What to drink when you’re not drinking

At the bar

• Soda water with lime and a dash of bitters (bitters contain a little alcohol, so skip them if you want none)
• Non-alcoholic beer, now stocked in most bars
• Ginger beer with lime
• A virgin mojito: mint, lime, sugar, soda
• Cranberry and soda
• Tonic with cucumber or grapefruit
• Ask the bartender: “Something refreshing, no alcohol.”

At home

• Sparkling water with frozen berries
• Kombucha (check the label; some contain small amounts of alcohol)
• Iced tea with lemon and mint
• Shrubs: fruit vinegar syrups topped with soda
• Alcohol-free spirits with tonic
• Hot drinks for evenings: chai, herbal tea, hot chocolate

With dinner

• Alcohol-free wine or sparkling wine
• Sparkling grape or apple juice in a wine glass
• Verjus with soda, a tart grape drink that pairs well with food

For celebrations

• Alcohol-free sparkling wine for toasts
• A spritz with alcohol-free aperitif and soda
• A punch bowl everyone can share

Tips

Use your usual glass. Much of the habit is the ritual, not the alcohol. Order first at the bar so nobody asks. And if you’re avoiding alcohol completely, read labels: “alcohol-free” and “non-alcoholic” can mean slightly different things depending on the country.

Need help with what to say when you order? See our social life guide. Planning a break? Start with how to take a break from alcohol.

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