Whether you’re raising money for cancer patients, looking to cut down on your alcohol intake or you're sober for good, the Aussie drinks market has more options than ever before (thanks in part to Ben Branson, who helped kickstart the global trend of non-alcoholic spirits in 2015 with Seedlip).
There are far too many to list here, so we’ve narrowed it down to Australian-made new releases and some of our favourites. Maybe you’ll find your new fave here, too.
Get on the (no-booze) beers
As Broadsheet publications director Nick Connellan wrote nearly a year ago, the bottle-o shelf of non-alcoholic beers used to be grim. But not anymore, and Canberra’s Heaps Normal is one of the small but growing number of local zero-alcohol breweries to thank. Its fresh, mildly tropical Quiet XPA (extra pale ale) is a stand out.
The country’s first non-alcoholic brewery, Sobah, opened in 2017. Founded by Gamilaroi psychologist Clinton Schultz, it has a core range of three beers and a number of special releases, all using native ingredients. On now: an aniseed-myrtle stout, a Davidson’s plum ale and the nutty Wattleseed Gold.
Modus Operandi co-founder Jaz Wearin launched Nort last year, and the female-run booze-free brewery has released three new drops for Dry July: a crispy and fruity Pacific Ale, Tropical XPA and an All-Day IPA. And Upflow makes a classic roasty, toasty stout – it was one of the first in Australia to brew a dark beer.
Not wine – but wine not?
While booze-free beer has made great strides in the past year or so, not many non-alcoholic wines available are great, convincing alternatives to the real deal. But the best on the market right now is undoubtedly Non, which is poured at some of the country’s top restaurants. Its latest drop, Non 7, is a rich red with stewed cherry and notes of coffee, like a lambrusco without the booze.
Raise your spirits
The zero-alcohol spirits industry has come a long way, too. Lyre’s makes bourbon, Campari, gin, Aperol and rum alternatives that can easily be swapped with their boozy counterparts for cocktails that don’t lose their flavour and edge. Meanwhile, Brunswick Aces makes a “gin” that looks, smells and even almost tastes like gin – but without any gin at all.
Geelong-based Monday Distillery recently launched an alcohol-free, ready-to-drink Margarita mix called the Mezcalita that’ll have you smacking your lips. And Banks Botanicals is a brand-new distillery in the Yarra Valley that's launched with a spirit infused with native ingredients.
Excellent non-alcoholics
The world of great booze-free bevs doesn’t end at alternatives to traditionally spiked drinks. Some are just zero-alcohol by design, but still excellent options for quenching your thirst.
Kombucha is no longer just a vinegary drink reserved for health buffs and hippies. Rok, Mailer McGuire and Kombu Kombucha all make booch you’d want to drink just for pleasure, and Melbourne’s Monceau makes an excellent pet-nat kombucha that’s only got one per cent alcohol.
Sydney cocktail bar PS40 brews, mixes and bottles its own sodas from scratch – you can buy them for home under the label PS Soda.
And the warm season might still be a while away, but Yumbo’s small-batch, low-sugar, Yarra Valley-made lemonade is the perfect summery drink – keep it in mind for December, or start drinking it now.
Additional reporting by Nick Connellan, Tomas Telegramma, Scott Renton, Tim Watts, Evan James, Jane Rocca and Callum McDermott
