Trying Sober October for the first time? Sober curious or sober full time and need some more inspiration? First of all, well done you! It’s not easy giving up the booze for any length of time, it means breaking old habits, changing your lifestyle, and sometimes changing how you socialise with friends or family. Luckily, there are so many more options to enjoy these days, so we’ve put together a list of some of our favourite alternatives to sugary softs.  

Obviously, we’ve included our Genies in the mix, as kombucha is a great alternative to alcohol. They go through a similar fermentation process to beer or cider (Genies kombuchas are fermented for 21 days) so they offer a complex depth of flavour and acidity which pairs perfectly with rich or spicy foods like stews, curries, or indulgent desserts. They also have the added bonus of being good for you! Our kombuchas contain antioxidants and fermented cultures that are great for your gut and your liver!  

Cocktails: 

 Apple kombucha mocktail 

Genie Apple Mule: 

A sparkling and fruity take on a Moscow Mule. 
 
This light mocktail will leave you both refreshed and satisfied, with naturally tart apple notes replacing sweet ginger beer. 🍏 
 
To make yours, you'll need: 

  • 275ml Genie Dry Apple Kombucha 
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice 
  • 50ml of non-alcoholic vodka (Strykk Not V*dka works well) 
  • Lime, mint, or apple to garnish 
  • Ice  

Into a copper mug or double whiskey glass filled with ice, pour in the AF vodka, lime juice, and apple kombucha. Stir until well combined with a bar spoon and serve chilled. Sit back and let your tastebuds do the work. 

 

Triple Citrus fizz kombucha mocktail

 

Genie Triple Citrus Fizz: 

 It's fruity, fun, and best of all - fermented! 

To make yours, you'll need: 

  • 275ml Genie Sweet Citrus Kombucha 
  • 50ml fresh orange juice 
  • 15ml lime juice 
  • 25ml Gimber AF liqueur or Three Spirits 'Livener'
  • Salt, sugar, and a dash of chilli powder to rim the glass 
  • Ice 

Stir together the salt, sugar, and chilli powder on a small plate. Rim each glass with a lime wedge and dip it in a mixture of the salty chilli sugar. Fill the glasses with ice and stir together the juice, liqueur, and kombucha. Garnish with citrus of your choice, sip and let the fizz do the work! 

  Pineapple Zinger kombucha mocktail recipe

 

Genie Pineapple Zinger: 

Sweet and fruity with a ginger kick, our Genie Pineapple Zinger is perfect all year round. And, to sweeten the deal, you'll be getting a healthy dose of gut-healing fermented cultures at the same time. 
 
To make yours, you'll need: 

  • 275ml Genie Fiery Ginger Kombucha 
  • 125ml pineapple juice 
  • 125ml orange juice 
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup 
  • Rosemary: fresh, to rim the glass and for garnish 
  • Cane sugar 

 
Start by rimming your glasses with a mix of finely chopped fresh rosemary and sugar for that special touch. Combine the ice, pineapple juice, orange juice, maple syrup and Genie Fiery Ginger Kombucha in a cocktail shaker. Shake slowly - watch for that fizz! Pour over ice, garnish with rosemary, and enjoy. 

Genie kombucha mocktail Shirley Temple

 

Genie Shirley Temple: 

Name a more iconic mocktail than a Shirley Temple... we'll wait 😉 

We've put a Genie twist on this classic to create a simple but satisfyingly refreshing, fruity and fun party drink.  

To make yours, you'll need: 

Simply add ice to a tall glass and stir together the kombucha, grenadine and lime juice. Pack with zesty citrus, add a funky straw, and hey presto! A delicious and fruity treat. 

The best of the rest: 

 Bottle line up- Genie kombucha, infinite sessions ipa, Adnams ghostship, lucky saint, Nosecco

 

Beers, wine, and cider 

  

Genie Dry Apple Kombucha: 

Our Dry Apple Kombucha is here as a sober swap because it tastes a lot like non-alcoholic cider! Many of our cider-loving fans have commented on that, and often make the swap when they’re trying to drink a little less. 

Dry apple kombucha review from Amazon

 

 

Lucky Saint: 

This award-winning 0.5% lager has become the face of low2no beer, and for good reason. It’s a flavourful lager with high carbonation and is very sessionable. It’s available in bottles or cans, and if you're lucky, on tap. 

 

Infinite Session IPA: 

Infinite brewery specialises in alcohol-free beers and their expertise shows. The IPA is not overly hoppy in flavour but contains a mixture of hops balanced with a malt flavour giving it a good depth and smooth finish.

 

Adnams Ghostship: 

For the ale fans out there! Ghostship 0.5% is a triumph for the Suffolk brewery. This one really shines, as it tastes (and looks) incredibly similar to its alcoholic counterpart. 

 

Genie Fiery Ginger Kombucha: 

If you’re a ginger beer fan, our fiery ginger kombucha is an even better (and healthier) alcohol-free alternative. It has the complex flavours from the fermented tea, a fiery kick from the ginger, and it’s not as sweet as other alcohol-free ginger drinks as we don’t add any extra sugar! 

 

Wine 

 

Nosecco:  

A go-to if you’re friends and family are celebrating on the bubbly! Or for a mi’no’sa at lunch. We love this one, and it’s hard to tell the difference if we’re after a decent alternative to prosecco! 

 

Natureo: 

Alcohol-free wine is a hard one to get right. Of the ones we’ve tried, the Natureo Spanish Dry Torres 2019 Garnacha Syrah 0.0% is a decent option for red, and Spanish Dry Torres Natureo 2017 Muscat 0.0% for white. The red is light and sweet, and the white is dry and fruity. Especially good when paired with cheese! 

 

If you’ve tried any other alcohol-free options let us know on social, we would love some recommendations! 

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