The Best Nonalcoholic Spirits, According to Bartenders

Ritual Zero-Proof Rum

View on Ritualzeroproof.com View on Boisson.co View on Thenewbar.com

The complex, warming flavor profile of dark rum is incredibly cocktail-friendly. It plays well with everything, whether it's tropical fruits or eggnog. Ritual's nonalcoholic alternative brings similar sweet spice, with notes of honey, banana, bitter orange, cinnamon, anise, and more. It's great with ginger beer, in a mojito, a piña colada, a daiquiri, or any other rum cocktail you can think of.

Optimist Botanicals Smokey Non-Alcoholic Spirit

View on Optimistdrinks.com View on Thezeroproof.com

Two-Michelin-starred Los Angeles restaurant Providence recently added a "free-spirited" beverage pairing option for its chef's tasting menu that incorporates house-made fines herbes soda and rice milk, alongside cocktails made with bottles you can buy, like Optimist's Smokey. Created as an alternative to mezcal, this bartender's favorite has a complex mix of botanicals led by lapsang souchong, a smoke-dried black tea.

You'll also find citrus, spices, flowers, and a little habanero for tongue-tingling burn. Providence bar director Kim Stodel mixes it with sparkling apple juice (specifically, the fancy French brand Domaine DuPont Jus du Pomme Pétillant) to match a rich duck dish. We also recommend trying it in a virgin margarita.

Dr. Zero Zero Non-Alcoholic Amaro Spirit

$39 at Amazon

If you're a fan of a postprandial digestif (like Fernet-Branca), this is the nonalcoholic equivalent. Austin, Texas, bartender Björn Taylor says it's "reminiscent of Cynar: herbal and bitter! This allows me to enjoy an Americano or spritz-style cocktail, or just neat." A shot of Dr. Zero Zero after a big dinner can be the perfect ending to the meal.

Spiritless Kentucky 74 Non-Alcoholic Whiskey

$27 at Amazon View on Totalwine.com View on Spiritless.com

Kentucky is the center of the American whiskey industry, so it makes sense that our top nonalcoholic bourbon is also made in the state. Spiritless uses a unique reverse-distillation process, which infuses oak into a mix of alcohol and water to extract the familiar bourbon flavors, then distills out the alcohol to leave behind a tasty but non-intoxicating liquid. Go ahead and sip on this one neat in your favorite whiskey glass. To cut down your consumption, mix it half-and-half with the hard stuff.

Seedlip Trio

Orig. $96 $90 at Amazon View on Thebar.com View on Seedlipdrinks.com

Seedlip kicked off the nonalcoholic spirits category when it launched in 2015, and you'll find its whimsical labels behind bars around the country. The brand's unique botanical-forward products won't remind you of any traditional booze you've tasted, but they work extremely well in classic and modern cocktails.

This package gets you a bottle of Seedlip's three flagship flavors: citrusy, gingery Grove 42, warming allspice- and cardamom-led Spice 94, and herbaceous Garden 108. That latter bottling is our favorite, thanks to its unexpected pairing of herbs and peas. A martini made it and olive brine is truly transportive.

Monday Zero Alcohol Gin

$40 at Amazon View on Drinkmonday.co View on Thezeroproof.com

Monday's gin is a traditional London dry style, with a powerful juniper punch and a background of bitter citrus, herbs, and coriander — but no alcohol. You could use it in a martini, but it shines brightest in a fruity or floral cocktail, topped with tonic water, or in a Negroni. And we’d be remiss not to mention the packaging: The gilded art deco-style label is eye-catching on the shelf.

Lyre's Coffee Originale Nonalcoholic Spirits

$38 at Amazon View on Thenewbar.com

Founded in 2019 by a pair of Australians, Lyre's makes an entire bar's worth of nonalcoholic cocktail ingredients. The brand offers alternatives for everything, including bourbon, gin, triple sec, and amaretto. Its zero-proof spin on coffee liqueur has "hints of coffee intertwined with savory and sherry-like qualities," says Andrew Cordero, beverage director at the Michelin-starred Jeune et Jolie in Carlsbad, California.

"In our version of the espresso martini, we combine it with Steady State cold brew coffee and roasted kabocha squash for a sweet earthiness. A touch of koji adds a subtle umami note, all topped off with whipped cream." You may not be able to go quite that fancy at home, but Lyre's Coffee Originale with some sweetened espresso, whipped cream, and perhaps a pinch of salt makes for a delicious after-dinner sip.

The Pathfinder Hemp & Root Non-Alcoholic Spirit

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"Since our first cocktail tasting with our beverage director, Derek Brown, I was enthralled by The Pathfinder," says Stacey Mann, co-owner of STAY., a zero-proof cocktail lounge in Los Angeles. "Its fresh, bitter notes with a citrus spin, coupled with how strangely interesting the flavor is, danced on my tongue in a way I had not ever experienced."

This bottling is something like an amaro, flavored with hemp, wormwood, angelica, ginger, sage, saffron, orange peel, Douglas fir, and more. It's great for a bubbly spritz-style drink, and Mann uses it at Stay. in a concoction called The Rat with lemon, maple syrup, and aquafaba for (vegan) egg white-style froth.

Melati Classic Non-Alcoholic Botanical Spirits

View on Thezeroproof.com

Melati Classic offers a little bit of everything: tart, floral, earthy, and some sweetness to bring it all together. "Melati is the queen on the shelf," says Joshua James, owner of Ocean Beach Cafe, the first nonalcoholic bar to open in San Francisco. "It has endless depths of cold-pressed flowers, herbs, goji berry, cacao, and a pleasantly bitter finish."

James adds Melati Classic and The Pathfinder (another bartender favorite featured above) to his Destroyer of Bad Vibes cocktail, plus honey, cinnamon, and bitter citrus.

Roots Divino Nonalcoholic Aperitif Bianco

$39 at Amazon View on Thezeroproof.com

"I am currently obsessed with Roots Divino Aperitif Bianco — truly obsessed," says zero-proof-cocktail expert Kasey Ehrgott, who works at Philadelphia-area bottle shop Wallace Dry Goods, runs the @dryspelldrinks Instagram, and previously tended bar at The Volstead.

"For me, it sits perfectly between dry and sweet vermouth: It's herbal, citrusy, and crisp, and makes an incredibly believable and refreshing spritz with a splash of tonic and lemon twist. With a little olive brine and gin alternative of your choice (I like Pentire Adrift), you've got a pretty spot-on dirty martini."

Almave Blanco Nonalcoholic Blue Agave Spirit

View on Almave.com

"What I love about Almave is that it's a nonalcoholic spirit made in the same agricultural and distillation style as an alcoholic tequila, except for the fermentation process," says Josh Harris, founder of San Francisco's Trick Dog and a bartender who's been sober himself for more than 20 years. Almave comes from the same blue Weber agave that goes into tequila, cooked and crushed in the same way, and even distilled — but distilled without being fermented into alcohol first. (Besides this Blanco version, there's also an Ámbar, with more brown sugar and toasty notes to imitate barrel-aging.)

In addition to using quality ingredients like this one, Harris also has a general technique tip for tasty alcohol-free drinks: "I am always very mindful to shake and stir nonalcoholic cocktails less than their spirited versions; otherwise the drink can be too diluted."

Ghia Non-Alcoholic Apéritif

$38 at Amazon View on Drinkghia.com View on Thenewbar.com

We are Ghia superfans at Food & Wine, and once you try it, you’ll understand why. Ghia is not meant to be a direct nonalcoholic spirit replacement. Instead, it’s a complex blend of botanicals and herbs that never tastes weak or watered down. Although the brand sells premixed spritzes in cans, we think this original product is the best to have at home for making nonalcoholic cocktails.

The color and texture of the drink is a rich red, thanks to dates and plum extract — but don’t worry, it’s not sweet or syrupy. Use Ghia anywhere you would a regular aperitif like Aperol or Campari, drink it over ice, or top it with soda; you cannot go wrong.

Cut Above Zero Proof Mezcal

$35 at Amazon View on Drinkcutabove.com

Cut Above is a mezcal substitute like the Optimist Smokey above, but it has very different ingredients, including cubeb peppercorns, chipotle peppers, and lime. It's spiced and spicy, with plenty of smoke flavor and some vegetal notes. "It works incredibly well in classic drinks such as a mezcal margarita or a mezcal Negroni, adding convincing notes of smoke with hints of agave," says Sam Bail, founder of New York City nonalcoholic pop-up Third Place Bar. She's also seen the spirit at multiple other local watering holes recently, so Cut Above is on the rise.

Rasasvada Rose Bergamot Nonalcoholic Spirit

View on Rasaspirit.com

"I love the diverse range of nonalcoholic options available today," says Meg Paradise, who opened Umbrella Dry Bar — North Carolina's first booze-free bar — in Raleigh last year. She calls this unique floral concoction a go-to because "it boasts flavorful complexity, integrity in its ingredients & sourcing, and offers an unexpectedly elevated experience for our guests. The Rasasvada product line has heft and a weighty mouthfeel, where some other nonalcoholic spirits fall flat or feel thin."

Paradise loves to use Rasasvada's bittersweet, floral Rose Bergamot in the I'll Have What's Meg's Having, where it's shaken with rose cordial and lime, then topped with a strawberry-rose sparkling water. "It is unique and not trying to replicate anything specifically, which lends itself to interesting play,“ she says.