Every party has one. The sad corner of the kitchen worktop where the non-drinkers' options live. A two-litre bottle of flat lemonade, a carton of orange juice and, if you're really lucky, a single can of something a guest brought in 2019.
Meanwhile the wine is on a silver tray, the beer's in an ice bucket and someone's made a punch with fruit floating in it like tiny lifeboats.
This guide is about flipping that. Whether nobody's drinking or half the room still is, the alcohol-free stuff should be the best-looking thing on the table. Here's how to do it without turning into a one-person bar team.
The short answer
Good alcohol-free hosting comes down to five things: have a welcome drink ready before the doorbell goes, offer three or four different styles, chill everything properly, use real glasses and make water easy to find.
Plan on two to three drinks per guest for a two to three hour do, more for a long one. And never make a speech about why there's no alcohol in it. Just pour it like you mean it.
The golden rule: no second-class drinks
Your guests might be driving, pregnant, training, on medication, taking a break, or just done with hangovers. Some will still drink. Nobody should have to explain themselves to get something decent.
So put the alcohol-free drinks in the same ice bucket, on the same table, in the same nice glasses. When the best-looking drinks are for everyone, the awkward "oh, are you not drinking?" conversation doesn't even start.
If you've stopped drinking yourself and you're nervous about hosting, I get it. Read my piece on telling your mates you've stopped drinking. Then remember the host controls the playlist, which is the real power.
Have a welcome drink ready
The first ten minutes set the tone. If guests walk in and you're rummaging in the fridge saying "erm, there's squash?", you've lost them.
Have one welcome serve ready to go. My go-to is a spritz: Smiling Wolf Aperitivo, topped with alcohol-free fizz and soda, a slice of orange and loads of ice.
It's bittersweet, orangey and 0.5% ABV. It looks like a holiday. Everyone wants one, including the people who drink.
Or, if you really want to make an entrance, walk in carrying a magnum of Copenhagen Sparkling Tea BLÅ. It's 150cl of floral, jasmine-scented sparkling tea that drinks like fine fizz.
You will feel like Jay Gatsby. Briefly.
Cover four styles, not forty
A single option isn't a drinks menu. But you don't need a bar stocked like a cruise ship either. Four distinct styles will cover pretty much everyone.
- Something crisp: an alcohol-free lager
- Something fun: a ready-made alcohol-free cocktail
- Something grown-up: alcohol-free fizz or sparkling tea
- Something with depth: a botanical spirit over ice, or an alcohol-free red
The easy way to do the first two is our Mixed Lager Bundle and Mixed Mocktail Bundle. Six cans each, a rotating mix, no shaker required. The mocktails are great for people who want a cocktail but don't want to watch you attempt one.
For the grown-up toast, Miris Blend Blanc de Blancs brings green apple, lemon meringue and biscuit notes. For depth, Pathfinder over ice in a heavy glass lets your guests pretend they own a yacht.
Batch something so you can actually sit down
Hosting is not a shift behind the bar. If you're shaking individual cocktails all night, you'll miss every good conversation and end up eating crisps over the sink at 11pm.
Batch one drink in a big jug. A shrub is perfect for this.
Treguddick Garden Rhubarb Shrub is a tart, bright drinking vinegar made with British rhubarb. Mix it with ginger ale or soda and loads of ice. It's sharp, pink and a bit like rhubarb crumble in a glass, minus the custard.
Put out an ice bucket with tongs. Stick a little handwritten card next to anything unusual: "dry and citrusy", "fruity and fizzy", "bitter and grown-up".
People help themselves. You sit down. Everyone wins.
Glasses, ice and temperature
This sounds fussy, but it's the difference between a proper drink and a consolation prize. A warm alcohol-free beer in a plastic cup tastes like defeat.
Chill everything. Use wine glasses for fizz and sparkling tea, proper glasses for beer, and a big tumbler with one large ice cube for spirits. Garnish should add smell, not become a craft project.
A strip of orange peel, a slice of ginger or a sprig of rosemary is plenty. Nobody needs a flower in their drink. This isn't a Jane Austen adaptation.
How much to buy
For a two to three hour gathering, allow two to three drinks per person, plus water. A long lunch or a proper party might need four or more each, especially in summer.
Fun fact: a good alcohol-free selection often disappears faster than you'd think, because people want to try a bit of everything. Like a buffet, but for curiosity.
Buying for a crowd? Mix any six drinks for 5% off, twelve for 10% or 24 for 15% across the whole site, and wine and spirits bottles get 10% off six or 15% off twelve.
Delivery is free on UK mainland orders over £85. Build it yourself with a build-your-own box.
Don't forget the water
Water deserves better than a jug shoved behind the toaster. Put still and sparkling water on the table, with glasses nearby, and top it up. It should be the easiest drink in the room to grab.
Then, towards the end of the night, put the kettle on. Nothing clears a room of lingering guests faster or more politely than a host saying "anyone for a brew?" in a slightly final voice.
Hosting something specific?
If it's a sit-down dinner, my alcohol-free dinner party, hour by hour walks you through the whole evening, and my list of the best non-alcoholic drinks for dinner parties has twelve bottles to pick from.
Game nights, parties or a kids' birthday where the adults need something better than Fruit Shoots? That's all in how to host alcohol-free gatherings.
The serious bit
Drinks up to 0.5% ABV count as alcohol-free in the UK, but that isn't 0.0%, so check the label if you need zero. If any of your guests need to avoid alcohol completely, keep the labels handy and make your 0.0% options obvious.
Anyone pregnant or on medication should check with their GP. If you, or someone you're hosting, is worried about their drinking, Drinkaware and NHS alcohol support are good places to start.
Kombucha Kev, Functional Drinks Club
