What to Drink If You’re Not Drinking: The Best Non-Alcoholic Spirits for Dry January

Searching for the best non-alcoholic drinks? This January, me too. I’ve been cutting back on my drinking since the pandemic started. There was no last straw, no specific motive—more a lack of occasions during which I’d typically have a drink. Much of my March 2020 lockdown life was spent solo in a New York studio apartment. There wasn’t a roommate or friend around to clink glasses with—unless you count virtually over Zoom happy hours, which felt like a forced exercise altogether. I didn’t need a libation to pair with my dinner, as 80% of the time it was just overcooked penne smothered in canned Rao’s marinara sauce. (Sadly, no red wine can save your tastebuds from that culinary onslaught.) So Manhattans and glasses of Malbec, once a staple on any given night in the city, became unnecessary.

Months in, I noticed a change. My energy levels went up. My anxiety didn’t exactly go down due to the whole living-through-a-global-pandemic thing, but my dopamine-dip-induced hangxiety did. I was exercising more, sleeping better, writing clearer. I no longer woke up in the mornings tinged with regret over something I did, said, or texted. And, perhaps most importantly—I felt happier.  Alcohol, after all, is a depressant that was affecting me more than I'd like to admit.

So while I certainly haven't practiced absolute abstinence these past two pandemic years, I do consider myself sober-curious: or, among the people who are examining their relationship with alcohol, and wondering what their existence would be like with, well, less of it. 

This trend of more mindful drinking has been growing for a while. This month, an estimated one in seven American drinkers will participate in Dry January. And that’s just those committing to a short 30-day-stint:  “Sober October” is also gaining traction, and in 2019, a report found that 52 percent of adults wanted to reduce their alcohol intake.

With this newfound focus on wellness, a question arises: what do you drink when you’re not drinking? Personally, I realized that what I miss about drinking isn’t the drink itself: It’s the culture that surrounds it. A diet coke is, yes, delicious, but it felt infantile at a small dinner gathering. A seltzer and lime seemed like a joyless choice when cheersing a friend’s accomplishment al fresco. Then there was that one time I ordered a water. “Wait. . . you’re not pregnant, are you?” a well-meaning friend whispered. I was secure in my choice not to drink, but I was insecure when what was in my hand didn’t fit the vibe of the social setting I was in.

Enter the non-alcoholic beer, wine, or spirit. They look like alcohol, and often taste like alcohol, but aren’t alcoholic. They can be enjoyed on their own, in a mixed drink, or classic cocktail. Many are culinarily acclaimed and cool: Ghia, for example, was founded by a Glossier alum, while Kin counts Bella Hadid as a co-founder. Meanwhile, sophisticated low-to-no alcohol shops such like Spirited Away and Boisson are popping up in trendy neighborhoods across the country.

Will this habit stick for me personally? Truthfully, I don't know. Right now, I'm just focusing on getting through the next few weeks of Dry January amid another COVID-19 spike. But I do know that whenever I want to go off the sauce, I won’t be concerned by the stigma—real or imagined—that surrounds it. Instead, I’ll just be idly sipping my Kin Euphorics spritz.

Below, 21 non-alcoholic drinks you can buy online: