The Best Non-Alcoholic Spirits

If you’re anything like me and get hungover from so much as one glass of wine, you’ll find the solution in this article listing out the best non-alcoholic spirits that allow you to enjoy the experience of a festive beverage, without the booze.

But seriously, there are a slew of reasons why a person might want to abstain from alcohol, in addition to wanting to avoid the inevitable hangovers. Through the process of receiving my nutrition certificate (more on my education here), I also learned a lot about the effects of alcohol on the body – and contrary to what they might say about a glass of wine having “antioxidants” (spoiler alert: you can get those same antioxidants and phytonutrients from many fruits and vegetables – they aren’t exclusive to red wine) there are virtually no positive health benefits to consuming alcohol. Even light to moderate alcohol drinkers have a significantly increased risk of cancer, in addition to increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

Once I started being honest with myself that I never did great with cocktails (and later learned that I have a gene that makes it more challenging for my body to properly detox, likely the culprit for my atrocious hangovers even after just one drink) I initially removed hard alcohol from the menu about five years ago, and would only drink wine or hard kombucha. While that got me by for a while, I then started getting even more honest with myself when I began acknowledging the mental and emotional impacts that alcohol had on me, in addition to the physical. After a glass of wine or two, I’d often feel anxious and unmotivated the next day.

And so I’ve gotten to a point where I often go many weeks – sometimes months – without alcohol, and I feel so much better. While there are rare occasions in which I’ll miss the experience of pairing a delicious meal with a jammy cabernet (and I’ll still have a glass of wine every once in a while on special occasions) I absolutely do not miss the physical, mental, and emotional toll that alcohol took on my system.

Through this journey of sober curiosity, I’ve encountered some genuinely great NA beverage brands that help bring back the fun and ritual of having a drink, and some that even offer a buzz. I was excited to take my learnings and pull together a list of the best non-alcoholic spirits that I’ve found so far, in the hopes that it that might help others who are on a similar journey. Whether you’re looking for a seltzer alternative, a refreshing aperitivo, or a spirit that tastes delicious in a mocktail while looking gorgeous on your bar cart, you’ve come to the right place.

TL;DR: My Picks for The Best Non-Alcoholic Spirits & Spritzes

• Aplós – Delicious, unique flavors with functional ingredients – in both a spirit and sparkling cocktail form.
• Ghia – The best bitter aperitif to mix into cocktails, plus delicious spritzes.
• De Soi – An adaptogenic sparkling aperitif with great flavors.
• Kin Euphorics – This brand boasts spritzes and mixes with adaptogens, nootropics, and plant botanicals.
• Sentia – Most likely to give you a buzz without the booze by naturally enhancing your GABA brain waves.

How I Chose the Best Non-Alcoholic Spirit Brands in this Guide

• Clean ingredients – we’re talking botanical extracts, adaptogens, no added sugars/low-sugar, and good-for-you ingredients.
• Sippable alone or built into a mocktail.
• Easy to find online or in grocery/beverage stores.
• Satisfying and sophisticated flavors – it has to be something you enjoy, or it’s just not worth it.

Aplós

A friend thoughtfully gifted me a bottle of Aplós and a pack of their sparkling cocktails for my birthday this year, and instantly became hooked on this brand. The flavors are unique, complex, and delicious, and the ingredients are extremely high-quality and thoughtfully sourced; you can really taste and feel the quality with each sip. Despite there being an array of fantastic zero-proof beverage companies out there today that I love, I have to say that Aplós is the best non-alcoholic spirit brand I’ve tried so far.

• Flavor: The three products I’ve tried so far have been fantastic. The Aplós Calme, which is a hemp-infused spirit, is herbaceous, citrusy, light, and at all sweet. It’s delicious chilled on ice, or mixed into a mocktail. Their hemp is organically grown, carefully sourced and tested for purity. If you’re not into hemp, they have two other adaptogen-infused spirits that are without it. I’ve also tried two of their adaptogenic sparkling cocktails, and both have been 10/10. The Ume is tart with a light, natural sweetness (but without any added sugar, as is the case with all. of their beverages) and the Chili Margarita is also fantastic and now my go-to for taco night. They also have a “Kola Fashioned” and a twist on a classic Negroni.
• How To Drink it: Their spirits are delicious alone on ice, or mixed into a mocktail. I’ve combined 2 oz. of Calme with a blood orange sparkling water with a sprig of rosemary and it was divine. The spritzes are ready-to-go, drinkable from the can or, if you’re like me, poured into a fancy glass over ice.
• How You’ll Feel: Calme is fantastic for deep relaxation, Arise is best for social settings with a gentle amount of natural caffeine from ginseng, and Ease includes ingredients like Lion’s Mane and magnesium to calm your nervous system and is described as a conduit for ” thoughtful conversation or introspection.” The sparkling cocktails similarly offer certain flavors that give you a slight boost, while others offer more calming effects.
• Where to Buy: Find Aplós online or shop in-person through their store locator – they sell at vendors like Total Wine, BevMo, and are popping up in a lot of local bottle shops. They also sell their sparkling cocktails on Thrive Market at a bit of a discount with your membership.

Ghia

I love Ghia’s flavors and branding, and the quality and purity of their ingredients is very high. Ghia offers two products: their Apéritif, and the Le Spritz. Their beverages are really built to emulate a spritz experience, whether you’re building your beverage around their apéritif and adding some bubbles, or drinking their ready-to-go canned spritzes. They don’t include any added sugars, and their apéritif has only 3g of sugar per serving, while the cans of Le Spritz have a bit more – but still far less than your typical cocktail – ranging from about 9-11g of sugar per can, and always derived from fruit juice.

• Flavor: I absolutely love Ghia’s Le Spritz in Lime & Salt. It’s like a sparkling, more elevated margarita and is so refreshing. They also offer the Le Spritz in other great flavors like their Ghia-Ginger, Ghia-Soda, and Sumac & Chili. Ghia’s original apéritif is “bright and bitter, akin to an Italian amaro,” and their berry apéritif has strawberry juice and black currant that’s gives more of a jammy flavor.
• How To Drink it: Ghia’s “magic formula” for building a perfect spritz is one part Ghia apéritif, three parts bubbles of choice. The canned Le Spritz is ready to drink, but I love pouring mine over ice.
• How You’ll Feel: You’re not going to get much of. a mental effect from their products, but I still think they’re a stellar brand if you just want something delicious and good-for-you to sip on in lieu of alcohol.
• Where to Buy: Online or at grocers like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Wine Expo (store finder here). Their spritzes are also sold at Thrive Market.

De Soi

De Soi is the NA-brand co-founded by Katy Perry, and I’ve been really impressed by the commitment to clean, adaptogenic ingredients; so I knew I had to include them on this list of the best non-alcoholic spirits. De Soi only sells one product – their non-alcoholic sparkling aperitifs – in six fun flavors. What I love about De Soi is that each flavor contains three core adaptogens: lion’s mane, reishi, and l-theanine, that offer a light calming effect. Their bevvies are quite low-sugar, as well, with zero added sugars.

• Flavor: So far, my favorite flavor is the Très Rosé – it has a light raspberry flavor balanced with rooibos. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Golden Hour flavor, but if you’re into very earthy flavors you might like it. Their other flavors are St. Moritz Mule (pomegranate, cranberry, ginger and rosemary), Purple Lune (black currant, tart cherry and vanilla), Hauta Margarita (tart lime, agave, jalapeño) and a Spritz Italiano (sweet and bitter citrus with white grape).
• How To Drink it: Straight from the can or poured over ice!
• How You’ll Feel: The reishi, lion’s mane, and L-theanine come together to create a light calming effect. Reishi and Lion’s Mane are known for its stress-soothing and brain boosting properties, and L-theanine helps to enhance cognition with very small amounts of caffeine while keeping your energy balanced and not wired.
• Where to Buy: Online or in various stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts, Target and more – store locator here. I’ve also purchased De Soi at Misfits Market.

Kin Euphorics

Kin was the first NA brand I tried when it hit the market a few years ago. The first batch of flavors that they launched with didn’t quite do it for me at the time, but they’ve really upped their game and now have really fantastic flavors. Kin describes their beverages as functional and rooted in Ayurvedic principles, and include adaptogens, nootropics, and botanics. Kin offers functional zero-proof beverages in both a canned/sparkling form as well as bottles that can be used as cocktail mixers.

• Flavor: My favorite Kin beverage that I almost always have in the fridge is Kin Bloom – it’s one of their canned, sparkling beverages and it has notes of strawberry, barrel oak, and rosemary. I haven’t tried any of their newer mixer flavors, but they have a Matchatini, High Rhode (aperitif-style), and Dream Light that has earthier, grounding notes that’s intended to be a nightcap that helps you ease into rest.
• How To Drink it: Aside from their ready-to-drink cans, Kin offers some great cocktail recipes on their site like a Matchatini creme latte made with 1 oz Matchatini, 3 oz. oat milk, matcha and ice shaken to create a delicious matcha version of the coveted espresso martini.
• How You’ll Feel: Some of Kin’s beverages offer more calming effects, and some are “gently caffeinated” for more of an uplifting feeling.
• Where to Buy: I buy my cans of Kin at Thrive Market which offers a bit of a discount, but they’re also widely available at grocers and retailers like Target, Gelson’s, Erewhon, Bristol Farms, Sprouts, BevMo, and Total Wine. They also have a handy store locator on their website.

Sentia

Sentia is a very cool company and the only one on this list that I haven’t personally tried, but I’ve heard enough great things that I had to include them on this list of the best non-alcoholic spirits (and I’m about to place an order as I write this article)! Sentia has taken a science-backed approach to formulating their products, and were developed by Professor David Nutt. He’s an expert on the brain, alcohol, and health policy, and wanted to create a beverage that targets the GABA system using natural compounds to emulate the effects of alcohol like relaxation, connection, and calm, but without the hangovers and health risks. GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) is essentially the brain’s messenger that creates calming states, slowing down the stress signals in your brain to foster an environment of ease in the mind and body. The GABA state is naturally occuring the brain, and a core element in our ability to experience restful sleep and an overall state of calm.

• Flavor: GABA Red’s flavor is described as having sweet, heady aromatics, rich herbal complexity, and bittersweet spiced berries. GABA Black’s flavor palette is built around spiced pepper, an intense, earthy body and a smoky bitter finish. And GABA Gold has citrus, spice and zesty notes.
• How To Drink it: You can enjoy any of the GABA flavors chilled over ice with tonic, and can also add splashes of juice or a squeeze of citrus. Sentia also has some amazing recipes on their site to inspire the mixologist in you.
• How You’ll Feel: If you’re looking for a real buzz without the booze, Sentia is probably the beverage that will get you there. GABA Red is intended for relaxation and connection, GABA Black is for drive and focus, while GABA Gold was made for uplift and social celebrations.
• Where to Buy: Sentia isn’t as widely available in-store but they have a store locator here, and you can purchase all of their products online.

Did I miss any of the best non-alcoholic spirits you’ve tried?

I have a feeling this will be a never-ending journey of sampling and taste-testing zero-proof beverages as more people seek out sober lifestyles and brands see the clear opportunity in delivering NA products. I see it as a win-win and I’m fully committed to supporting this burgeoning product segment that I think will do so much good for both individual and collective health.

So, if I missed what you feel is one of the best non-alcoholic spirits that *you* have tried, I want to hear from you in the comments!

With that, I wish you happy, hangover-free sipping.