The best nonalcoholic drinks we've tasted

As a dedicated red wine lover (and a harsh critic), I was surprised when Jukes 6 easily became one of the best non-alcoholic drinks I tested. 

Jukes Cordiality was created by British award-winning wine writer and wine taster, Matthew Jukes, to mirror the depth, taste, and ability to enhance the flavor of food as wine, but without the alcohol.

I was less of a fan of the white mimic (Jukes 1), which was a bit peachy for my taste. But the red wine mimic, Jukes 6, has a deep, slightly fruity, mostly spicy taste with a subtle earthiness that gives it that true wine feel.

You're intended to mix the cordiality with sparkling or still water to a dilution of your liking, and I found, when mixed with soda water, it's like having a lovely, slightly chilled red with just enough effervescence to perk the drink up and really make the flavors pop around your mouth.

I liked that I could just crack one bottle for a N/A glass with dinner, without feeling the pressure that comes with opening a bottle of traditional wine and needing to finish it within a few days.

These bottles look like beer but they're actually filled with sparkling, non-alcoholic amaro club sodas. As a fan of Topo Chico and bitters, the subtle bite and effervescence in these bottles were right up my alley. Casamara Club makes four interesting and unique flavors, from Onda's earthy citrus (my personal favorite) to Capo's honey-and-mint notes; I recommend opting for a variety pack to test them all.

All four flavors are very subtle. They're so subtle, in fact, that the first time I opened a bottle after a long day, I was a little underwhelmed. The flavor of Casamara Club doesn't come on strong and, with just 4 grams of sugar, isn't anything you'd really crave after a long day or for a celebration.

But I brought these along to my first sober social event, and not only was I happy to have a bottle in hand just like everyone else but, because these look just like beer bottles, I don't think anyone even noticed I wasn't drinking. What's more, the mild flavor was ideal for a long night of drinking in the way a light beer might be, and it pairs quite nicely with food.

TÖST is a sparkling non-alcoholic drink made from white tea, cranberry, and ginger. It's somewhat akin to a cider or a spritzer, and is one of the best nonalcoholic drinks to mimic the celebratory feel of a bottle of bubbly. 

The brand's intent was to make a drink that's as sophisticated and meaningful as an alcoholic beverage for a dinner party — but without the booze. TÖST does indeed feel elegant and celebratory with its summery sweetness and lovely light fizz.

I also love that the large bottle has the presence of wine or champagne so it makes for a great gift or dinner party addition (though it's worth noting, TÖST also makes 12 oz singles if you want to enjoy one on your own).

I found the flavor to be very well-balanced and enjoyable but there is a catch: Each 12 oz bottle has a whopping 16 grams of sugar. That's mostly from blue agave and cranberry concentrate but considering you'd likely drink this at an event where you'll be nibbling on other treats, it's worth noting for anyone trying to minimize their sugar intake.

Made with fresh juice, spices, and herbs to create a more complex and layered flavor profile, Curious Elixirs are one of the best mocktails I tried, and taste as fresh as a just-made cocktail.

The variety pack comes with four elixirs, No. 1 through No. 4. I found each to be highly unique but very well-balanced. As a gin fan, I loved the juniper cucumber flavor (billed as a French 75 meets a Cucumber Collins), which tastes just like a summery gin cocktail without the booze. The blood orange ginseng was also delicious, like a more complex Emergen-C (which, yes, is a compliment).

All four flavors felt very intentional: they're all exciting enough that I'd go so far as to just pour one of these over ice in a cocktail glass to enjoy. You can also add two ounces of liquor for a quick and easy cocktail.

The bottles are also quite cute, with minimalist branding and flavor notes printed on the paper seal over the cap for quick reference. Each bottle has no added sugar and is infused with adaptogens and herbs aimed at helping with stress (although, in my opinion, these have enough going for them that this selling point feels more like an afterthought).

Non-alcoholic beers are another staple for anyone sober-curious looking for helpful tricks to stay booze-free at a party without feeling like they're missing out. 

I was first introduced to this beer by a friend of mine who was pregnant and runs a cocktail bar, as she had tasted more than a dozen N/A beers and deemed ABC's Run Wild the best. She's not the only one who thinks so: Run Wild also won the 2020 World Beer Award gold medal and USA's Best Non-Alcoholic Beer in the World Beer Awards.

Any IPA fan will approve of this brew's taste, too, which is a blend of five kinds of hops and delivers a balance of bitterness and maltiness. At just 70 calories and less than .5% ABV, it's one of the best nonalcoholic drinks to substitute for the real thing when you're watching the game or at a virtual gathering.

CleanCo is a British-based non-alcoholic spirit company that makes gin, tequila, rum, and vodka alternatives. Its Clean T, a no-ABV tequila replacement, is a very decent mimic of the Mexican spirit.

Unlike a lot of the other best nonalcoholic spirits, Clean T doesn't have any kind of chemical smell or taste, which I found to be a great start. Overall it tastes, well, clean (that's likely in part to the fact that it's super low in sugar), with a hint of fresh melon and earthy tones.

It doesn't pack a punch like mezcal or aged tequila, but if you're looking to stir up an alcohol-free skinny margarita or a refreshing N/A Paloma, I'd say Clean T is not only worth your money but also your best bet compared to other tequila replacements on the market.

This UK-based Three Spirits is a leading addition to the adaptogen, non-alcoholic spirits category.

We tasted three flavors: Livener, which is fortified with euphoric and energizing plants and has a bright, sweet, citrusy flavor; Social Elixir, which is made with green tea, yerba mate, and lion's mane mushroom for a steady social buzz and bittersweet, earthy taste; and Nightcap, intended to be a nightcap delicious enough to drink over ice and enhanced with relaxing valerian root and lemon balm.

Although each formula flirts with the upper-end of our healthy sugar content, I found each to be delicious enough to drink on the rocks or with tonic. It was refreshing to not have to do any kind of mixology to score a delicious drink. 

I also really enjoyed its witchy branding and ended up saving the bottles to be reused as pretty simple syrup bottles and decor.

These zero-proof spirits are uniquely crafted with tea, herbs, and adaptogens based on the intersection of Eastern medicine and mixology. With no preservatives, sugars, extracts, or artificial ingredients, the nutrition label is quite clean.

But it's also unique: The Rasāsvāda elixirs are made with items not often found in a cocktail, like artichoke leaf, Pu'er tea, maqui berry, ginseng, bergamot, burdock root, and rishi mushroom. They're also intended to act as a digestive aid, libido boost, or hangover helper (although I never felt any different after drinking any of these).

There are three distinct bottles: A tangy, floral, and citrusy option called Ruby Artemisia; a classic Italian bitter called Rose Bergamont; and Black Ginger, an earthy and biting flavor that was my personal favorite for its complexity. I really enjoyed the complex and unique flavor profile of each Rasāsvāda blend, which is why the brand earned a place on our list of the best nonalcoholic drinks. 

They're definitely for the more adventurous and luxurious drinker. The brand's website offers 18 mocktail recipes: some call for niche home bar ingredients like fermented Korean plum sauce or wormwood tinctures, and others call for something as simple as sparkling water or a lemon twist.

It's easy to write off Topo Chicos as over-priced sparkling water, particularly since it's the uber-cool thing to order at a bar or restaurant if you're sober-curious or on a detox.

But its unique carbonation and earthy balance of flavor (which is drawn from a limestone spring) are much more akin to a cocktail than other sparkling waters. For this reason, I think it makes one of the best nonalcoholic drinks. 

I personally pour it over ice in a fancy glass and add lemon and cardamom bitters. But it also makes for the ideal sugar-free mixer for anything listed here. I also love that if you don't use a whole bottle, it stays carbonated for a few days.

Monday Gin is one of the best non-alcoholic gins I found among the handful I tested. For starters, it smells the most like gin when you open the bottle (which is also why I wouldn't recommend it for recovering alcoholics as this might be triggering).

It has the kick and crisp of a classic London Dry but the personality of a New American style with strong spices and botanicals. 

Mixed with tonic, I certainly wouldn't mistake it for a real G+T and I don't think it quite fills that craving if you're sober-curious and missing your favorite happy hour cocktail. But the flavor is well-balanced enough that even with just tonic, or soda water and lemon, this is an enjoyable drink on its own. I love that you don't need bartender skills to make a nice beverage with it. There's also no sugar in the formula. 

Monday Gin's beautiful art deco branding makes this bottle a worthy addition to any bar cart, too. However, as is the case with most gorgeous bottles and classy formulas, you'll pay slightly more for the aesthetic.

If you're looking for a low-cost way to foray into the best nonalcoholic spirits market, Ritual's gin alternative makes for a stiff mocktail.

With a lean to the juniper, piney side, Ritual's elixir is bright, crisp, and citrusy. Personally, I like my spirits a little more complex, so I preferred Ritual's gin mixed with a few more flavors. Other taste testers in my cohort, however, named this as their favorite gin and tonic replacement, so there's a lot to say here about personal palate.

Ritual's gin has no added sugar, which is a definite plus but you may find the need to add some sweetness to any cocktail you make via muddle fruit or simple syrup. The formula does include xanthan gum in a low dose, which may fuss with anyone who has a sensitive stomach.

Seedlip is a great staple for any sober bar cart, and one of the most popular mocktail ingredients in restaurants. The spirits offer the botanical notes you'd otherwise get from booze.

Seedlip is made much like gin by combining herbs and other botanicals and distilling them using alcohol. However, the alcohol is removed before bottling, making it one of the best nonalcoholic drinks I tested. The formula is also entirely sugar-free.

Though the company offers three flavors, Grove 42 is the one worth mentioning. Grove 42 is a blend of citrus, lemongrass, and ginger which does well to deliver an overall summer vibe. Because these flavors are so bright to start, it's easy to turn this spirit into a craft cocktail by just adding ginger ale or tonic water

Proteau's Ludlow Red is a viscous, deep ruby elixir that gives off the impression of a perfectly decanted Cab or malbec. But it's not really a wine replacement: The formula was specifically crafted by the founder, a mixologist and hospitality expert, to be an accompaniment to food.

These features, along with the sophisticated bottle shape and beautiful label, all make the Ludlow Red ideal to sit on the table of any dinner party. When it comes to taste, the Ludlow Red falls more into a complex, botanical juice, which makes sense considering its top ingredients are blackberry juice and fig vinegar.

Though the flavor is lovely, it's certainly not wine. This is certainly a bummer for oenophiles trying to cut back on their alcohol intake, but a real boon for anyone actually sober who's looking for a cultured refreshment to enjoy alongside a meal.

You've probably seen Kin Euphorics on your IG feed. It's an N/A beverage enhanced with nootropics and adaptogens, which are herbs intended to alter your cognitive function and body chemistry. Because of this, Kin Euphorics is not recommended for anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding.

I tried both of its elixirs, but Dream Light is the one that stood out. It's intended to help you relax and better fall asleep — truly a nightcap — after you mix it with oat milk, either cold or hot. I made myself a cup with warm almond milk and it tasted similar to a warm chai, albeit a bit smokier thanks to notes of clove, ginger, cinnamon, and chili.

Personally, I didn't find that the drink made me feel any more relaxed or sleepy, but I did enjoy the warm milk-before-bed feeling of the drink, particularly since it has no added sugar (unlike a real chai).

The Dream Light is a bit steep, especially as it has a one-dimensional use. But if you live for a bedtime routine, this is the best nonalcoholic drink to serve as a companion to nightly journaling or any unwinding process.

I got many a targeted ad for Ghia and was seriously drawn in by the witchy-retro 70s branding. This spirits-free aperitif is made with a base of Riesling grape juice (though it's not sweet whatsoever) and enhanced with ingredients like gentian root, yuzu juice, lemon balm, fig, elderflower, and orange peel — all with no added sugar.

The drink definitely has bright and herbal accents, but I have one huge caveat: Once I tried it, I didn't like the taste at all.

Over ice, I found it incredibly astringent and undrinkable. I made five different brand-suggested mocktails and found that the formula still needed acid or tartness, as well as sugar, to balance it. I couldn't get past the astringency, no matter what concoction I made.

That said, this bottle has won other taste-test awards and sold out twice in the months after its launch in 2020. So, while it's not for me, it is for some people — perhaps those with more advanced or intuitive bartending abilities — and therefore worth including.

It's worth noting that any non-alcoholic spirit may be triggering for recovering alcoholics, and drinks made with adaptogens or nootropics may not be safe if you're pregnant or breastfeeding (and it's smart to consult with a doctor before consuming).

Nutrition: If you're cutting back on booze to help your health, you should consider the nutritional profile of the drink. Ingredient lists of some mixers are full of artificial and hard-to-pronounce chemicals.

Added sugars: Cardwell says that in addition to a short ingredient list, you want to make sure your added sugars are low. She recommends (alongside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that no more than 10% of your daily calories come from added sugars, which means no more than 50 grams of sugar for a 2,000-calorie diet.

I intentionally looked for formulas that had less than 10 grams of added sugar per serving since you may want to mix them with sugary tonic water (or have a second drink). 

In my quest to find the best nonalcoholic drinks actually worth buying, I enlisted the help of a few friends with different palates to taste-test over 40 products. Though I found many of the products lacking and not worth the money (especially the non-alcoholic spirits), there were some pleasant surprises in the mix. 

In all cases, I drank the mixers and mocktails how the brand advises, either over ice or following their own brand-endorsed mocktail recipes. 

Taste and ingredients: I considered how good a product tasted, how easy it was to make it taste good, the price, and the nutrition as you would drink the spirit. For instance, if it needed to be mixed with half a cup of simple syrup to taste good, it was out.

Branding: The other factor I considered was overall branding because, let's be real: Your bronze-and-glass art deco bar cart in the corner is a look, and you're more inclined to splurge on a bottle that looks good next to your decanter compared to one with an ugly label you have to hide in the back. 

Personal palate: It's worth saying that palate is entirely personal. I love a big, bold red wine, prefer rye whiskey over bourbon, and adore a botanical gin. To better adjust for my palate, I had friends who prefer different types of drinks, as well as someone who doesn't like the taste of booze at all, taste-test the contenders for a more well-rounded final opinion.