Kick off dry January with a martini

Stick to your resolutions this year thanks to an imaginative and growing menu of no alcohol beverages that mimic gin, vodka and rum using botanicals and clever engineering. We go on a, responsible, drinking spree

After the excesses of December comes Dry January. If you have decided to give up alcohol, or even just take a pause, it is easier this year than ever before as bars and mixologists experiment with zero-alcohol drinks. While the Dry January challenge, which started in the west around 2013-14, has gained traction, with a lot of help from social media, there has been a growing demand for healthier alternatives on menus at bars and restaurants over the past few years.

Demand meets supply: hence a steady stream of zero-alcohol spirits has launched in India over the past year. These mimic spirits like gin, whiskey and tequila enabling you to still meet friends at the bar without worrying about battling a hangover the next day.

While zero-alcohol spirits are engineered to be an alternative to traditional spirits, they are a world away from the cloyingly sweet mocktails of the past (cue the cliched Shirley Temple, bright with grenadine syrup). They are also not to be confused with more contemporary alternatives, like flavoured sodas and artisanal tonic water, as they are the base of the drink, and not mixers.

Internationally, brands like Seedlip Garden 108 and Spiritless Kentucky 78 are gaining popularity. Then there is Arkay alcohol-free beverages (rum and vodka inspired), Monday Zero Alcohol Gin (gin inspired) and RIPPR.

In India, more hotels, including the Park Hyatt, Taj Palace and Four Seasons have started to stock Indian made zero alcohol options such as GinISH (priced at ₹1760 approximately) and RumISH (from Zero Percent), Seedlip and Sober. These are also available in select wine stores across the country.

A peek at the process

Most often, these beverages are made following the same processes as alcoholic spirits, except that at the end, the alcohol is eliminated. Australia-based Ramakrishna Prasad Akkala, founder of RIPPR, which mimics wine and beer, explains how the drink was a lockdown experiment in his distillery warehouse in Australia.