Set up by Alcohol Change UK, Dry January is an initiative designed to help people reset both physically and mentally by giving up alcohol for the month
If Christmas is a time for excess, January is a time for restraint. Nights out are traded for hibernating indoors, indulgent festive dishes get swapped for healthy vegan meals, and booze gets ditched for the whole month. It may seem difficult to forgo alcohol for one of the longest, coldest and darkest months of the year but there are several benefits to giving Dry January a go – aside from no hangovers, your sleep quality increases, your energy levels rise and you save a bit of cash too. And there are plenty of things to do in London, from hitting the latest exhibitions to browsing the best farmers’ markets to catching a film at an indie cinema, that don’t involve alcohol at all
Maybe you’re toying with the idea of going booze-free, maybe you’re off the sauce for good….either way you can still make abstaining from alcohol for thirty one days this January not just bearable, but actually taste good too. Many of London’s bars have solid alcohol-free cocktails on their drinks list and there’s great variety when it comes to alcohol-free beers too, so you don’t actually have to avoid the pub in January. There’s even a dedicated bar for Dry January in the shape of Torstig, Brighton’s first fully dry bar that’s popping up in London for the month, where you can get booze-free cocktails based on your favourite serves.
If you prefer to stay in, here’s what you need to drink less at home this Dry January, including bubbly teas, botanical spirits and grown-up mocktails. CHEERS.
MOMO Kombucha x Orbit Beers
MOMO Kombucha has brought its collab with South London neighbours Orbit Beers back for a third year, so if you’ve still not tried it, you can get it on order now. The Hops Kombucha, made with Hallertau Blanc and Nelson Sauvin hops, has the same citrusy, herbal notes you’d get in a beer, which, paired with the tartness from the kombucha, makes for a wonderfully complex flavour.
Talonmore
If you’re partial to a hot toddy, you’ll want to stock up Talonmore this winter. The Scottish-based company makes a non-alcoholic, ginger-infused spiced spirit that’s a perfect whisky replacement, so you can use it for a booze-free toddy or Old Fashioned, serve it on the rocks, or lengthen it into a highball for something more refreshing.
Black Lines
Rather than try to substitute a spirit in its first non-alcoholic serve, Black Lines decided to create its own version of a classic mocktail – the Shirley Temple. With grenadine, ginger ale, raspberry soda, fresh lemon, blood orange and bitters, it’s fun, fruity and fresh, and as you’d expect from Black Lines, the label is on point too.
Wavelength
Cornwall-based Wavelength produces the world’s first fermented non-alcoholic spirits. The Ruby Aperitif, with hibiscus, lavender, wormwoood, pink peppercorn and pink grapefruit zest, is herbal and bittersweet, whereas the Amber Digestif, with lapsang, ginger, clove, vanilla, cacao nibs, gentian root and oak, is spicy and smoky, making the former great for a spritz and the latter perfect for a lowball or Old Fashioned.
REAL
Toast to the good times without the booze with REAL’s naturally-fermented sparkling teas. Made at their very own fermentary in Buckinghamshire using handpicked loose-leaf tea, the REAL flavours – Royal Flush (with notes of stone fruit, rhubarb & peach) and Dry Dragon (with notes of melon, lemon & grapefruit) – deliver the same punch and mouthfeel you’d expect from a sparkling vino.
Wednesday’s Domaine
If you want all the best bits of wine except the alcohol (and a fuzzy head), then alcohol-free wine brand Wednesday’s Domaine is the one for you. They have a white and red, both of which proper complexity of flavour – the white, made from Airen Blanco grapes, is crisp and citrusy whilst the red, made from Tempranillo grapes, had notes of plums and blackcurrants, and both go down a treat.
JING Sparkling Tea
Partial to a glass of sparkling vino? Pop a bottle of JING’s sparkling tea with its jasmine aromas, hints of honey and a dry texture to stay in on the action. Perfect for those occasions where you still need to raise a glass.
Everleaf
Listening to plants and people is at the heart of Everleaf aperitifs, so these non-alcoholic options are all natural and sourced sustainably. There’s one for spritz drinkers, one for gin drinkers and one for those that love a pink gin. Cheers to that.
French Bloom
Co-founded by model Constance Jablonski and Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger, French Bloom gives you everything you want from a fine wine, bar the booze. Le Rosé is 0% alcohol (they also do a Le Blanc) and is full of cherry, peach and wild berry flavours.
Botivo
Off the wagon has never felt so easy with Botivo. The premium aperitif-inspired drink contains five botanicals, apple cider vinegar and wildflower honey, which combine to create a complex liquid that’s herbal, citrusy and bittersweet with no alcohol, no flavourings and no preservatives. Mix with soda and enjoy as the day winds down and the evening draws in.
L.A Brewery
If you’re off the sauce you can still treat yourself a to bit of fizz with this Sparkling English Blush Kombucha from Suffolk-based non-alcoholic microbrewery L.A Brewery. It’s got fresh, floral notes of rhubarb and elderflower and great acidity, and as a bonus, it’s low in sugar and high in gut-friendly bacteria.
Crossip
All fans of dark and smoky spirits like rum and whisky need to have Dandy Smoke from Crossip on their radar. It’s got notes of lapsang souchong, pine, ginger, cinnamon, clove and chilli, making for a rich and complex flavour, and it’s ideal for shaking up into sour cocktails or mixing simply with soda or cola.