Deep Dive into Dry January

Each year millions of us participate in charity campaigns (or make personal resolutions) to nip booze in the bud for one whole month. Alcohol Change UK (the charity behind the Dry January® campaign) shows that 175,000 in the UK had a month off drinking in January 2023.

Although we still wanna hang out with our friends (in fact, socialising can be very important for our mental health) drinking less has become a ‘thing’ – and not just for January.

Many folks are siting an overindulgence at Christmas as their main reason behind hopping on (or is it off?) the bandwagon, but it begs the question; when you’re giving up alcoholic drinks – what else is there?

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Return of the Mock

The days of being asked to make your choice from the unholy trinity of ‘lemonade, cola or tap water, mate?’ are thankfully a thing of the past. The non-alcoholic cocktail (the drink formerly known as the ‘mocktail’) has regained its crown as the go-to.

No more artificial tasting, fancy-pants, overly sweet, corrupted copies of classic cocktails – oh no. Times have changed, friends. A great example is Square Root’s Negroni, served in a cut crystal glass with loads of ice – a grown-up cocktail of choice for a night out during Dry January.

Pops That Pop

Non alcoholic spiris are now officially in their heyday. Non-alc versions of your faves – such as Lyre’s Italian Spritz, which makes a scrumptious (and rather convincing) sort-of Aperol Spritz – are so delicious that you forget can easily forget that you’re sipping an alcohol free apéritif.

Companies like Lyres are paving the way for premium distilled spirits that contain no alcohol, and have been swiftly followed by more mainstream brands partaking in this virgin version of classics. Hooray.

Crafty Lookalikes

Craft beer has come on leaps-and-bounds over recent years, and there are a great many quaffable non-alcoholic versions springing up at good pubs up and down the country.

We love BeaverTown Lazer Crush (it’s predictably delicious) and Lucky Saint (it’s name a wry nod to the virtuousness of drinking alcohol free) and even Guinness now comes in a saintly 0.0% variety. Do you know what? It’s great.

Many folks can be seen drinking a pint of Freedamm (brewed by beer giants Estrella) on a night at the pub throughout the year – not just for Dry January – and it’s great to have a ‘proper pint’ poured from the pump and in a ‘proper’ glass.

Coffee Culture

Many younger people are swerving the whole alcohol scene altogether, it seems.

Favouring a frothy cuppa has become tremendously trendy, and is seen as healthier and more affordable than a night on the beer. With an array of alluring options (think oatmilk, iced, decaf) meeting a mate for a cuppa is a perfectly acceptable switch-out from a swift half at the bar.

So, there we have it.

Happily, alcohol free drinks no longer play second fiddle to hard liquor, and Dry January can be a great way to dip your toe into the vast pool of alcohol-free drinks that are now widely available