Non alcoholic drinks

[Catinthecorner]

Due to some new medication I’m going to be off booze for a while. I’d love suggestions for lovely non alcoholic drinks for when we’re socialising (ie when I’d normally have a glass or two of beer/wine/cocktail).

None alcoholic replacement stuff is good (does all non alcoholic beer and wine taste vile?) but also just nice grown up drinks (recently found the robinsons lime and mint cordial, love ginger beer).

Just to complicate things I also have to limit caffeine (think a cup of tea is fine, three strong coffees is not).

Virgin Mojito are good if your out socially

I also can't drink due to meds and o like both becks blue and heineken 0%, can't really tell the difference and still get that fab beer garden refreshment! I also have things like fentimans posh lemonade.

Totally avoid non alcoholic beers and wines, they’re disgusting I think.

There are loads of different cordials these days which are lovely mixed with soda water and lots of ice (add some fresh fruit to match) as you feel like you’re drinking something nicer than just juice. Have a look at all the gorgeous flavoured tonics and sparkling waters available now, these are what I tend to go for when not having an alcoholic drink. There’s loads of choice around.

Make up a fruit or herb tea in a small cup and let it go cold, tip into a tall glass and top up with sparkling water. Very refreshing and no added sugar either.

If you like gin then seedlips is a good replacement

I love Elderflower presse! Especially the Bottle Green one, pricey (but still cheaper than wine). I didn’t drink for a while and I used to drink lime and soda when I was out. Refreshing and cheap!

Another vote for elderflower but my favourite is belvoir.

Oh fab. Lots of things to try.

Virgin mojito sounds lovely and refreshing. The summer version of my winter Bloody Mary.

Alcohol free beer is obviously a personal taste thing. I’ll perhaps see if I can buy single bottles (cans?) of a couple and see if anything sticks. I tend to drink fancy craft ale when I drink beer so we will see.

Excited about elderflower presse (yum) and fancy tonics and cordials. Would never have thought of the fruit/herb tea plus sparkling water trick! Thanks for that.

Love Gin. Actually have a bottle of the spice seedlip a friend gifted me. Do I want to try the green one too? (I also have two unopened bottles of real, small batch, gin -so fingers crossed I can drink again at some point).

Becks Blue tastes very similar to normal Becks. However there are now a lot of different alcohol free ones to choose from, each with their own tastes.

Dd likes the alcohol free fruit ciders. She says they don't really taste different to the alcohol versions.

I've not tried Seedlip but know some who love it. It's no cheaper than many guns though!

Alcohol free wine is generally rubbish.

There are at least one or timeout websites that specialise in alcohol free drinks.

One of my go-to’s is half bitter lemon/half tonic water, with ice and maybe a slice of lemon. There’s something sort of gin-y about it, it doesn’t taste like your standard fizzy drink.

Another vote for Becks Blue. I sometimes have it at home midweek when I fancy a drink but know I shouldn't.

Erdinger Blue is the best beer substitute I have found. They even promote its folic acid content, which shows an understanding of their market.

The elderflowers are in full bloom up here at the moment. It’s a doddle to make your own cordial, which takes about a week.

In my family we make something called ‘Sheringdale Lemonade’, named after a primary school where my grandfather taught in the 50s - it makes a sort of cordial that you can dilute down or mix with something else.

I like a real ale and when i was pregnant last year my favourites were Brewdog 'Nanny State' - bought in Tesco but only ever found it in a couple of bars. Erdinger alcohol-free is a nice sort of wheat beer and I found it more widely available in pubs.

Currently pregnant and not drinking. My go-tos are ginger beer (preferably Fevertree, but Fentiman's is OK too), Appletizer (I also like this because it has literally nothing in it except pure apple juice from concentrate, so not full of chemicals), sparkling water (can't beat a proper Perrier, shame most pubs only stock other brands with artificial carbonation now), elderflower cordial (favourite is Belvoir Organic as tastes lovely and no chemical nasties), or San Pellegrino (sparkling lemon or orange, like a more refreshing variation on lemonade). I also like the occasional Orangina for the nostalgia factor of family holidays to France as a child! I tried non-alcoholic wine, supposedly the best one Ocado had, and it was seriously disgusting, like vinegar. Never again!

Becks Blue tastes like Becks.

Fruit juice with lemonade (the sparkling kind) orange and lemonade is quite popular in places.

J2O - the orange and passion fruit.

Iced coffee - make an espresso and add ice and cold water.

Carbonated water with fruit.

Agree non-a.coholic wine absolutely undrinkable!
I’ve recently given up for health reasons, and couldn’t manage with just sparkling water (Badoit for preference) +/- Belvoir elderflower cordial.
, which are my usual favourites.
I am enjoying LOTS of flavoured tonic, Waitrose for sugar-free, or any of Fevertree flavoured light options, esp lemon tonic with lots of ice.
Fentimans ginger beer with fresh lime wedge.
Seedlip is lovely, but not cheap!
Kobbarberg fruit cider 0% is great, as is Becks Blue or Nanny State beer.
Lots of tea.....have missed the sleep-inducing effects of wine, which obvs caffeine does not do.......Yorkshire Bedtime Brew is lovely - decaf tea with extra sleepy herbs. as long as you brew it long enough, still tastes similar to a standard cuppa. Redbush tea with milk same reason. I must have bought hundreds of herb/fruit teas o er the years, but like the theory more than the actual product!
Warm ginger cordial or Ribena for nostalgia effect.

Sheringdale Lemonade sounds delicious, btw.
I like home-made elderflower cordial, usually include lemon, lime and orange zest. Also make the opportunity to make without citric acid as I find it always tastes bitter (although is it bought cordials, I know). I preserve it by freezing in ice cube containers, then just chuck in sparkling water.

I also recently came across Cawston Press rhubarb lemonade and elderflower lemonade in our local. They are delicious: not too sweet and not too bitter, very refreshing and a bit different from the usual non-alcoholic offerings in pubs.

M&S do a nice elderflower and raspberry (?) drink.

I find orange & lemonade refreshing.

Virgin cocktails if you're out and about? You could even make some at home.

Having just made my elderflower cordial I have rememberrd how nice it is made up with tonic water instead of plain old corporation pop.

Another Becks Blue fan.
Pineapple juice infused with mint leaves, served over ice and topped up with ginger ale is gorgeous (even if you don't usually like ginger)

I like becks blue and also budweiser prohibition. Also i prefer having non alcoholic cocktails - even if just sparkling water with lemon and mint leaves - from a fancy cocktail glass or champagne saucer - makes all the difference!!

Cranberry juice with sparkling water is really nice

LIDL do lovely fizzy soft drinks - Morello Cherry Crush, Fruit Crush and Mexican Elderflower and Lime. All of them are delicious.

The ASDA diet cream soda is also lovely.

If you can have a tiny amount of alcohol tonic with a dash of angostura bitters is a nice drink. I also like tomato juice with Worcestershire sauce too but not many people seem to. I’ve just discovered Dalston cherryade, which is lovely and has no artificial sweeteners.