The round-up: cruise through Dry July with these top-notch non-alcoholic drinks
The round-up: cruise through Dry July with these top-notch non-alcoholic drinks
The round-up: cruise through Dry July with these top-notch non-alcoholic drinks
The round-up: cruise through Dry July with these top-notch non-alcoholic drinks
The round-up: cruise through Dry July with these top-notch non-alcoholic drinks
The round-up: cruise through Dry July with these top-notch non-alcoholic drinks
The round-up: cruise through Dry July with these top-notch non-alcoholic drinks
The round-up: cruise through Dry July with these top-notch non-alcoholic drinks

The round-up: cruise through Dry July with these top-notch non-alcoholic drinks

Every year at the height of winter, scores of Aussies ditch the booze – some for a healthy change, others for a challenge. Whether you’re tackling a month of sobriety for charity, personal reasons or just to test your will power, we want you to be prepared for Dry July. Whether your poison of choice is beer, wine or a well-made cocktail, we’ve got you covered with some premium non-alcoholic alternatives.

Cheers with these beers
SOBAH
: For those of you who love to crack open a tinnie, you’re well catered for thanks to SOBAH, a premium non-alcoholic craft beer infused with native Australian ingredients. The Gold Coast-born company uses ethically sourced high-quality ingredients to produce delicious flavours like the Lemon Aspen Pilsner (our personal fave), Finger Lime Cerveza and Pepperberry IPA. Hop over here to find your closest stockist or keep your eyes peeled for SOBAH’s soon-to-open non-alcoholic brewery in Burleigh Heads.

Big Drop Brewing Co: Big Drop’s range of frothy beverages are for when you want to get on the beers but don’t want the ensuing sore head. Our pick of the bunch is The Pine Trail Pale Ale, an American-style pale ale that boasts a floral aroma and a citrus bite. The easy-drinking Paradiso Citra IPA is also a great option for anyone looking to make healthier drinking choices. Big Drop Brewing Co. is available at Dan Murphy’s.

NORT: Full of flavour but without ‘the fuzzies’, NORT is the perfect non-alcoholic companion to your backyard barbecue. The company (which is also Australia’s first female-run non-alcoholic beer brand) brews three lip-smacking varieties – Refreshing Ale,  Tropical XPA and All Day IPA. Plus, every beer is below 60 calories, which makes NORT the lowest calorie Australian-made beer in the country. To find out where you can pick up a pack, head over here.

Athletic Brewing C0.: Helping ease revellers into a month of sobriety this Dry July is American beer-slinger Athletic Brewing Co. The health-conscious brand has a range of popular beers, including the Upside Dawn Golden Ale and the Run Wild IPA. These sudsy sips are available at selected Woolworths and Coles stores, hop over here to find your nearest store.

Heaps Normal: A favourite of the local non-alcoholic beer market, Heaps Normal was co-founded by four mates, each with their own reasons for wanting to reduce their alcohol consumption. The brand’s Heaps Normal Quiet XPA is a tropical tipple with a citrus aroma and an unmistakably beery finish. You can also sip on the brand’s non-alcoholic lager and hazy pale ale. Grab some cans from the Heaps Normal website or check out its stocklist here.

Capital Brewing Co: Capital Brewing Co is one of the largest independent craft breweries in Australia and fun fact, is the country’s first Climate Active certified 100-percent carbon-neutral brewery. Alongside its boozy range, Capital Brewing Co also offers an ALC-LESS tropical Pacific Ale for those who are off the sauce. You can buy a 16-pack from the Capital Brewing Co website.

Hiatus Beers: Founded in 2022 by craft beer experts Jules Ryan and Nic Sandery, Hiatus Beers is less focused on sobriety than a “mindful approach to the consumption of alcohol”. Take a break from the booze and dive into its Non-Alcoholic Pacific Ale. Boasting aromatic wafts of tropical fruit and refreshing notes of citrus, rounded off with a balancing bitterness, this brew is a testament to the uncompromised flavour possible in a non-alcoholic variant. To find out where you can grab a can, head over here.

Beneficial Beer CoBeneficial Beer puts its goal in its name, aiming to make non-alcoholic brews that are better for your health, better for the planet, and better tasting than other non-alc alternatives. From its traditional all-malt Dave’s Drunkenless Dark Ale, refreshingly clean Stone Cold Lager to the latest Wagon Drivers Pale Ale, each flavourful froth is carbon-offset and brewed using the power of the sun!

Wine (or something like it)
Monceau: Whilst not technically wine and more of a kombucha, Monceau is a non-alcoholic best-of-both-worlds by-product. Monceau Pétillant Naturel Kombucha is brewed in Melbourne with organic ingredients, using a similar wine-making method as pét nats. With ever-changing flavours that evolve with the seasons, your taste buds will be treated to a wide range of carbonated flavours. You can currently sip flavours like sparkling passionfruit, blood orange, Fuji apple and much more. Plus, these bad boys are the perfect gift for sober mates with its super-cute packaging. Shop the selection here.

Non: Non is built with similar production methods and flavour profiles to wine, offering sippers a beverage that’s just as deep and complex as the real thing. Different techniques are used to bring out the best of the fruits and aromatics used in Non drinks, while intriguing ingredients like kombu (for minerality) and olive brine (for saltiness) add a level of complexity normally only afforded by alcohol-based beverages. There’s currently seven flavours to choose from ranging from fruity characters to punchier varieties – there’s even a stewed coffee-and-cherry number. To start taste testing, head to the Non website.

Plus & Minus: Despite what its name suggests, Plus & Minus is all plus (in the flavour department, that is). This Australian non-alcoholic wine brand has developed a delicious range of drops that have the added benefits of antioxidants from grape seed extract. Plus & Minus uses high-quality grapes from South Australian vineyards to create full-bodied flavour, resulting in a clutch of options like rosé, pinot grigio, pinot noir, shiraz and blanc de blancs. You can even get canned non-alcoholic prosecco! Shop the range here.

1920 Wines: If you fancy homegrown sips, then Aussie brand 1920 Wines is one to add to your list! Inspired by the year made famous by the introduction of Prohibition, 1920 Wines has fast become one of Australia’s most-loved non-alcoholic wine brands. The company uses a careful combination of traditional winemaking techniques and cutting-edge alcohol removal methods to create authentic-tasting non-alcoholic wine. Whether you prefer red, white or rosé, you can pick up a bottle at Sans Drinks.

POLKA: Since 2021, POLKA has made its mark in the non-alc sphere, providing a vast range of zero-alcoholic drinks including sparkling cuvee with wild-harvested native lilly pilly, sparkling rosé made from Davidson plum, a blood orange Italian aperitif, and a refreshing pink grapefruit botanical spirit. The brand has also just released a non-alcoholic red wine just in time for this year’s Dry July. Shop the range online.

Oddbird: These Scandi-style sips purveyors challenge the conventions of winemaking with bold and innovative alcohol-free wines. Collaborating with traditional winemakers, Oddbird sources high quality grapes from renowned wine regions and matures its wines for up to 12 months before “gently liberating” them from alcohol. This process preserves the full bodied flavours and aromas of the drops, making them a tasty treat for wine enthusiasts. 

Get into the spirit with these mocktails
Seedlip: A complex concoction of herbs, spices, peel and bark, Seedlip’s product range is based on the non-alcoholic remedies of 1651 book The Art of Distillation and aims to pave the way for a whole new category of drinks. The brand’s three different blends – Spice 94, Garden 108 and Grove 42 – are free from sugars and sweeteners, and best served with tonic, soda, ginger ale or as a base in mocktails. Hop over here to shop the range.

Lyre’s: Lyre’s range of non-alcoholic spirits promises abstinent revellers will remain clear-headed, while also guaranteeing a hangover-free post-night-out wake-up (winning!). The range of tipples is as wide as it is tasty, encouraging drinkers to replace a portion of the hard stuff to make a low-alcohol mix. There’s a take on a classic gin (Dry London Spirit), a bourbon-inspired sip (American Malt) or there’s even a booze-free rendition of the green fairy herself (Absinthe). Shop Lyre’s range of premium non-alcoholic spirts online or in selected Dan Murphy’s, BWS and Liquorland stores.

Monday Distillery: If you still want to enjoy the social side of drinking without the hangover, crack open a bottle from Monday Distillery. Specialising in sophisticated, non-alcoholic beverages that are sugar-free, Monday Distillery offers sips like classic dry G&T, Paloma, Dark & Stormy, Dram Sour plus much more. If you’re keen to stay in high spirits and keep a clear mind – shop online at Monday Distillery.

ALTD Spirits: Handmade in a micro-batch distillery, ALTD Spirits uses 100-percent Australian native and locally grown botanicals that are sourced from Indigenous suppliers where possible. ALTD Spirits’ sugar-free elixirs are available in three unique blends – the signature Green Grocer featuring lemon myrtle, thyme and pepperberry, Silver Princess with strawberry gum, cinnamon and honey myrtle, and Golden Emperor boasting oranges, wattleseed and dark roasted cocoa. Head here to grab yourself a bottle or two.

Altina Drinks: Another impressive Australian brand in the non-alcoholic realm is Altina Drinks, a company that creates plant-powered non-alcoholic wines using botanicals from Mother Nature’s pantry (think flowers, fruit, seeds, bark, roots and stems), herbs and spices. The brand’s Sansgria, a booze-free take on Spain’s beloved fruity sip, is built from botanicals like native Australian riberry, sweet orange, cayenne pepper and tart lemon. Head online to stock up on bottled beverages.

Naked Life: A tipple line designed for the so-called ‘sober-curious’, Naked Life features a selection of non-boozy classic cocktails and spirits. Think Italian spritzes, Scottish sours, Australian cane spirit and cola, and Canadian rye spirit dry and lime. Our pick is the non-alcoholic margarita but you can search for a favourite here.

Brookie’s Free SpiritedBrookie’s Free Spirited is the latest non-alcoholic premix that’s ready to add balance to your drinking repertoire, from Byron Bay-based distilleryCape Byron. Expertly balanced with Brookie’s renowned rainforest botanical distillate, citrus and no stevia, the new booze-free sips are brewed to capture the acidity, sweetness and depth of alcohol for a seamless and satisfying swap. Pick from two flavours – the G&T with pink grapefruit, and the Blood Orange Spritz, which is underscored by a hint of bitterness making it ideal for aperitivo hour. Find Free Spirited premixes wherever Brookie’s is sold or online

Banks & Burbidge: Banks & Burbidge’s alcohol-free gin looks and tastes like the real deal, minus the drama. Crafted on the banks of Waterloo Bay in Queensland, Banks & Burbidge’s unique recipe fuses traditional gin-distilling techniques with locally sourced produce to create an authentic gin flavour, sans the sauce. You can nab a bottle from their website.

DayseDayse makes booze-free drinks differently – infusing plant-based extracts like adaptogens and nootropics into its functional spritzers. According to Dayse, these plant-based extracts can alleviate hangxiety and provide an alternate “functional buzz”. It’s spritzers currently come in two flavours: Awaken, a mix of grapefruit and zero-percent gin, and Easing, a mix of ginger and zero-percent whisky. Dayse is available for purchase online and in select retail locations. 

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