If your last alcohol-free G&T tasted like someone had dunked a pot of potpourri in tonic, I'm sorry. You drank it out of politeness. Then you went home and had a long think about your choices.
Things have moved on. A lot. These days I've tasted more alcohol-free spirits than is strictly healthy for a man's ego, mostly because I run a shop that sells them and people keep asking, "Which one's best, Kev?"
So here it is. My ranked top 10. Arguments welcome at the counter in Otley. Bring biscuits.
The short answer
The best non-alcoholic spirits to try right now are Crossip Dandy Smoke, Pathfinder, Talonmore, Glen Dochus Island, Seven Giants Blanco, Smiling Wolf Aperitivo, Pearsons London Botanic, Sobour Bourbonesque, Caleño Light & Zesty and Pallini Limonzero. Most are made to be mixed, not sipped neat, so judge them in a long drink with ice. If you want to know how to choose and serve them in general, read my straight-talking guide to alcohol-free spirits. This post is just the league table.
How I ranked them
Three questions. Does it taste of something with ice and a mixer? Does it hold its own, or disappear like a magician's assistant the second you add tonic? And would I happily pour it for a mate who still drinks?
No points for pretty labels. Plenty of bottles in this category are dressed like a Scandinavian candle shop. Looks aren't flavour.
10. Pallini Limonzero
Best for: after dinner, when you want to pretend you're on a terrace in Italy.
Pallini Limonzero is an alcohol-free limoncello from a family making it in Rome since 1875. Hand-picked Amalfi lemons, peeled by hand. Bitter, sour and sweet, and very, very lemony. Serve it ice cold and neat, or top it up as a lemon spritz.
9. Caleño Light & Zesty
Best for: barbecues and people who think gin is "a bit serious".
Caleño Light & Zesty is pineapple, lemon peel, juniper and Colombian Inca berry, with zero sugar. Tonic, loads of ice and a wedge of pineapple. It's a holiday in a glass, minus the queue at Leeds Bradford.
8. Sobour Bourbonesque
Best for: an alcohol-free Old Fashioned, or with ginger ale.
Sobour Bourbonesque brings Madagascan vanilla, American oak, toasted nuts and dry spice. It's made with bourbon cask woodchips. Over ice with a splash of water, or one part to three with your mixer. Not for sipping neat. It's a team player, not a soloist.
7. Pearsons Botanicals London Botanic
Best for: a proper G&T, no fuss.
Sometimes you don't want an adventure. You want a G&T. Pearsons London Botanic does London Dry-style citrus and juniper, with elderflower, green apple and gooseberry. One part to three Mediterranean tonic. Reliable as a Volvo.
6. Smiling Wolf Aperitivo
Best for: spritzes and negronis.
Smiling Wolf Aperitivo is a bittersweet, orangey aperitivo made from Italian wine and 18 Mediterranean herbs and bitters. Soda, ice, orange slice. Sit in the sun. Wave at people. If you love this style, I've ranked the best alcohol-free aperitif brands separately.
5. Seven Giants Blanco
Best for: margaritas on a school night.
Seven Giants Blanco is made with organic blue agave, and it's fresh and vibrant, with vanilla, floral aromas and a hint of smoke. Shake up an alcohol-free margarita, or keep it simple over ice with lime. No lime-and-salt-and-regret routine required.
4. Glen Dochus Island
Best for: ex-Islay fans. Hello. It's me.
In a previous life, I was a peaty whisky man. So Glen Dochus Island hits me right in the nostalgia. Peat smoke, sea spray, malty pepper, a bit of tar and a touch of iodine, with a long, warming finish. Mix one part with three parts water or a mixer. It's not designed to be drunk neat, so don't.
3. Talonmore
Best for: winter, and anyone who likes a kick.
Talonmore is built around intense ginger, prickly pear, hawthorn berry and Assam tea. Warm spice, fruity sweetness and a dry, tannic finish. You can have it neat or over ice. It's got more fire than a Gordon Ramsay kitchen.
2. Pathfinder
Best for: people who like bitter, herbal drinks and aren't afraid of a challenge.
Pathfinder starts with fermented hemp seed, copper pot distilled, then blended with wormwood, angelica, ginger, sage, juniper, orange peel and Douglas fir. Herbal, bittersweet and resinous. It's not trying to please everyone, and that's exactly why I love it. Sip it over ice or make a spritz.
1. Crossip Dandy Smoke
Best for: anyone who misses dark, smoky spirits.
I'm not the only one who rates it. The Independent named Crossip Dandy Smoke its best overall non-alcoholic spirit of 2025, with a perfect 10. Smoke from Lapsang tea and peat, dark fruit, cinnamon, clove, ginger and black pepper, with a slow-building heat. It's smoky, meaty and full of swagger. Like Han Solo in a bottle.
Honourable mentions
Gin fans who like a bit of heat should try New London Light First Light, with juniper, citrus, ginger and a kick of habanero. And if you're after a clean vodka for cocktails, USKO Original is a smooth, neutral blank canvas. Andy and I tried a load of new ones on camera too, in new alcohol-free drinks, unboxed.
Buying more than one?
Good, because one fresh bottle, one bitter one and one dark one covers most moods. The bottle deal gives you 10% off 6 wine or spirits bottles and 15% off 12. Mix and match with build a spirits box, browse the full alcohol-free spirits range, or come and have a nose at our spirits shop in Otley.
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. Some alcohol-free spirits contain botanicals or caffeine, so if you're pregnant or on medication, check with your GP first. If you're worried about your drinking, Drinkaware and the NHS have free, confidential support.
Kombucha Kev, Functional Drinks Club
