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Recommend me some good mocktails or N/A beers

Billbofet

Member
In an attempt to drink less, I have been experimenting with n/a beers, spirits/mocktails.

Some I have tried and enjoyed quite a bit for beer are Athletic Brewing Company's Free Wave Hazy IPA and Lakefront Brewery Riverwest Stein N/A.
I think both get you to about 80% of a true beer experience. I have tried other n/a beers, and most are pretty bad, so I'm looking for recommendations.

I also tried Seedlip Spice 94 non-alcoholic spirit. It's not a 1:1 replacement for any other spirit like gin or vodka, but it's been solid in both versions of a gin and tonic and a Moscow mule mocktail - this subbed as the spirit.
It has a very peppery note/finish, I think to mimic an alcohol burn, and I don't think you can fool yourself that this is an alcoholic beverage, but it gets you about 60-70% of the way to a cocktail experience.

Another method I have tried is making an Earl Grey syrup - 1 part sugar, 1 part water brought to a boil, then steeping three bags of Earl Grey for 20 minutes. From there, cool it down and refrigerate.
I used this syrup and made a solid drink. It was 1 1/2 oz. of the EG syrup, 3 oz. of grapefruit juice poured over ice, and topped with soda water. To me, this genuinely tasted like a cocktail. Very refreshing, but with a small bite at the end to mimic an alcoholic beverage.
Might sub the soda water with ginger beer to give it more zing/bite.

Anyway, I'm sure I'm not the only one wanting to drink less, so I'm reaching out to get other ideas and suggestions.

Cheers!
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
Athletic Brewing is pathetic, Guinness 0.0 is bad Heineken 0 is the one stand out and than there’s budweiser which is actually good.
 

West Texas CEO

GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief and Nosiest Dildo Archeologist
In an attempt to drink less
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jason10mm

Gold Member
I actually think, and I can't believe I'm saying it, that Guinness 0 is not half bad. For a NA it is legit drinkable as it doesn't have that protein flavor a lot of them have. Ain't as good as real Guinness of course but passable.

But Guinness is already pretty low cal as it is a 4% beer already. I thought ultra amber was the best of the low cal beers.
 

ahtlas7

Gold Member
Buy 0 proof liquor and mix your cocktail as normal. All the taste, none of the fun.
Italian sodas are good complete alternative to sweet cocktails.
 

Toots

Gold Member
Virgin mojito is n/a, with the added benefice of helping you stay virgin as long as you drink them
 
Go get some hop tea or hop water. I find they occasionally scratch the beer itch. Also, Guinness 0.0% is dangerously close to real Guinness And only like 60 calories I think.
 
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Jaybe

Member
I like Athletic’s IPA and Blonde. Heineken 0.0 is fine enough when I’m at a restaurant carrying mainstream brews. Partake is decent and like 10 calories I believe. Carlsberg does one like Heineken, it’s fine. I like trying whatever local one a restaurant is carrying. In Toronto, Bellwoods Stay Classy IPA is excellent and they do a couple other options. Gruvi I like too, just not sure how distributed it is.
 

Ophiuchus

Banned
If you're looking for more N/A beer options, you might want to try BrewDog's Nanny State or Clausthaler Dry-Hopped Non-Alcoholic Beer. Both have a nice flavor profile and come pretty close to the real deal. For mocktails, one of my favorites is a Virgin Mojito—just muddle some fresh mint and lime with a bit of sugar, top it off with soda water, and you've got a refreshing drink that's perfect for summer.

On a related note, I recently read about a Skeleton Key Cocktail Recipe that could be easily adapted into a mocktail. The original recipe calls for bourbon, but you can substitute it with a non-alcoholic spirit like Ritual Zero Proof Whiskey Alternative. Mix it with ginger beer, elderflower liqueur (or a non-alcoholic elderflower syrup), and fresh lemon juice. This combination provides a complex flavor that mimics a true cocktail experience, with the ginger beer giving it a nice bite. If you’re interested, you can check out more details on the recipe and make your own version this link.
 
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