AF drinks review thread

[CardiganOfDoom]

I thought I'd start a thread where I can keep a track of the AF drinks I try. Anyone is welcome to join in.

Belle & Co sparkling wine is pretty nice. I tend to go for AF beer and a recent amazing discovery is lemon Clausthaler from Ocado. I also drink lots of Bavaria and Hoegarden 0.

@CardiganOfDoom I'm not a huge fan of gin so it doesn't really appeal. I have tried the Seedlip Grove though which I didn't mind too much. I love good tonic on its own with ice and lime but the Strykk just gives it a bit of heat that makes it feel a bit more special if that makes sense?

Ooh I’ve found you too! Great thread idea, thanks.

• Nozeco (Tesco’s version has a Z) I like it. I especially like it with a splash of passionfruit.
• Heineken 0.0% tastes a bit stronger than Becks Blue but like both.
• strykk ‘rum’ bought by accident as thought it was the gin. I don’t drink rum & coke so not sure about this.
• Three Spirits - really like these but not cheap & bottles are only 500mls. There’s 3 flavours. Livener, Social Elixir and Nightcap. I like all 3 made up as per instructions, one with tonic, one with ginger beer and the other neat or as a hot toddy. They’ve very definite flavours but don’t imitate anything. I’ll buy these again despite being pricey.
• Gordon’s 0% gin - ok but needs a fairly big slosh. Neat it tastes soapy. A normal measure with tonic tastes of tonic. A triple measure is pretty good. Thank heavens AF hey!

I discovered my fav non alcoholic cocktail on holiday in Croatia last year that you can easily recreate at home

Blueberry juice (sold in Tesco, Sainsburys)
Lime cordial or juice from a lime
Topped up with fizzy water and lots of ice.

Delicious!

San Pellegrino sansbitter (66 kcal) with tonic water and lime hits the spot for me

Crodino AF aperitif. Delicious with lots of ice and a slice of lemon.
You can get it from online Italian grocers.

Slice of orange not lemon!

@Howyoualldoworkme, oh I've heard of this before. Thank you for the reminder.

Thatcher 0% Somerset cider, delicious!

I like Gordon’s AF gin but agree you need a good measure for it to taste of gin. All the Brew Dog AF beers are lovely as is Morretti. Lidl had an AF beer last week too which was nice and only £2.50 for 6 bottles but they didn’t have it this week. Tasted similar to Becks blue. Yet to find a decent AF wine. McGuigans white is drinkable but not quite dry enough for me.

This is nice

Can I join please? I recognise a few names from the dry Jan thread.

I (and a few others) found ginger and lemon seemed to be a good substitute. I see the Belvoir ginger has already been mentioned. Has anyone mentioned M&S Sicilian lemonade? Also the M&S rhubarb and ginger cordial (with sparkling water)? Both lovely, although the Sicilian lemonade is quite sugary.

I meant to do some research on the ginger and lemon connection.

The kombucha type beers I mentioned are all available from Ocado. I think they're worth trying even if you don't generally like kombucha - its not full on, it's more that it adds a slightly more grown-up taste to the drink. The hops are great for that too.

The yuzu beer sounds great, breathmiller, please report back!

I've now ordered a kombucha scoby and am going to to try making kombucha. Apple, ginger and hops are planned for the first attempt, if I can find hops in time!

@Lifeisnotadressrehearsal7 - I got those wines from Ocado.

I tried the McGuigan rosé over the weekend. I'd thought it was a still wine, but it turned out to be lightly sparkling and I enjoyed it. I've still not found any really good wines - the fizzes, which I used to drink, are usually just a little too sweet, and the reds don't have enough body.

DH tried the Punk AF this weekend, and liked it.

Another thing that I think is useful in the dry drinker's cupboard is an array of bitters. There's not just Angostora, but a massive range.

Their alcohol content is actually really high, but of course you just add a few drops, so the whole drink is very low alcohol.

There's a wide range here.

www.clickndrink.co.uk/products/cocktails/bitters/

Look up Everleaf - really good gin type alternatives. I was a wine drinker but really happy with one of these with tonic and ice. My favourites are Marine and Mountain, don't personally like Forest but could see it could work on a very hot day.

Martini Vibrante Non-Alcoholic Vermouth, Ocado
750ml, £10, 45 calories per 75ml measure

I loved this. It makes a lovely drink with tonic or soda water and a slice of orange. Add some bitters if you want a little more oomph. The missing alcohol was much less noticeable with this than the AF gin I tried.

Score 8 out of 10 (would be a 10 if lower calorie)

@Gembie - that sounds delicious. Will be adding blueberry juice to the shop.

@Dugee - I've added the Bottlegreen rhubarb and ginger cordial to my Ocado basket as they don't seem to have the M&S one. Looking forward to trying it.

I've also made up a P.E.E. (Pub Enhancement Elixir) in an old lime juice bottle, for use in rubbish pubs where my only option is soda water. My first attempt is below - I'm aiming at something fairly colourless so I'm not spotted!

150ml Tessaire sugar free elderflower squash
2 tabsp Belvoir ginger cordial
2 tabsps lime juice
14 drops coriander & lime bitters
8 drops rhubarb bitters

Well I accidentally picked up 0.5% strawberry and lime cider in Aldi last night and it was really nice
My favourite af beer is Aldi's Etienne in the bottle

For anyone who likes a drop of Mother's Ruin I can recommend "Stef's Gin Sin" drops. Comes in a small bottle with Pipette thingy (dropper) and only a small amount required. I buy it from Amazon and and it's my go to tipple in the evenings after being AF for 5 months. I am moderating now and it's my lifesaver (apologies if that sounds a tad over dramatic!)

@fedup078, thanks for this. I pop in Aldi quite a lot, so will look out for these drinks. I love this thread.
@Horlics4me, not dramatic at all. These drinks are lifesavers. Well done on 5 months, you're doing brilliantly.

Love this thread OP! I’m finding reasonable alternatives to have at home but never know what to ask for when I’m out. The AF options are rather scarce. Love your idea of making your own elixirs OP. Genius! If you do get caught I think a good comeback is ‘well if you sold AF options’... I hadn’t realised there are other butters out there. Only ever had angostura. I’m wondering how many drops I can put in before it’s above 0.5%? I’m no mathematician!!

@StayingVigilant - I thought I'd better work it out. I measured out the 22 drops of bitters in my PEE - it's about 3-4 ml, let's call it 4ml. The total volume of the elixir is 214 ml (150 +15x4 + 4). Assuming the bitter is 50% by volume (I think they are usually 44%?) then this alcohol per volume of the elixir is 0.93%. But then the PEE would be diluted by a considerable amount of soda water (at least 4 times as much?), so you's be very safe in assuming the whole drink would be below 0.5%.

Also, there are alcohol-free bitters, I think?