Alcohol-free spirits are at an exciting stage in their development. While still the smallest of the non-alcoholic categories in terms of volume, spirits are also the fastest growing. According to IWSR, global volume CAGR for non-alcoholic spirits from 2022 to 2024 was 15 percent, double the rate of beer and ahead of both still and sparkling wine.
Stylistically, there is real energy in the sector. Early, pre-Covid creations are being challenged by ambitious new arrivals, and big drinks companies are rolling out non-alcoholic extensions to their mother brands. And a category that was dominated five years ago by botanical-driven gin replacements is now seeing a growing use of functional ingredients and a far wider spread of flavors.
Chrissie Parkinson, the head of judging at the World Alcohol-Free Awards, says that in the last couple of years spirits entries have seen “a shift towards darker styles, and also excellent alternatives that can sip and mix like spirits—that pack a punch, but don’t exactly replicate any of their alcoholic cousins.”
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This innovation is at its strongest in the U.S. and, combined with the established consumer trends for sober drinking and moderation, is driving impressive growth. IWSR puts the CAGR volume growth for non-alcoholic spirits in the U.S. from 2022 to 2024 at 45 percent, twice that of any other alcohol-free category.
With so much happening in the category it can be hard to know where to start, so we asked some non-alcoholic specialists for the spirits that are getting them excited for 2026. (All non-alcoholic spirits are listed with suggested retail price per bottle.)
Drømme Calm; $38
Selected by Jason Phillips, co-owner, NoLo, Asheville, North Carolina
Drømme, a small-batch, San Diego-based distillery, is building a strong reputation for its ability to make functional drinks—products that don’t just taste good but also have a positive impact on the drinker. Jason Phillips, the co-owner (along with his wife Jennifer) of NoLo in Asheville, North Carolina, reckons it’s not just his favorite drink, but probably that of his customers as well—no mean boast since their shop sells over 300 beverages.
With its “unique, gingery, and warming” flavors, it’s well suited to serving neat over ice. “These drinks are not trying to be a bourbon/gin/tequila, and that tees them up to just be really interesting,” says Phillips. “Drømme Calm is a proper nightcap for anyone who used to enjoy an evening whiskey.” Not only is it complex and sippable, but, “the adaptogens and nootropics help you wind down and get a good night’s sleep,” he adds.
Tenneyson Black Ginger; $40
Selected by Daniel Stiller, cofounder and CEO, Better Rhodes, online marketplace
A U.S.-based, non-alcoholic online beverage marketplace, Better Rhodes has been operating for more than five years and, unusually, has more spirits (around 60) in its portfolio than it does beer—around 60 non-alcoholic spirits SKUs, to be exact. “We have a focus on craft over compromise,” says cofounder Daniel Stiller. “And brands like Tenneyson embody that ethos and vision.”
Tenneyson is a plant-based drink with flavors of ginger, black pepper, orange, and lemon balm, and a bitter gentian-root finish. With serious weight and complexity, it has enough depth to be genuinely sippable neat or on the rocks, though it could also be the base of a “spirit-forward” cocktail in the style of a Manhattan or Old Fashioned.
Soul Hum Uplift: $42
Selected by Aqxyl Storms, founder and curator, Minus Moonshine, Brooklyn
Soul Hum Elixirs are a range of functional drinks designed to either energize or calm the drinker, depending on whether you choose the Uplift or Unwind variant. “I enjoy functional spirits because I still like feeling something when I have a drink,” says Aqxyl Storms, who launched the Brooklyn store Minus Moonshine in 2021 and now ships across the U.S. “Many of us have always needed alternatives that help keep us out of trouble, or just hangover free the next day.”
The Soul Hum Uplift (with ashwagandha, L-theanine, ginseng, and B-12) has a spicy pineapple flavor, and is good sipped on its own or—like many non-alcoholic spirits—mixed with soda or tonic. Storms says their favorite serve is a recent discovery—they mixed a shot of it with Strange Water’s sparkling coconut water, which they describe simply as “Wow!”
The Pathfinder Spirit; $40
Selected by Kirstin Vracko, owner and founder, Cheeky and Dry, Seattle
In the two and a half years since Kirstin Vracko established her non-alcoholic bottle shop in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood of Seattle, The Pathfinder has established itself as a favorite of herself and her customers. “I’ve loved it since the first sip,” she says. “It’s a beautiful infusion of so many different flavors.”
A hemp-based spirit with a tongue-in-cheek 19th-century feel to its packaging, The Pathfinder is definitely “its own thing,” as Vracko puts it—though with flavors of sage, saffron, gentian, ginger, and Douglas fir, she tends to think of it as being a Pacific Northwest amaro. “My favorite way to drink Pathfinder is to pair it with ginger beer and add a squeeze of orange,” she says. ”It’s delightful and drinkable any time. You can also make it into a spritz or use it as a bittersweet component to your favorite cocktail.”
Hatchet Granny Heartbreak Healer; $28
Selected by Rob Theodorow, owner, Generation NA, Lafayette, Indiana
Comforting is a good word for this non-alcoholic, botanical-based elixir from Hatchet Granny. Its creator Cimcie Nichols says it’s like “getting a hug from flowers.”
At Generation NA, the first non-alcoholic bottle shop in the Midwest, owner Rob Theodorow likes it for its unique flavor and also the healthy “adaptogen stack” of its ingredients. “It’s a perfect combination of sweet and spicy,” he says. “Notes of lavender, orange, and vanilla make the perfect combo to enjoy on the rocks.” At his Lafayette, Indiana, tasting room, Theodorow offers it as an intense flavor shot but also suggests combining it with non-alcoholic gin, lemon juice, bitters, and perhaps some sparkling water.
Little Saints St. Juniper; $42
Selected by Jody Sidle, owner, Point Five, Richmond, Virginia
All three of the Little Saints spirits leverage the adaptogenic power of reishi and lion’s mane mushrooms in their creation. These fungi help the body manage stress and reduce fatigue, which, according to Point Five’s founder Jody Sidle, makes these “great drinks for socializing without any social anxiety.”
Sidle’s Richmond shop attracts a wide variety of sober and sober-curious drinkers, and functional drinks like these are very popular. As the name might imply, the St. Juniper is a non-alcoholic gin substitute, but not exactly a straight swap. “I disliked gin in my drinking days,” says Sidle. “This has notes of gin, but with added flavors of yuzu and cucumber. So you don’t have to be a gin lover to appreciate it.”
Mad Flora Ophelia; $40
Selected by Sam Bail, founder and CEO, Bright Nights Social, New York City
This bitter, herbal, non-alcoholic spirit was founded by chef Lauren McGurrin who, after years working in top kitchens, put her flavor expertise to work by creating her own drink two years ago. Mad Flora Ophelia nods towards Italian amari but is not attempting to replicate any of them.
“It’s clearly doing its own thing,” says Sam Bail, the founder of Bright Nights Social in New York City. “Strong, complex and great sipped neat, which I can’t say about too many non-alcoholic spirits.” Bail established her non-alcoholic pop-up (formerly called Third Place Bar) in late 2022 as a space for sober-social nightlife and loves Ophelia for its versatility. “I can serve it over ice as a slow sipper, as a highball with a simple mixer (seltzer, tonic, ginger beer), or as a rich and intense base for non-alcoholic cocktails,” she says. “Any drink that benefits from a strong herbal and bitter base would be perfect for this.”
Dispatch
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Chris has been writing about drinks for 25 years, which means he’s spent a lot of time staring at barrels and listening to sommeliers talk about minerality. The last 12 months, he’s been writing a lot about the non-alcoholic scene and recently set up the World Alcohol-Free Awards.
