(Bloomberg) -- “Would you like your Negroni zero- or full-proof?” One day in the not-too-distant future, Moa Gürbüzer envisions this as a standard question from bartenders.
Gürbüzer, the founder of the decade-plus-old Oddbird, the stylish, dealcoholized Swedish wine, created her minimalist-designed brand after spending years as a therapist witnessing alcohol’s negative impact. In August, Oddbird launched in the US with six wines made from organic grapes grown in Europe. Gürbüzer says her decision to expand to the states was driven by Americans’ increasing interest in healthier lifestyles, which has led to a growing demand for high-quality alcohol-free options. (On Jan. 3, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy advised that alcohol products should have warning labels on them.)
Sales of nonalcoholic drinks in the US have been soaring: In the year that ended June 2024, zero-proof drink sales rose 24%, to $199 million, from the year earlier, according to NeilsenIQ.
The current leader in the burgeoning international alcohol-free lifestyle movement is Europe. Scandinavia, in particular, has delivered incredibly sophisticated, botanically driven, low-sugar drink options. Until recently, though, many of these releases weren’t available outside Europe.
But that’s changing. In 2023, Danish-born Jens Christophersen, who was inspired by the US’s rapidly growing market for NA products, debuted his import and distribution company
While much of the enthusiasm around the US’s newest spirit-free drinks is toward European artisans, including the liqueurs from the French Gifffard family, domestic producers are also contributing. Take, for instance, the new release from farmstead Vermont whiskey distillery WhistlePig in collaboration with rock icon Alice Cooper. It’s called Sex, Drugs, Rock & Dry, and the name of this riff on the old-fashioned —made with alcohol free-rye whiskey and spiked with the aphrodisiac damiana—tells you everything you need to know about the energy of the booze-free moment in one 750-milliliter bottle. It’s one of the dozen excellent options that you’ll want to pick up long after Dry January is over.
Nonalcoholic Apéritifs, Amari and Spirits
Giffard Elderflower Alcohol Free
Since 1885 the French brand Giffard’s liqueurs and syrups have been a staple for cocktails. Now, fifth-generation owners and siblings Edith and Bruno Giffard have started a line of nonalcoholic mocktail enhancers. Our favorite from the range—which includes ginger, grapefruit and pineapple—is elderflower, a stunning no-alcohol liqueur made from handpicked flowers macerated in white wine vinegar to balance the sweetness. Think of this as a light, high-acid syrup and an amazing option for floral cocktails. Try half an ounce mixed with a nonalcoholic sparkling wine. $25 for 700ml
Almave Blanco
Liquor brands have celebrity endorsements—so why not apply the same strategy to spirit-free expressions? That’s the idea behind Almave Blanco, a dead ringer for an unaged tequila, which comes from Iván Saldaña Oyarzábal, co-founder of Mexican distillery Casa Lumbre, in collaboration with Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton. Housed in an impressive azure blue bottle with a wooden cap, this mildly sweet, vegetal-tasting zero-proof spirit channels subtle vanilla and oak notes. The process of production is similar to tequila: The team cooks, then crushes agave hearts. But instead of fermenting the mixture, it’s distilled to simply capture agaves’ aroma and flavor. $36 for 700ml
Wilderton Citrus Aperitivo
Two years ago, Seth O’Malley, the founding distiller of America’s first nonalcoholic distillery, Wilderton, introduced his inaugural bittersweet aperitivo inspired by Campari. His newest release continues the spirtzy theme with an ode to Aperol. Citrus Aperitivo is a golden yellow-toned blend that tastes of saffron and orange, with depth from additional citrus such as yuzu and tangerine and spices like bay leaf and coriander seed. It’s sweet without being cloying, and it finishes with a bitter edge thanks to gentian root and wormwood. $30 for 750ml
Ready-to-Drink “Cocktails”
WhistlePig Whiskey Sex, Drugs, Rock & Dry Old Fashioned
Crafted on a 500-acre Vermont farm alongside award-winning whiskies, this adaptogenic, barrel-aged maple syrup-laced old-fashioned alternative is a collaboration between WhistlePig and rock legend Alice Cooper. The limited-edition release is made from distilled, alcohol-free rye whiskey that both smells and tastes cask-matured, channeling a true old-fashioned with its citrus and vanilla notes. The cocktail offers the added benefit of immunity-supporting herbs including cordyceps mushrooms and schisandra berry, plus the aphrodisiac plant damiana. Proceeds from sales go to the nonprofit Giving Kitchen, which provides resources to food service workers facing emergencies. $50 for 750ml
Casamara Club Superclasico
Coca-Cola drinkers, Italian bitters fans—this one’s for you. The dark and juicy Superclasico is a complex and bitter bubbly drink that blends red currant juice with kola nut. There’s also bitter Chinotto orange and orris root as well as brown demerara sugar, plus warming allspice and clove. It’s inspired by the flavors of iconic Italian bitters-based sodas such as orange-grapefruity Sanbittèr and classic cocktails like the Negroni, flipped into a ready-to-drink liquor-free form, then packaged in a cute retro copper-colored can with racing-style stripes. $60 for 12 8-ounce cans
Wine and Beer Replacements
French Bloom La Cuvée 2022
This near-perfect Champagne duplicate will knock your socks off. Three-year-old alcohol-free wine brand French Bloom—which Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy acquired a stake in last fall—has released its first vintage Champagne. The sleek bottle adorned with gold accents is presented in a protective wooden box proudly marking its 2022 vintage. Made from 100% organically grown chardonnay grapes, it’s a rich and well-balanced bubbly blanc de blanc that impressively captures the signature flavors that develop in aged Champagnes during extended lees (dead yeast cells) aging, with notes of brioche, hazelnuts and vanilla. $119 for 750ml
Oddbird GSM
Founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, by former social worker Moa Gürbüzer, the sleek, spirit-free wine brand Oddbird arrived in the US market this past summer with an attractive roster of organic wines. A standout is this mellow dealcoholized French blend made from the 2020 harvest of grenache, syrah and mourvèdre, as well as carignan grapes from southern France’s Languedoc-Roussillon region. It’s a layered, fruity expression reminiscent of cherry and leather. With its balanced sweetness and medium tannins, it would be a winner alongside a dry-aged ribeye. $25 for 750ml
Kally x SingleThread Farms: Pear Verbena
SingleThread Farms—one of America’s top-ranked dining rooms—worked alongside small-batch drinkmaker Kally to produce this pretty botanical blend that’s a perfect pairing for delicate dishes such as sashimi and soy-sauce-accented vegetables. Made from an organic verjus base enriched with organic pear juice and lemon verbena sourced from the restaurant’s nearby farm, this limited-edition, crushable white wine replacement is spritzy and beautifully balanced, with just a hint of sweetness. $49 for 750ml
Muri x The Four Horsemen
Brooklyn, New York, restaurant and wine destination the Four Horsemen has crafted its own complex red wine replacement with Denmark’s inspired alternative beverage brand Muri. This limited-run bottle is an elixir that’s as savory as it is juicy, with a backbone of Copenhagen Stevensbær sour cherries and red currants and acidity that comes from clarified and fermented tomato water. Drinkmaker (and former Empirical Spirits distiller) Murray Paterson adds a hit of lacto-fermented beet juice and finishes it with bay-leaf-infused water kefir (a fermented probiotic-rich drink). $48 for 750ml
Villbrygg ENG 02
Some of the most compelling, graceful and well-crafted nonalcoholic drinks hitting New York restaurant menus are by way of Norway’s Villbrygg, a sparkling drinkmaker that sources biodynamically farmed herbs and, through infusions and fermentations, yields highly aromatic beverages. ENG 02 (eng translates to “meadow” in Norwegian) is a fragrant, bubbly drink that tastes of roasted buckwheat and sweet almonds. The earthy flavors are derived from two of the main flowers in its blend: meadowsweet and fireweed. With high tannins and a rich body, this hay-hued virgin tipple would pair well with buttery lobster. $30 for 750ml
Patagonia Provisions x Deschutes Brewery Non Alcoholic Kernza Golden Brew
This past summer Patagonia Provisions—the expanding culinary offshoot of popular outdoor apparel company Patagonia—released its first nationally available nonalcoholic beer, a joint project with pioneering craft brewery Deschutes out of Bend, Oregon. Kernza Golden Brew (there’s also a 4.7% ABV Kernza lager counterpart) is America’s first domestically brewed, certified organic nonalcoholic craft beer, and it’s made with nutty-tasting Kernza, a sustainable grain with deep roots that can improve soil health and conserve water. The brew tastes toasty, with a slight honey flavor and mild hops on the finish. $13 for six 12-oz cans
Bôtan Distillery Wakataya
For nearly eight years, Belgium’s Bôtan Distillery has been crafting refined and inspired botanical elixirs for use in cocktails and mocktail, served at more than a hundred Michelin-starred restaurants throughout Europe. In October, co-founder Tim Peeters released a slate of ready-to-drink, spirit-free bottled cocktails in the US. Wakataya is a reimagined classic citrusy pisco sour with the Peruvian mintlike herb huacatay. This very savory, vegetal and herbal drink, with notes of mint and tarragon, has a full, round body and subtle grapelike taste. Pop off the crimp cap and pour over ice: It pairs well with lemon-laced seafood and mildly flavored fatty dishes like french fries. $32 for 750ml
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