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21 Best Non-Alcoholic Drinks for Men, Ranked
19
Oct
Oct
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The best non-alcoholic drinks for men should provide something for nothing (nothing being less than .5 percent alcohol by volume). Non-alcoholic drinks were once kid’s stuff. Not drinking tonight? Here’s a can of Coke, bottle of water, or maybe a Shirley Temple with a couple extra cherries. Isn’t that enough? Not even close.
Thankfully, the last several years have seen non-alcoholic drinks grow up. Today’s quickly expanding slate of high-quality non-alcoholic drinks include everything you’d expect to buy at bars and liquor stores, from fragrant hazy IPAs to appetite-stoking bitter amaros, warming old fashioned cocktails, and wines that keep the grapes but eliminate the alcohol.
Sales of non-alcoholic beverages have more than doubled since 2019, according to market research firm NielsenIQ, and they show no signs of decelerating. Of course, it’s not enough to have variety; they’ve gotta taste good.
Our top overall pick for the best non-alcoholic drinks for men is Ghia Le Spritz Sumac and Chili. Fiery and flavorful, Ghia’s latest version of Le Spritz is everything we want in non-alcoholic cocktails: It’s distinct, delicious, and still interesting after the second…or third.
Our Testing Process and Methodology
I’m a journalist and author who’s been covering the beverage industry for more than two decades—from the cocktail boom to the rise of craft beer and, now, the new wave of non-alcoholic drinks. Over the years, I’ve tasted dozens of non-alcoholic beers, non-alcoholic cocktails, non-alcoholic spirits, and non-alcoholic wines, as well as interviewed many makers in the NA space. For this article, I sampled more than 50 different booze-free drinks and spoke with Brianda Gonzalez, founder of New Bar, a Latina-owned non-alcoholic bottle shop in Venice Beach, CA.
Here’s how to drink well when you don’t want a hangover.
Ghia Drinks
Since debuting in the summer of 2020, Ghia has become one of the breakout stars of the non-alcoholic cocktail market. Founder Melanie Masarin takes inspiration from Mediterranean aperitivo culture to build beverages from unconventional ingredients such as sumac, rhubarb root, and date concentrate. It’s hard to pick, but these are our favorite Ghia drinks.
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Why It’s Great
Ghia Apéritif was recently reformulated to create a more consistent and concentrated product, nearly doubling the number of suggested servings per bottle. The company ditched figs, which contributed a cloudy character, and added plums, dates, and rhubarb roots for a slightly sweeter and less bitter profile.
Tasting Notes
The initial sweetness gives way to layers of not-too-bitter flavor that include pronounced citrus and herbal character supplied by rosemary and lemon balm.
How to Enjoy
Mix one part Ghia to three parts tonic (we like Fever Tree) or sparkling water.
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Why It’s Great
Non-alcoholic cocktails can suffer by comparison to their alcoholic analogues. From mouthfeel to flavor, a one-to-one comparison is hard to achieve. We like it when beverage makers break free from boozy convention and carve out flavorful new territory. Ghia Sumac & Chili is a spritzer that stands apart. The aperitivo is layered with spice.
Tasting Notes
This is a teeter-totter of tangy, spicy, savory, and sour.
How to Enjoy
If you like a little burn, drink from the can. We prefer to pour Le Spritz over ice for dilution.
Best Non-Alcoholic Drinks to Order at a Bar
Every good bar should have a couple great non-alcoholic drinks, including a hop water or NA beer. “If there are none, I often defer to ordering bitters and soda,” Gonzalez says. “It’s an easy way to sip on something a little more interesting than club soda alone, and every bar has the ingredients needed.” If you’re bellying up to a robust wine bar or cocktail lounge, these are the best non-alcoholic drink to order at a bar.
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Why It’s Great
Founded in 1993, Lagunitas helped pioneer a hop-intensified approach to create super-aromatic pale ales, IPAs, and all things hoppy. Fast-forward to 2019, and the California brewery used its decades of brewing know-how to develop Hoppy Refresher. It’s now a bar staple and a great option when you’re craving hops but no buzz.
Tasting Notes
The zero-calorie sparkling water has a fragrant and fruity aroma that evokes mango. Lagunitas also has two variants that taste of blood orange as well as berries and lemon.
How to Enjoy
Drink it from the bottle (available in 4-packs) or can (6-packs), or pour into a glass to be mesmerized by bubbles.
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Why It’s Great
The Negroni is one of the world’s greatest cocktails, an equal parts blend of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth that’s both bittersweet and brawny. St. Agrestis, a Brooklyn, NY-based company, produces this ruby-colored carbon copy by steeping herbs and citrus in water. The carbonation in Phony Negroni isn’t traditional, but the bubbles add a snappy bite reminiscent of alcohol.
Tasting Notes
Bitter, balanced, and invigorating, especially when served chilled. It’s a bartender-quality NA bev served by the bottle.
How to Enjoy
Drink from the bottle or serve over ice with a twist of orange.
Easy Non-Alcoholic Drinks to Make at Home
Creating great non-alcoholic cocktails doesn’t require a list of ingredients and equipment longer than a drugstore receipt. These easy non-alcoholic drinks to make at home pair ease of preparation with memorable flavors.
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Why It’s Great
The Pathfinder cofounder Steven Grasse is the brains behind some of America’s most iconic modern spirits (he created Sailor Jerry Rum and Hendrick’s Gin, one of the best gin brands). Hemp & Root, a non-alcoholic amaro, is designed for sipping solo or stirred into drinks like a Negroni. It’s fermented from hemp—no THC here—and flavored with herbs, spices, and botanicals like Douglas fir, wormwood, and saffron.
Tasting Notes
The hemp fermentation doesn’t impart a dank flavor. The amaro-inspired NA spirit is bittersweet with an enlivening citrus character thanks to orange peel.
How to Enjoy
Sip it over ice, shoot it alongside beer, or blend it into this simple standout spritz.
How to Make The Pathfinder Spritz
Ingredients
- 2 oz The Pathfinder Hemp & Root
- ½ oz lemon juice
- Seltzer
Instructions
- Mix The Pathfinder Hemp & Root and lemon juice together.
- Pour over fresh ice in a Collins glass.
- Top with seltzer and finish with a lemon slice for garnish.
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Why It’s Great
Following in tequila’s popular footsteps, Mexico’s smoky mezcal has become one of the country’s buzziest spirits. Eliminating alcohol doesn’t mean missing out on the trend, and Monday Mezcal hits all the agave high notes—no hangover included.
Tasting Notes
The smoldering mezcal proxy has a pleasantly floral and peppery aroma. On the palate, fresh citrus gives way to roasted agave, smoke, and a warming finish of jalapeño.
How to Enjoy
Sure, you can shoot or sip Monday Mezcal, but making this margarita is a mighty fine move.
How to Make Mum’s Signature Mezcal Margarita
Ingredients
- 2 oz Monday Mezcal
- ½ oz fresh lime juice
- ¼ oz fresh orange juice
- Dash of agave syrup
- Tajín
Instructions
- Combine Monday Mezcal, lime, orange, and agave syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Rim your favorite glass (a tumbler whiskey glass will do the trick) with Tajín.
- Shake and strain mocktail into glass with fresh ice.
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Why It’s Great
“Cocktails without compromise” is the rallying cry of Cut Above and its collection of whiskey, mezcal, gin, and tequila-inspired agave blanco. You can build fully alcohol-free proxies, or use the non-alcoholic spirits to, well, cut down the alcohol content of your favorite drink.
Tasting Notes
Cut Above Gin blends woody juniper oil with Mexican lime, California lemon, Italian bergamot, and Turkish rose for a globetrotting NA spirit. It has a floral, citrusy profile that plays well with tonic and classic gin cocktails.
How to Enjoy
Pour two ounces of the zero-proof gin over ice and mix with your favorite tonic (again, use something high quality like Fever-Tree Premium Tonic Water). Or try this simple yet satisfying cocktail kit.
How to Make Bee’s Knees
Ingredients
- 2 oz Cut Above Gin
- 4 oz Blind Tiger Bee’s Knees spirit-free cocktail mix
Instructions
- Pour ingredients into a Boston shaker with ice.
- Shake and strain into a coup or martini glass.
- Garnish with lemon slice.
Non-Alcoholic Thanksgiving Drinks
Set aside those boozy bottles of prosecco and red wine. Non-alcoholic Thanksgiving drinks can please the crowd without inducing a headache—though we can’t say the same for your extended family.
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Why It’s Great
This Australian brand takes a culinary approach to creating non-alcoholic wine alternatives designed to pair with food. The numerically named NA wines include the dessert-friendly Non 1, which stars chamomile and salted raspberry, and your new friend to roasted meats, Non 2. Caramelized pears are combined with umami-rich Japanese kombu, a kind of edible kelp, and pressed unripe grape juice, called verjus.
Tasting Notes
“I drink this all season long,” Gonzalez says of the warming yet refreshing drink.
How to Enjoy
Pour Non 2 into your favorite wine glass and try it alongside turkey. We recommend seconds of both.
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Why It’s Great
At is core, Thanksgiving is about bringing people together around a table. Why not serve a drink that everyone can agree upon? Instead of using bourbon to make a batch cocktail, Gonzalez likes to serve an apple butter old fashioned that stars Spirit of Bourbon. “I made this last year and every single guest came back for a second drink,” Gonzalez says.
Tasting Notes
The cocktail has “a gentle warmth and kick from the ginger, a rich depth from the apple butter, and a refreshing brightness brought by the apple cider,” Gonzalez says. It’s celebratory and on theme without being exhausting.”
How to Enjoy
Feel free to scale up this recipe to serve a crowd.
How to Make an Apple Butter Old Fashioned
Ingredients
- 2 oz apple cider or juice
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 2 full droppers of All the Bitter Orange Bitters
- 1 Tbsp apple butter
- 2 oz Spirit of Bourbon
- 1 oz Avec Ginger
- Raw sugar for rim
Instructions
- In a shaker, combine apple cider/juice, lemon juice, bitters, apple butter, and Spirit of Bourbon.
- Fill with ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds.
- Rim glass with raw sugar.
- Strain mocktail into glass with fresh ice and top with Avec Ginger.
- Garnish with a cinnamon stick, candied ginger, or lemon peel.
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Why It’s Great
It just takes one funky, overly acidic kombucha to turn off a drinker from the fermented tea for life. Bambucha (slang for “big” in Hawaiian) is a San Diego brand that dials down the acid and bumps up approachable, memorable flavors in its gastronomic kombuchas like Thai Ginger and Hibiscus Rose. Its hue is reminiscent of a sparkling rosé.
Tasting Notes
The tart and floral kombucha has a zippy edge due to the addition of ginger and lime.
How to Enjoy
Drink from the can or pour into a wine glass. We like it as a Thanksgiving aperitif or paired with charcuterie.
Non-Alcoholic Canned Cocktails
After a long day at work—wherever that might be—taking the time to make a cocktail can feel like too much fuss. These non-alcoholic cocktails offer bar-worthy libations in the time it takes you to crack a tab.
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Why It’s Great
Sparkling-water specialist Aura Bora is known for using fruit, herbs, and flowers in unlikely combinations like peppermint and watermelon, and lime and cardamom. Aura Bora Olive Oil Martini is a collaboration with Graza. The latter brand’s olive oil is blended with yuzu citrus and juniper oil for a not-so-spirited take on the martini. Bonus points for the eye-catching can.
Tasting Notes
The olive oil lends an herbal, savory quality to the yuzu-scented cocktail.
How to Enjoy
Chill it ice-cold and pour into a martini glass. Olives are optional but always encouraged.
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Why It’s Great
After founder Lily Geiger’s father succumbed to a struggle with alcoholism, she decided to create Figlia (Italian for “daughter”). The flagship product is the crimson-colored aperitivo Fiore (Italian for “flower”) that’s flavored with bitter orange, clove, rose extract, and ginger juice. The canned cocktail adds effervescence and a twist of lemon to the party.
Tasting Notes
Fizzy and fun to drink, Fiore is far less bitter than other non-alcoholic aperitivos on the market and has a pronounced pop of clove.
How to Enjoy
Pack for a picnic and sip from the can, or pour into a wine glass to enjoy with a spread of cheese and cured meats.
Non-Alcoholic Beers
The quality and quantity of non-alcoholic beers in America continues to increase by the week, it seems. When it comes to flavor, these non-alcoholic beers are missing nothing—except alcohol, that is.
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Why It’s Great
This year, Modelo Especial became America’s best-selling grocery store beer, cementing the ascension of Mexican lagers. Athletic Brewing has created the ideal lager in Cerveza Atletica to crush during Taco Tuesday with a side of tortilla chips and salsa. Or queso. Go wild.
Tasting Notes
The copper-toned, Mexican-style lager gets its gentle spicy scent from Germany’s elegant Hersbrucker hops.
How to Enjoy
Crush it in the can. If you’re feeling fancy, add a lime wedge.
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Why It’s Great
Creating an alcohol-free Xerox of a trusted beer brand is tough. There are consumer expectations to meet, flavors to match. Guinness 0.0 begins by brewing its classic Irish stout, no substitutions needed, before cold-filtering out every drop of alcohol. Better yet: The alcohol-free Guinness has just 57 calories per 12-ounce serving.
Tasting Notes
It’s packing all the roasty, bittersweet chocolate goodness that’s made Guinness beloved for generations.
How to Use
Pour it into a pint glass to appreciate the lustrous head.
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Why It’s Great
As a category, hazy IPAs have become the most popular craft beers in the country by prioritizing intensely juicy flavors and aromas and minimizing bitterness. The Wisconsin brewery begins by fermenting its Juicy IPA, flavored with Mosaic and Citra hops, to standard strength before running the IPA through a reverse-osmosis filtration system. Untitled Art Nonalcoholic Juicy IPA strips out booze but not flavor, leaving behind a 55-calorie hazy IPA.
Tasting Notes
It tastes like a trip to a tropical island where alcohol doesn’t exist.
How to Use
Crack a can and kick back with friends.
Low-Calorie Non-Alcoholic Drinks
Alcohol contains calories, but giving up alcohol doesn’t mean giving up calories. Many NA drinks still contain a caloric load on par with sugary sodas. These low-calorie non-alcoholic drinks, however, don’t go over 15 calories per 12-ounce serving.
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Why It’s Great
This Canadian brand has cracked the code on creating low-calorie craft beer that’s packed with plenty of flavor. The proprietary process results in a broad line of beers, from a peach gose to a hazy IPA, that top out at around 30 calories per 12-ounce can. Partake Blonde is our favorite year-rounder.
Tasting Notes
The agreeable, golden-hued blonde ale has a floral profile. It’s like sunshine in a can when winter’s icy grip takes hold.
How to Enjoy
Drink it straight from the can.
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Why It’s Great
Some hop waters can be overly bitter and taste like a terrible West Coast IPA. Revolution Brewing’s Super Zero, released in September, relies on two modern hop varieties, Sabro and Nectaron, to give the zero-calorie sparkling water a tropical aromatic punch.
Tasting Notes
Citrusy and super-bubbly, this satisfies any hankering for an IPA.
How to Use
Sip it straight from the can.
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Why It’s Great
Sodas are often synonymous with empty calories: big flavors served with loads of sugar. Casamara Club’s Onda is a healthy soda that’s crafted with botanicals like lemon juice, sage leaves, and juniper berries. A sprinkling of Mediterranean sea salt and Demerara cane sugar bring a savory and barely-sweet balance. Better yet: Each 12-ounce bottle contains just 15 calories.
Tasting Notes
Slightly sweet lemonade with a bitter, herbaceous edge.
How to Enjoy
Drink it from the bottle or can, or pour over ice in a highball glass.
Non-Alcoholic Fall Drinks
When the evening temperatures tumble south, you’ll want to gravitate toward more warming cocktails and beverages, or perhaps a non-alcoholic cider that’s for adults, not kids. These non-alcoholic fall drinks fit the bill.
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Why It’s Great
Curious Elixirs No. 5 is a newfangled take on the old fashioned cocktail. It’s built with smoked cherries, cacao, and digestion-friendly ginger. A little cayenne provides the belly-stoking heat that accompanies alcohol, while elderberry is added to increase immunity.
Tasting Notes
The complex sipper tastes a bit like eating chocolate-covered cherries beside a campfire.
How to Enjoy
Pour it over ice, stir, and garnish with rosemary, cherry, or an orange peel.
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Why It’s Great
This pre-bedtime wind-down drink is made with valerian root, a centuries-old sleep aid, and the fruity German hop variety Hüll Melon. (Beyond making IPAs taste great, hops reportedly have sedative properties.) The adaptogen-packed Nightcap “drinks like something reminiscent of a whiskey,” Gonzalez says.
Tasting Notes
It’s warm and woody, with notes of oak and vanilla.
How to Enjoy
“I like to drink it with club soda or on the rocks at the end of a long day,” Gonzalez says.
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Why It’s Great
Set aside thoughts of a toddler’s juice box. To make this fall-friendly NA cider, Golden State first ferments West Coast apple juice with Champagne yeast, creating its flagship Mighty Dry cider. The company then de-alcoholizes the cider to less than .5 percent ABV.
Tasting Notes
As crisp and dry as a perfect fall morning, this tastes like apple juice for adults.
How to Use
Drink it from the can or pour into a Champagne flute for a sparkling treat.
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