It’s a hot summer afternoon. I’m sitting down on a hot afternoon, with a burger, and a cold beer.
What I’m looking for is something to replace…
Unsweetened, iced, mint tea.
Unsweet iced tea
I think Tapache might be a good idea to take a look at.
Gaspacho? At least it is cool and savory…
If you are willing to make it yourself, kvass or ginger beer, those can be dry and sparkling. Water kefir or kombucha. All very, very low in alcohol, not intoxicating. Chinotto soda is something I buy for dry months too.
As someone else said, tonic water has a bitter edge that really hits the spot, I make a sweet non alcoholic cocktail called the Friend Zone, made with strawberry tepache (strawberry fruit kvass), lime, and tonic water, and I swear everyone thinks it’s a boozy cocktail. Too sweet for what you are looking for here but it’s certainly the tonic pulling most of the weight.
Non alcoholic beer
On the days when I’m really just hanging out for, and worked a really sweaty, dirty day on the chainsaws, I drink N/A beer. The cheapest I can find. It either hits the spot or it tastes like garbage and turns me off beer again. Either way it averts the craving and lets me stay sober. Most alcos in recovery will frown on N/A beer, but I don’t care, whatever helps me not drink alcohol is fair game.
This right here. Some are very bad, but there are some really good ones around these days. Guinness for example tastes almost identical to real Guinness.
Seconded, non alcoholic Guinness is excellent.
I also like the NA forms of:
- Corona
- Peroni
- Warsteiner
- Erdinger
Had a few other good ones but can’t recall which they were.
I actually think Guinness zero tastes different but in fact way better than the original. There’s been times when i was drinking, but would occasionally opt for a zero if it was an option.
Leffe blonde LA (0.5%, i think) is awesome, miles better than most. I find the Guinness LA a bit bland, lacking in the aftertaste and a bit watery.
Have a shrub. It’s flavor infused apple cider vinegar and sparkling water. You can buy or make the vinegar and just use other flavors and sweetened for the bubbles
Not sure about availability or price in AU, but I like “hoplark” non alcoholic beer. Their IPAs are awesome.
My go-to social drink is a club soda with a twist of lime
It is simple, cheap and has the added benefit of sort of looking like it might be a vodka club or gin and tonic.
80% Unsweetened iced tea, 20% lemonade. Play with the ratios. (the classic Arnold Palmer is 50/50 but that’s too sweet for me.)
Toni and Angustura on ice, with a splash of lemon. I put a dab of sugar sometimes.
Tonic water is your friend. Works for both low-alcohol options (bitters, preferably citrus bitters but you can experiment) and boozy ones (G&Ts are obviously a classic, whiskey tonics are pretty nice sometimes, herbal liqueurs
Often when I’m out and want another drink, but don’t want to keep drinking, tonic water is the preferred choice.
Beyond that, you can look into the wild world of drinking shrubs.. Haven’t been arsed to try it yet but I like the concept.
Ginger soda. You can use a ginger bug to ferment soda. You can add flavors to make different varieties or you can just do the ginger base.
Its refreshing and good for you. Does have like up to a half percent alcohol… But nothing that will be inebriating.
I don’t understand what you mean by “not beer”.
Rye kvass, Kombucha
