – focussing on innovation rather than imitation – is the future. “Traditional brewing practices and the use of ingredients like tea can create something that's a really unique, complex flavour that is more comparable to a natural wine or a sparkling wine than dealcoholized wine,” says Kat.
We road-tested some of Killjoy’s finest just in time for the silly season. Here are our top non-alcoholic festive drinks.
our ‘not-drinking, and loving it’ top pick: Mailer McGuire Earl Grey Kombucha T Totaler Blend, $18
Try it if you like … a complex, mineral-y white
What we love: A very subtle fizz gives a prickly tongue feel reminiscent of a Gruner Veltliner, packaged in a (proper) wine bottle to give this drink a decidedly sophisticated feel. Brewed and bottled in Sydney, it’s made with single-source tea and minimal intervention, creating a slightly sweet-but-savoury complexity, not unlike a natural wine – but also, not exactly the same. The result is a delicious, grown-up drink we’ll happily sip all night and not feel the slightest bit of FOMOW (fear of missing out on wine).
our ‘BEST LONG-LUNCH COMPANION’ pick: Non 5 Lemon Marmalade & Hibiscus, $30
Try it if you like… a glass of rosé on a hot day
What we love: The colour alone says, “party” the second you clap eyes on it. Non 5 is the most brilliant fuchsia just begging for lashings of ice and maybe a little mint, not that it needs anything flavour-wise. It tastes a little bit like a sour beer had a baby with a boutique cordial or fruit tea (read: YUM). In truth, it’s made with Australian botanicals including lemon myrtle, Murray river salt and verjuice – as well as its label’s sake – lemon and hibiscus – and Citra hops too. This not-too-sweet drop is the perfect post-surf drink or Christmas day tipple.
our ‘soda water saver’pick: Wild Foraged Lilly Pilly & Lemon Myrtle Shrub, $18
Try it if you like… A herbaceous cocktail
What we love: The fact that just a spoonful of this stuff can transform a boring designated-driver drink into something genuinely interesting is reason enough to raise a glass. This Syrup by Ziggy’s Wildfoods is kind of like cordial for grown-ups. Made with native Australian botanicals, you only need to add a dash to elevate a bog-standard glass of fizzy water or tonic into a sweet-but not-sickly summer drink. Keep a bottle in your bag or glovebox to pimp soda water on the go.