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7 of the Best Non-Alcoholic Spirits For Spring & Summer Cocktails
Because everyone should be able to enjoy sipping on their drink of choice.
Just because you don't drink, or maybe aren't drinking right now, it doesn't mean you should miss out on the seasonal cocktails that are always front and center throughout spring and summer.
Zero-proof and low-ABV liquor, liqueur, wine, and beer alternatives have come a long way in the last few years, and we're excited about it here at Food52. To help our sober (or sober-curious) community members stock their kitchens with delicious drink alternatives, the buyers on our Shop team have worked endlessly to curate a collection of non-alcoholic beverages to choose from.
To help narrow things down, we've pulled together seven of the best zero-proof choices in our Shop and paired them with cocktail recipes to help you become your own at-home mixologist, minus the booze.
1. Wilfred's Alcohol-Free Bittersweet Aperitif, $32+
Spring and summer is the season of the spritz, and everybody deserves the chance to enjoy the fizzy, refreshing taste of this seasonal classic. Use this apéritif to create a spin on an Aperol spritz by swapping the Aperol for Wilfred's and prosecco for your seltzer water of choice.
2. For Bitter for Worse Summer Ready Collection, $44+
Make a riff of this Rosé Royale Spritz by swapping the sparkling rosé wine for the For Bitter For Worse zero-proof alternative. If you do drink, but just prefer to keep your drinks low-ABV, keep the 2 ounces of Lillet Rosé that the recipe calls for. Otherwise, replace with a splash of this hibiscus rose simple syrup from Pink House Alchemy.
3. Caleño Non-Alcoholic Tropical Drinks Collection, $56
Sweet tea and rum punch are two drinks that feel synonymous with summer. Just replace the dark rum in the recipe for Caleño's dark and spicy alternative, and enjoy.
4. Pentire Botanical Non-Alcoholic Margarita, $50+
You can either pour Pentire's pre-made margarita directly over ice or use it as a substitute in this well-loved margarita recipe. If you're looking for a replacement for Cointreau, freshly squeezed orange juice will do.
5. RumISH Non-Alcoholic Dark Spiced Spirit, $35
Replace the dark rum with RumISH, the banana liqueur with a banana syrup, and the blackberry liqueur with a blackberry simple syrup. Just be sure to start small on the syrup portions and adjust as needed, depending on the level of sweetness you prefer.
6. Pentire Botanical Non-Alcoholic Spirit, $40+
This one's perfectly simple: Just replace the vodka with this zero-proof swap for gin, and you're golden. If you like an herbal finish, choose the Adrift flavor (it has notes of citrus, rock samphire, sage, and Cornish sea salt), or go with Seaward if you prefer a bright, zesty flavor with notes of grapefruit and berry. Either way, it'll be a perfect warm-weather happy hour drink.
7. Fungtn Non-Alcoholic Gluten-Free Beer Collection, $83
Beer lovers who have struggled to find a non-alcoholic (and gluten-free!) replacement can rejoice. Fungtn offers zero-proof alternatives to three brewery classics: a deep brown lager, an IPA, and a sour. For a summertime shandy, just replace the Braulio amaro with Angostura bitters and the Ommegang Witte Beer for the Lion's Mane or Reishi Citra Hop, and you're set!
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