Alcohol-Free Drinks for a Sober Christmas
Ah, ’tis the season of goodwill to all humankind… of cosiness, friends, family, and selfless gifting. ’Tis also the season of chocolate inhalation, excessive cheese consumption, and binge drinking.
So, what do we drink when newly sober and faced with relentless socialising? And even if you’re staying in and avoiding parties, it’s good to have some lovely treat things to drink at home. Taking care of yourself by making a fancy drink is less likely to make you feel deprived and want to drink alcohol.
Discovering Alcohol-Free Drinks During My Sober Journey
During my time on JTT, I became curious and passionate about the search for delicious alcohol-free drinks. I know that the AF beers are very good these days, but I’ve never been a big beer drinker, aside from gigs or post-hiking. Having said that, I’ve recently discovered that in a pub — especially when faced with limited AF choices — I can enjoy a couple of 0% Guinness.
Before going any further, I should note that I will mention various brands of drinks, but sadly I get no kickback from any of them. I am not an influencer — in fact, I have zero influence, only a small amount on my teenage son, and even that is debatable. Brands do matter in alcohol-free drinks as the quality is so variable, and these are my preferences. You may find that you have your own.
My Go-To Alcohol-Free Drinks Ingredients at Home
At the risk of sounding like an AF Nigella with her enormous and enviable pantry (mine is more like a shelf of shame), there are several ingredients that I have built up and keep in stock all the time for making drinks at home. These are:
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0% Tanqueray gin – plain and Sevilla (although I also like the Sipsmith and Clean Co Gin)
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0% Martini Rosso
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0% Clean Co tequila
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Roses lime cordial and fresh limes
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Various good cordials – I like the Bottle Green ones: elderflower and ginger
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Cranberry juice
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Slimline tonic
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A SodaStream for making fizzy water
You could put any of the variables above into a glass and mix and end up with a nice drink.
Most cocktail bitters contain alcohol, and you can find some AF ones, however they are pricey. I know many people think it’s the work of the devil, but there is a huge, well-priced selection of alcohol-free drinks on Amazon, and that is my go-to — not least because they deliver to the door of my third-floor flat.
Alcohol-Free Wines: The Honest Truth
Dislikes for me are too-sweet drinks, and anything with loads of ice in, which makes me feel cold and need to pee. As a drinker, I loved wine, gin, and the occasional negroni or martini.
I’ve tried a lot of alcohol-free wines, and getting a good one that tastes like real wine would be the holy grail. Sadly, this doesn’t seem possible. The best two wines I have tried are an amazingly cheap and hard-to-find Pinot Grigio blush from Aldi (£2.99!) and a red from Majestic at £6.
I might just be tight, but I don’t want to pay much more than that for something which essentially just tastes like weird grape juice. Stormhoek zero wines are also decent (at £3 in my local Co-op), and everyone likes a glass of Kylie pink zero fizz!
Homemade Alcohol-Free Cocktails (With a Kick)
Now onto my homemade cocktails. I am a firm believer that drinks with a little bit of spice give you a nice kick — then you notice the lack of alcohol far less.
Before we begin, you will need to make a chilli syrup, which is extremely easy.
How to Make Chilli Syrup
In a small saucepan, put:
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350g sugar
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500ml water
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Two sliced red chillies
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A good handful of jalapeño chillies
Bring to a gentle boil, stir, and simmer until all the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool and decant into a bottle. This will keep in the fridge for three or four weeks. I like to leave the chillies in it and strain when using. An old olive oil bottle is perfect as it has the wee holes at the top.
Spicy AF Margarita (Alcohol-Free)
I use a little shot glass to measure — not sure of the volume, so picture that when I say “measure”!
Ingredients:
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1 measure AF tequila
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1 measure AF Tanqueray Sevilla gin
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1 measure chilli syrup
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1 measure fresh lime juice
Put all the above in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake, strain, and serve in a martini glass with chilli salt on the rim and a pickled jalapeño — just like the photo above!
Mexican Gimlet (Alcohol-Free Cocktail)
My inspiration for this came from a rosemary gimlet that I used to make with gin, lime, and rosemary syrup — similar method to the chilli syrup. You could make a syrup out of a whole load of things that way.
It’s also inspired by Raymond Chandler: Philip Marlowe and Terry Lennox drinking gimlets in an LA bar before he flees to Mexico!
Ingredients:
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1 measure AF Tanqueray gin
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1 measure fresh lime juice
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1 measure chilli syrup
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A few drops of Seasn light cocktail bitters (not essential, but nice)
Shake as above, strain, and serve with a slice of lime (or dehydrated slices if you want to be fancy — which frankly, I do!) in a fancy glass of your choosing.
Always serve your drinks in a nice glass. It’s a tough world out there, so why not be good to yourself?
Jude’s No-groni (Alcohol-Free Negroni Alternative)
For this, I use one of those drinks you see advertised on social media — AF drinks containing nootropics, botanicals, mushroom powders, and who knows what else — that are meant to give you a mild buzz.
They can be expensive and can feel like you’ve just bought a bottle of snake oil, but the Three Spirit ones do give you a nice glow. Not like alcohol at all — and you can’t get drunk with them! But a couple will give you a pleasant mellow feeling.
If you don’t want to add this, you could try something like a chilli and blood orange mixer instead.
Ingredients:
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1 measure Three Spirit Livener
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1 measure 0% Martini Rosso
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1 measure 0% Tanqueray gin (Sevilla also works well)
Stir in a lowball (whisky-type) glass, add a giant ice cube and a slice of orange. Add some tasty snacks and enjoy your little aperitivo moment — a lovely replacement for that after-work wine. Self-care every day!
Do You Still Want Fancy Drinks When Alcohol-Free?
Many people who stay alcohol-free for longer report that they become less bothered by these kinds of drinks after a while and just drink water, squash, and hot drinks. Which makes sense — after all, they cost about the same as alcohol (or more) and give you no high.
But I’m still at the stage where I want fancy things to drink that make me feel ‘normal’ in a pub, or to mark that evening shift at home, so I make no apologies for the fancy.
If I Had to Choose Just One Drink…
The future will be different though. If I had to pick just one drink to see me through the rest of my life, it would be tea.
It’s the ultimate all-rounder: refreshing in the heat, warming when it’s cold, cheap, gives you energy (but not too much), and it’s very sociable. Tea may not be very Christmassy, but it’s surely what the Three Wise Men wanted most after travelling all that way on some stinky camels?
Whatever your tipple this Christmas — enjoy!
Jude is a proud participant of the Just The Tonic Coaching program who is learning to live an alcohol‑free lifestyle. She shares her personal journey and insights to inspire others to regain control over their relationship with alcohol.