Celebs have long invested in booze brands, from Casamigos Tequila by George Clooney and Rande Gerber (sold to Diageo for a whopping $1bn) to Aviation American Gin from Ryan Reynolds (now the signature serve on British Airways, no less) and Porte Noire Rosé Wine by Idris Elba, but now a whole crop of A-listers are tapping into the non-alcoholic trend.
Well, it was only a matter of time. According to a report by market researcher Mintel the booze-free market in the UK was worth a total of £255m in 2022, so it’s easy to see why everyone who’s anyone is jumping on the bandwagon (to varying degrees of success, admittedly).
Christy Osborne, certified sobriety coach and founder of Love Life Sober, explains that the landscape has shifted: “More and more people are giving up drinking alcohol for health and wellness reasons. Welcome to 2023, where you don’t have to label yourself an alcoholic, hit rock bottom or ‘have a problem’ to forgo alcohol, you can simply choose not to drink because you recognise that you feel so much better without it. Ditching the bottle is finally considered a wellness choice and the best thing you can do for your physical and mental health.”
Luckily, innovation in zero-per-cent products has come on leaps and bounds of late, whether Peroni Nastro Azzuro 0.0% ABV – which launched last year and comes pretty damn close to recreating the refreshing flavour of its full-strength sister – Tanqueray Alcohol Free 0% Spirit or Strykk Not Vodka, amongst others.
Then there are completely new creations – not just the rifts on favourites – the most prominent of which is Seedlip (‘working with the natural world to change the way the world drinks’) followed by relative newcomers High Point Drinks (‘the world’s first fermented non-alcoholic aperitif’) and Oddbird, wines ‘liberated from alcohol’.
Celebrities weren’t far behind, either, keen for a spot at the bar. Having seen the roaring success of celebrity-founded and -backed alcohol brands, do you blame them?
Spencer Matthews of Made in Chelsea and now founder of non-alcoholic spirits company CleanCo, started his brand after deciding to go clean before the birth of his first baby after drinking excessively for most of his twenties. Finding he became more focused, driven and creative as a result, he now makes alternatives to gin, vodka, rum, tequila and whisky offering all the taste without the hangover.
Here, we give Spencer’s alternative spirits a slurp, along with other non-alcoholic celebrity drinks while we’re at it (hey, there’s no hangover, so why not?).
Kylie Minogue Alcohol-Free Sparkling Rosé
Think pink and you think Kylie Minogue: her eponymous brand of rosé wine with Benchmark Drinks has become the number-one rosé brand in the UK with over eight million bottles polished off since she popped the cork.
While her Prosecco Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc and Côtes de Provence might have you spinning around after one too many, her No Alcohol Sparkling Rosé mirrors the crisp flavours and acidic balance of its boozy counterparts and reflects the growing thirst amongst consumers for clean alternatives.
Looking much the same as the other bottles in her line – slender, elegant, pink – the ‘wine’ is made using premium grapes and green tea from the Yunnan province of China while being produced without generating any alcohol. The flavour profile, while not comparable to a goblet of Whispering Angel, is not disappointing: in fact, it’s surprisingly complex and finely balanced.
The best bit? There are just 22 calories per 100ml – 80 calories less than a standard glass of Prosecco – making this a welcome change of pace at even the most raucous of parties. Launched by Kylie initially as a flight of fancy, her mission has since evolved to produce quality wine, and this alcohol-free alternative is no exception.
Buy now £7.00, Sainsbury's
Almave Blanco by Lewis Hamilton
F1 legend Lewis Hamilton has released a non-alcoholic tequila just in time for Sober October. The Blue Agave drink is a great alternative to recruit in cocktails that usually call for a measure of tequila or mezcal, allowing drinkers to enjoy the flavours without the arresting consequences the morning after.
There are two expressions: an Ambar, great for sipping neat, and the Blanco, a mixologist’s dream. Hamilton said: “I’m proud to launch Almave Blanco in the UK, it joins Almave Ambarin standing apart from anything else on the market as a quality, alcohol-free alternative with no compromise on flavour, authenticity or process.”
Buy now £20.44, Amazon
Betty Buzz by Blake Lively
Is there anything charismatic and beautiful actor Blake Lively can’t do? Not only was The Shallows one of the most underrated movies of all time, but her banter with fellow star and dashing husband Ryan Reynolds on Instagram is pure comedy cold, while her not-so-humble beginnings in Gossip Girl still has us reaching for the remote (and our Farfetch app).
Now, America’s golden girl has founded Betty Buzz, the result of her mixing but not drinking cocktails for many, many years, and named as a nod to her family. Yup: she doesn’t drink, despite being married to the founder of Aviation American Gin. Rather, Blake believes that mixers are the unsung heroes of the cocktail world, and has crafted them into stand-alone sips that can hold their own at a soirée.
Whether Tonic Water, Meyer Lemon Club Soda, Sparkling Grapefruit or Ginger Beer, every drink can be enjoyed with a spirit or simply on its own. Calories are low, or no, and everything is packaged up in short but sweet bottles with a retro appeal – no wonder they’re causing a buzz. Try Sparkling Lemon Lime: a ridiculously refreshing margarita alternative.
Buy now £24.00, Amazon
Sentia Spirits Gaba Red
From Professor David Nutt comes Sentia, a new alcohol-free 'spirit' that stimulates the brain's GABA neurotransmitter to mimic the effects of booze - that is, calming, lightness and relaxation - minus the head-splitting consequences afterwards. The drink is made with natural botanicals including ashwagandha to help you unwind, relax and socialise with your mates just as genuine alcohol does.
The red option is slightly spiced and can be enjoyed neat or paired with mixers to create a mocktail. Alternate between full-strength drinks or spend all evening drinking it - the choice is yours. Perfectly calibrated for flavour and effect.
Buy now £30.40, Amazon
CleanCo by Spencer Matthews
Who doesn’t want to live a life less wasted? That’s the premise behind the CleanCo brand from Spencer Matthews, reality star-turned-successful entrepreneur, whose fine line of non-alcoholic drinks is flying off the shelves (and for good reason).
According to the celebrity founder, the average person spends 252 hours a year hungover, so he launched his smart endeavour with the mission to sell time back to heavy drinkers in the form of alternative spirits.
The range is expanding fast, now including everything from gin and vodka to whisky and rum, all made with zero sugar for less than 18 calories per serve. Aside from the flavour – made from premium ingredients to create truly delicious choices – what gives Matthews’ drinks stand-out in a sea of competitors is his branding: the bottles are sophisticated enough to avoid bringing everyone down mid-party.
Our pick? Clean G Gin Alternative, an aromatic, botanical and cloudy sip that includes real juniper blended to a secret recipe and distilled.
Need to take the edge off mid-week? Simply pour over ice and add a slice to enjoy the same refreshing taste of your usual G&T without the banging head come morning.
Buy now £16.00, Sainsbury's
Kin Euphorics by Bella Hadid
Sparking a ‘revolution of feel-good revelry’ – their words, not ours – Kin Euphorics is the brainchild of supermodel Bella Hadid and CEO Jen Batchelor.
Riding on the wave of sober-curiosity, Bella got involved with the brand after trying a can back in 2019 when she was anxious and burnt-out, and decided to team up with its founder to offer an alternative to sugar-packed mocktails. Unlike most low- and no-alcoholic drinks, Kin Euphorics helps to manage stress levels and support cognitive function, using adaptogens, nootropics and botanicals to do so.
Wrapped up within some seriously snazzy branding – we’re a sucker for its bold colours – and marketed via new age-inspired language – not such fans – are flavours like Kin Bloom (which ‘conjures a calmer mind and unlocks heart-opening joy’), Kin Lightwave (which likens itself to ‘naked forest bathing at midnight’) and Kin Spritz (which ‘untaps good, clean energy’).
See the results of the ES taste test here.
Buy now £54.00, Kin Euphorics
De Soi by Katy Perry
Aperitif, anyone? There’s something for everyone thanks to singer Katy Perry, who – along with co-founder and master distiller Morgan McLachlan – has introduced a line of alcohol-free, adaptogen-rich aperitifs in the form of De Soi.
Inspired by the French ethos of pleasure and restraint (we know what we’d rather), the duo has created a sparkling, spritz-like concoction made from plant-based ingredients as a way to find ‘pleasure without the proof.’ They’re both busy working mums, meaning they wanted to create something that would mellow the mind without the buzz, leaving them clear-handed for tackling life’s tasks.
Available in bottle or can formats, choose from Champignon Dreams – containing a relaxing blend of reishi mushroom (a soothing fungus) and passion flower – Purple Lune, packing ashwagandha (a restorative botanical) and tart cherry, or Golden Hour with maca (a nutritional root) and lemon balm.
Unlike so many other booze-free drinks, which use synthetic nasties, Katy’s use of natural fruit juices, herbs and mushrooms combine for both superb flavour and function, making these a cut above the competition.
Buy now £70.00, De Soi
Zoa by Dwayne Johnson
Everything actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson touches turns to gold, seemingly, as it’s reported that Zoa – his debut energy drink – made $100-million in sales in its first year in 2022.
Co-created with business partners Dany Garcia, Davie Rienzi and John Shulman, Dwayne plans to triple his marketing spend this year, meaning you’ll be seeing a lot more of Zoa on shelves. Standing out in a sea of sameness is his premise of offering a healthy energy drink – yes, we didn’t think the two went together, either – free of sugar and nasties, while being packed with clean ingredients like camu-camu (a natural fruit native to the Amazon bursting with antioxidants), vitamins B and C, electrolytes, amino acids and natural caffeine.
There is a slew of cans to choose from – whether Strawberry Watermelon, White Peach, Frosted Grape or Wild Orange, amongst others – while new drinks have just dropped specifically for pre-workout.
Jitterbug Apple Cider Vinegar by Bola Mollie Obileye
Following an overhaul of her lifestyle in 2016, Bola Mollie Obileye – TV chef and star of Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food – started a ‘healthier soda’ in the form of Jitterbug.
Committed to serving real gut goodness, Mollie and her gang blend real fruit juice with apple cider vinegar using absolutely no sugar, artificial sweeteners or flavourings to create her sodas, all without the traditional sour notes of ACV.
From Orange Jive to Lemonade Swing and Berry Hop, the brand is playful and bold, while the style is matched by substance with natural sweetness in each and every can.
Buy now £1.15, Holland & Barrett
No.1 Living Brewery by Johnny Wilkinson
Proving that former British rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson CBE has brains as well as braun, his sustainable lifestyle brand – No.1 Living – is testament to his talent off, as well as on, the pitch.
Founded in 2018, Johnny was inspired when his wife was training to become a nutritionist and he was on his own mental health journey, both discovering the importance of good bacteria in the gut and the idea of fermenting foods for the benefit of the body and mind. After brewing their own kombucha at home, things quickly fast-tracked into a commercial operation, complete with a range of gut-friendly drinks and snacks teeming with live cultures.
Most recently, as part of the brand’s ‘Brewery’ category, Jonny has added two new kombuchas to the mix: Rose Blush and Citrus Hops. The former is a rosé-inspired kombucha delicately balanced with rose extract for a grown-up taste without the alcohol; while the latter is a beer-like kombucha blended with a burst of lemon that’s completely booze-free.
Like everything No.1 Living, both are handcrafted using all-natural ingredients, together with recyclable packaging. Nice one, Johnny.
Buy now £29.99, No.1 Living Room
