Category: Spirit

Our Favorite Non-Alcoholic Spirits, Ranked

In 2021, the global non-alcoholic (NA) spirits market generated $281 million in sales—none of which came from me. This isn’t from a lack of interest in non-alcoholic products (I’ve dabbled in NA beer), but rather from the general belief that non-alcoho…

In 2021, the global non-alcoholic (NA) spirits market generated $281 million in sales—none of which came from me. This isn’t from a lack of interest in non-alcoholic products (I’ve dabbled in NA beer), but rather from the general belief that non-alcoholic spirits were nothing more than well-packaged, non-carbonated kombucha. Then, earlier this year, in a moment of true boredom, I tried some of the NA spirits we had in our office. I liked them—a lot. Shocker: This thing that millions of people like…is actually good. It turns out, I’m not alone here: The non-alcoholic spirits market is expected to do $642 million in sales in 2031—nearly triple its 2021 volume. So, odds are, some of you NA skeptics will eventually become believers, too.

In hopes of learning more about this trend that’s likely to stick around—and because they’re occasionally quite delicious—our editorial team taste tested 24 different non-alcoholic spirits. These were our findings.

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The Folklore-Filled History of Absinthe

My first encounter with absinthe was in downtown Los Angeles, at a macabre cirque-esque show in a rundown theater, full of faded glamour. The event’s pop-up bar boasted a handful of cocktails, including “Death in the Afternoon,” whose ingredients were …

My first encounter with absinthe was in downtown Los Angeles, at a macabre cirque-esque show in a rundown theater, full of faded glamour. The event’s pop-up bar boasted a handful of cocktails, including “Death in the Afternoon,” whose ingredients were listed as “Champagne, Absinthe, and Ennui,” the latter of which greatly cheered up the goth in me.

I wasn’t ready for how much I loved absinthe. The anise-y, licorice-forward notes were refreshing and livening. They felt at once new and exciting, the opposite of the ornate—yet decaying—theater I was surrounded by, but also full of avant garde artist energy, pushing boundaries. Sordid and salutary all at once. I sensed history in it all.

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