We all love a drink but giving up the booze can mean a smaller waist line, fatter wallet, and far fewer regrets! With the festive season well underway, some of you may already be feeling the effects of a few too many drinks and looking to cut back or abstain from alcohol. Luckily, you don’t have to sacrifice taste in your quest for sobriety. We’ve gathered up the best drink picks for teetotallers.
Best for the alco-pop lover
BIONADE
Certified organic, sustainable, low in sugar and containing 50% less calories than traditional soft drinks, BIONADE is one of the healthiest soft drinks around. It’s a German-made drink that is brewed like beer and upholds a similar purity law but without the alcohol content.
Available in Elderberry, Herbs, Lychee and Ginger-Orange. Head to Drinks Logistics to place your order now!
Best pitcher
Homemade Iced Tea
Ice tea is delicious, healthy and the perfect summer thirst quencher. Follow this Country Living recipe for a simple White Iced Tea.
Ingredients:
4 white tea bags
5 cups water
½ cup sugar
Fresh tarragon sprigs to taste
Directions:
1. Steep tea bags in 4 cups boiling water then chill
2. Bring 1 cup water and sugar to a boil, add tarragon, and steep until cool
3. Sweeten to taste with the resulting tarragon syrup
Best wine replacement
Ariel Blanc
There are plenty of dealcoholized wines available for those who want the taste of wine without the alcohol content. As a bonus, many of them are lower in carbs and calories too. We love Ariel Blanc Premium Dealcoholized Wine. This wine has a crisp acidity and slight sweetness with gentle floral and fruit aromas. It’s the ideal alcohol-free beverage for an afternoon in the sun. Available at Dan Murphy’s
Best bubbly
Appletiser
This lightly sparkling apple juice looks just as festive in a champagne flute as the real thing. And with no preservatives and, of course, no alcohol, it’s a much healthier option too. Now also available in delicious Grapetiser.
Best non-alcoholic beer
Schlossgold
Brewed and bottled in Austria, Schlossgold is the most popular ultra-light beer in Europe. With a fresh taste a full-bodied flavour that rivals full strength beer, it’s the non-alcoholic beer that will almost trick even the most devoted beer drinkers.
Available at Dan Murphy’s
Best virgin cocktail
Virgin Mary
Summertime, when tomatoes are at their best, is the perfect time for a refreshing Bloody Mary but if you’re off the booze, you might want to try this Virgin Mary recipe from Eating Well. It’s got all the zest and none of the vodka.
Ingredients:
3 large ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 jalapeños, stemmed and seeded
2-3 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Large green olives for garnish
4 pickled dilly beans, for garnish
Directions:
1. Puree tomatoes in a blender with lemon juice, jalapeños, horseradish to taste, Worcestershire, sugar, celery salt and pepper, scraping down the sides as necessary.
2. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
3. Divide among 4 ice-filled glasses.
4. Spear olives and dilly beans on toothpicks to garnish the drinks
