If you’ve had to regretfully quit/ decrease booze in perimenopause, what are your grown-up ‘treat’ drink alternatives?

[DelinquentSnails]

I’m currently sitting on the sofa with a hangover, having had a sleepless night as various teens in sporty attire wander past with judgy eyes. After a mere two glasses of Malbec last night. Nowadays, I can have a glass of lightish white wine twice a week, but anything more leads to physical misery and existential angst.

I’ve never been a huge drinker, but love good wine and detest very sweet drinks. I can’t touch artificial sweeteners. I love non alcoholic beer and drink that in preference to normal beer, with a bbq or curry.

Any tips for lovely, non alcoholic tipples I can put in a posh glass with ice and lemon for a treat?

Quite like an occasional shrub, too, which is I think mostly cider vinegar and sugar.

I like the Fever Tree Pink Grapefruit soda or their Mexican Lime Soda with a slice of lime in. Or sometimes I poach some rhubarb with sugar and orange juice, use the fruit compote on top of my breakfast and strain off the juice, to which I add fizzy water and ice.

quite a few nice restaurants offer kombucha pairing with your meal now. Might also be worth trying. Plus think of the health benefits!
I love the stuff

Fentiman’s ginger beer has a strong kick. I count it as a grown up drink because If I’m breathing the wrong way when I take a sip I end up being more undignified than after a bottle of wine.

I haven’t found a non alcoholic drink worth the money except for beers. Tbf I’ve always enjoyed a good beer. The best alcohol free or v low alcohol ones I’ve found are Erdinger (by a long way) and Guinness zero. Also Lucky Saint and the Speckled Hen and Leffe ones aren’t bad.

I agree with PP, who point out that the glass is the thing to make it seem as if you are having something nice...a treat. It is all in the presentation.

I quite often have a quality tonic, with ice and lemon, served in a proper crystal gin balloon. If I have crisps or nuts with it, I pour them into a pretty bowl or ramekin and it makes all the difference.

If I'm having a ready meal on my own, I decant it onto a nice plate and put some vegetables/salad on the side with a roll on a side plate and use a proper cotton napkin in a napkin ring.

My friend laughs at me , particularly for this latter, but why not. I wouldn't slop it up to someone I cared for and I'm just as important.

In any event, it makes me feel better so even if you're having tap water-put it in a glass and add a citrus fruit slice and ice...You Are Worth It , as they say! 😁

I can't cope with alcohol these days and instead I drink kombucha. But I don't like the stuff you can buy in shops. I get a crate delivered from leftfieldkombucha.co.uk it has no additional flavours added and it is good for you

Mother root and tonic is lovely. Really feels like a treat drink, probably as it’s so unusual and has a kick. It has that sharp taste of a good white wine but doesn’t taste like wine - so hard to explain!

Panache shandy is a nice alternative to beer (think it's less than 0.5% alcohol). Unfortunately I've yet to find a decent alternative to red wine. I enjoy a cordial in a glass bottle, as it feels similar to pouring a glass of wine. Robinsons lime and mint is my current tipple of choice, topped up with tonic water, to make it feel more like a mocktail.

Morning drinking works better for me . . .

I like 0% lemon Radler in the summer and in the winter go for non alcoholic beer, the Brewdog in cans is good and our local breweries do various one offs.

I like the purple and the green Trip drinks. I can’t get on with the Goodrays - it’s the opposite for me - I find them sweeter. I thought I checked sugar levels and Trip were much better. Though I could be wrong.

They aren’t as strong though. Sometimes I have 2.

Otherwise something healthy like a Kombucha. No interest in 0% alcohol drinks.

I think they are both low
in sugar - just checked. I just prefer the Trip flavours

I do know what you’re saying. I definitely have to stop drinking at the end of my evening meal, I could not drink in the evening. But the two glasses of wine were when preparing dinner and over dinner last night and so I was done by 8.30. However, I’m definitely better if I have wine at lunchtime and even managed a vineyard tour in Australia over Christmas. Maybe I just need to make more time in my schedule for lunchtime drinking!

The type of wine definitely makes a difference too. I really enjoy a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris or Riesling. But those heavy, tannic New World reds are delicious but really bad for me.

There are some really helpful suggestions on this thread now and I’m going to enjoy exploring the non-alcoholic alternatives. It’s great that there are so many on the market now, even if they are a bit more costly. I remember being pregnant with my last child 15 years ago and even non-alcoholic beer was absolutely undrinkable then..

The Sanpellegrino soda is lovely in the summer with lots of ice. Not too sweet.

I also love these but only the Zero Sugar which have surprisingly low calories and don’t compromise on taste at all.

I'm cutting down not so much because of menopause so much as DH is on medication that he can't drink on and it's a good excuse to cut down (I'm not cutting out completely but I'm trying to minimise at-home drinking). Also I think it helps keep my weight down to drink less.

I do like Trip, though it's quite expensive. I have no idea if it makes you feel relaxed or happy or anything, but it's more grown-up than your usual soft drink and I find it works well as a post-work drink to relax with.

Also recommend rock shandy - half lemonade, half soda water/sparking water and a few drops of Agostura Bitters (the bitters are alcoholic but it's literally a few drops).

Or the lime with fizzy water and lots of ice!

Sanpelligrino sparkling water with elderflower cordial or grapefruit juice, or tonic with lime cordial

I do still drink wine Friday/Saturday but it’s not good for my sleep

Didn’t regretfully give it up, very gladly did.

I drink AF beers, tonic water with various things in it (I really like Botivo, which is a bitter cordial), CBD drinks, kombucha, but also coffee, tea, herbal tea and hot chocolate.

Really though as you get further on, I’m 3 years sober this spring, you don’t need anything special. Like I really don’t feel like I’m missing out. I have a pint of lime and soda and that’s perfect.

Oh yeah San Pellegrino water is so much better!

I had a few drinks last night for the first time since Christmas and I feel like dog shit today. Not even a hangover, just depressed and anxious. I’m so mad at myself even though it was a planned night out. So I’m reading with interest.

I allow myself a Diet Coke some nights. It does help to feel like a treat but if I have it too late it keeps me awake

There must be something in this. I had 2 glasses of pinot noir late on Friday night (2 small glasses so probably 250/275ml in total) and woke up feeling awful, migraine, was sick, thought I was coming down with something but better after another hour's sleep and some paracetamol and water.
Another 2 small glasses of the same wine last night (I know, I'm a trooper) but much earlier in the evening, felt fine this morning. Weird!

I can’t do wine now.
I like Kombucha and buy LA Brewery or Go Kombucha in large bottles and really enjoy both.
I also like a nice G&T at home. Nice crystal tumbler, large ice cube, fever tree can of tonic water and a good quality gin. I make it with a tablespoon of gin, which is just over a half unit, so no side effects, but feels like a proper drink.

The kylie no alcohol Prosecco is good. My daughter bought me sparkling tea which is also quite nice.

I like mother root but the fever tree ginger ale is also lovely.

I’m sleeping so much better since I gave up booze - I had a drink with a work meal and felt dreadful!

I definitely schedule an earlier drink. So we often meet friends say 4-7 on a Saturday. So you get the socialising (which I get can be done with no alcohol) then home and drink water so by the time I go to bed all alcohol out of system. That does help. I get very cross if someone invites me out at 8pm!

I tend not to drink at home anymore.