While we love restaurants with great wine lists, more and more of them are also featuring non-alcoholic beverages on their drinks menus, even outside of Dry January. In part, that’s because customers are demanding better options for when they want or need to abstain. But also, new intriguing, delicious alcohol-free sippers are hitting the market every year, after having been underwhelming for so long. To help find the best of the options, Wine Spectator asked 10 top sommeliers and beverage directors across the country which N/A drinks have left an impression on them—from a negroni that still packs a punch, to refreshing sparkling teas, to a spicy Japanese ginger ale. See what they are sipping on!
Alex Cuper, beverage director of Award of Excellence winner, El Che Steakhouse & Bar, and Brasero in Chicago
Admittedly, I am not one of those people who “dry out” in January. Wine and cocktails are just too much fun. With that being said, there are some really incredible non-alcoholic products out there right now. Martini & Rossi is an incredible N/A vermouth duo. The bianco style is called Floreale, and the rosso style is called Vibrante, and both are absolutely delicious. I am a sucker for vermouth and soda in general and, with either of these, you would never know the difference. My personal favorite between the two is the Floreale with soda, maybe a sprig of rosemary and an orange peel. It is refreshing and floral and ever so slightly bitter, ultimately a great N/A option for anyone!"
Suzanne DeStio, beverage director of Best of Award of Excellence winner, One White Street, New York City
My favorite alcohol-adjacent beverage at the moment is sparkling pét-nat tea from AMA Brewery. They are located in the Basque region in Spain (one of my favorite areas) and use high-quality herbs and tea to make delicious infusions that are lightly sparkling, fresh and slightly tangy. Most of their pét-nat teas come in right around 1 to 2 percent alcohol, similar to kombucha. They are constantly pushing the boundaries and playing with new and innovative flavor combinations, so there is something for everyone!
Paresh Patel, beverage director of Besharam in San Francisco
We’ve noticed people enjoying our N/A cocktails more and more. Guests are looking for something that has layered flavors but also great presentation. One of my favorite drinks on the menu is our N/A whiskey sour called Daru, which is made with Free Spirits whiskey and Milano, baklava syrup, lemon and aquafaba [leftover water from cooking beans, a popular vegan egg white alternative]. You can hardly tell there is no alcohol; it is simply delicious.
David Osenbach, wine director of Best of Award of Excellence winner, Providence, in Los Angeles
My current favorite N/A wine is the Dr. Lo Alcohol-Removed Riesling by Loosen Bros. I've tasted quite a few N/A wines lately and this one actually tastes like Riesling. They make the wine the same way as they make their traditional Rieslings (which are already naturally lower in alcohol than many wines), and then use a gentle vacuum distillation process to remove the alcohol. This affects the flavors of the base wine as little as possible, giving us a crisp, clean, elegant, alcohol-free wine.
Madeline Maldonado, beverage director of José Andres’ Mercado Little Spain, including Award of Excellence winner Leña, New York City
I am sad to report that I have not found a non-alcoholic wine that has tugged at my heartstrings yet. While I admit to not tasting a whole lot, the ones I have tasted have been on the underwhelming side of things.
The spirit side of the fence seems much more exciting at the moment. A few standouts have been St. Agrestis’ Phony Negroni—a negroni is in my top three favorite cocktails. Their non-alcoholic version feels, tastes and looks like a negroni. Served in a rocks glass with a large square cube and an orange twist, you cannot beat it. Monday Zero Alcohol Spirits Mezcal has a peppery bite when you taste it on its own, but shake it up with lime, top with Fever Tree sparkling grapefruit and add a Tajín rim and suddenly there is an elevated version of a Paloma in front of you. Lyre’s also has a great Italian Spritz, in the world between an Aperol or Campari spritz. You can have fun and mix it with a flavored club soda or sparkling water.
Sabato Sagaria, co-founder of Apres Cru Hospitality, partner of Best of Award of Excellence Winners One Fifth and Restaurant Marc Forgione and Award of Excellence winner Peasant, New York City
One of my favorite breweries is Hitachino Nest from Japan, and I came across their Real Ginger Ale a couple months ago. It is a non-alcoholic ale brewed with fresh ginger and is my new go-to N/A brew at home. Another favorite is the Phony Mezcal Negroni which is great on the rocks or even as a spritz.
Jodie Battles, beverage director and partner at Faccia a Faccia & Bar Pallino, Boston
I’ve really been loving the Muri "Passing Clouds" Sparkling White. This is a sparkling, slightly hazy, non-alcoholic cuvée from a really exciting, innovative producer out of Copenhagen who's foraging unique ingredients. For this cuvée, he uses gooseberries, geranium, jasmine tea and quince kefir and then does a series of short fermentations to get his finished product. It’s bright and refreshing with poppy acidity, lots of juicy, ripe fruit notes and just the right hint of floral and funk. It’s fantastic on its own, especially for pét-nat lovers, but we’ve also really enjoyed incorporating it as a component in non-alc or standard spritzy cocktails.
Tia Barrett, general manager and beverage director of Hav & Mar in New York City
Proxies is a fun, dynamic non-alcoholic wine brand that utilizes unfermented wine grapes, alongside fruit, teas and spices to create a product that easily should be paired with food. My favorite is the Gold Crush; it is something that can be enjoyed at any time of year. The slight bitterness of the background from gentian, with peach and tropical fruit, makes it a clear choice for crudité, seafood and even lighter pastas.
Charles Gaeta, wine representative at Dedalus Wine Shop, Market and Bar, Burlington, Vt.
One of the best N/A beverages I have had recently was actually the brainchild of Dedalus Wine Bar’s GM and beverage director, Liza Morgioni. Leaning into the phenomenon that is dry January, Liza picked up Brooklyn-based St. Agrestis’ Phony Negroni. It’s so good by itself, but Liza decided to top it with sparkling water and call it the ‘Sbagliato Schmagliato.’ So cool! Pro tip: When dry January is done, you can sub out the sparkling water for sparkling wine and still enjoy a low-ABV aperitivo.
Kristin Courville, lead sommelier of the Bazaar by José Andrés in New York City
Ghia! I was first introduced to [this herbal aperitif] when I worked at Ernesto’s and we would concoct beautiful spirit-free drinks with it. The freshness and the bitterness remind me of a Campari and soda.
