Best Non-Alcoholic Drinks in Australia
A remarkable tonic. Complex and fresh, judiciously bitter and wildly appealing, works with still and sparkling water, but lock it in with a G&T and it's happy days. The quality is through the roof here - everything in the right place. A landmark product.
01. sin-ko-nah tonic syrup - original
State: Victoria Category: Soft Drinks, Mixers, Shrubs, CordialsSuper enjoyable with something light and fizzy for bitter orange soda vibes, the perfect Italian summer in a glass, sans the booze.
02. Lyre's - Italian Orange
State: New South Wales Category:Amaro vibes here, would definitely work well as a spritz. Lovely acidity, balanced bitterness and citrus rind rounds this out to perfection.
03. Lyre's - Vermouth Rosso
State: New South Wales Category:Like a rhubarb and strawberry compote, the perfect combo of sweet and tart. Not at all saccharine, the flavours are super natural tasting. So pretty! The taste of a sunny winter afternoon.
04. Juice Culture - Circus
State: Victoria Category: Soft Drinks, Mixers, Shrubs, CordialsThis is great! The sweetness of caramel vs bold acidity maintains its clean balance, with a hint of funk that stops it from being too much of any one flavour. What a contender.
05. Two Boys Brew Kombucha - Silk Road
State: Victoria Category: Kombucha / FermentedThis little number is ready to be paired. Duck pancakes? Yes. Tex Mex ? Yes. Caribbean? Yes, yes, yes. It’s got the beautiful redness of rosehip hibiscus tea, and strong summer vibes. Ice it and drink a lot of it.
06. rok Kombucha - Berry Beats
State: Western Australia Category: Kombucha / FermentedA vibrant little drink, with summer florals leading into jammy, ripe, stone fruit. The apricot-y-ness is especially appealing. This is a lovely easy drinker, balanced and fresh.
07. rok Kombucha - Classic Booch
State: Western Australia Category: Kombucha / FermentedWhat an impressive alcohol alternative! Really strong depth of character with a satisfyingly textual mouthfeel, backed up with a bold profile of citrus and acid. It would be very interesting to see what you could do with more applied technique - oak, perhaps, to increase floral notes and more specific varietal characteristics.
08. Somersault - Lemon Squash & Matcha
State: Victoria Category:A really interesting, non alcoholic drink - the saltiness here lends huge potential as food-match beverage and the fructose yielded from the vegetable element balances well - little after spice is a very pleasant way to round this out.
09. NON - Roasted Beetroot & Sansho
State: Victoria Category:Comforting rooibos tea nose combined with generous use of spices and botanicals are rounded out with good raspberry acids. A summer slosher!
10. NON - Salted Raspberry & Chamomile
State: Victoria Category:
Category Winners
Kombucha & Fermented
- 01.
Two Boys Brew Kombucha - Silk Road
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
This is great! The sweetness of caramel vs bold acidity maintains its clean balance, with a hint of funk that stops it from being too much of any one flavour. What a contender. - 02.
rok Kombucha - Berry Beats
State: Western AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
This little number is ready to be paired. Duck pancakes? Yes. Tex Mex ? Yes. Caribbean? Yes, yes, yes. It’s got the beautiful redness of rosehip hibiscus tea, and strong summer vibes. Ice it and drink a lot of it. - 03.
rok Kombucha - Classic Booch
State: Western AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
A vibrant little drink, with summer florals leading into jammy, ripe, stone fruit. The apricot-y-ness is especially appealing. This is a lovely easy drinker, balanced and fresh. - 04.
Flora Kombucha - Strawberry & Mint Kombucha
State: TasmaniaTASTING NOTES:
Oh oh oh, Golden Valley peaches, the taste of childhood. Just needs some vanilla ice cream! Peachy clean/keen in both the aroma and the mouthfeel, but it’s drier on the palate than you’d expect. - 05.
Mailer McGuire Kombucha - Midnight Chai Kombucha
State: New South WalesTASTING NOTES:
What a stunningly elegant drink, sweet and strong and persistent lingering chai spices - would be a perfect way to start or finish a day. - 06.
WILD KOMBUCHA BY BALLSY - NAUGHTY NETTLE - nettle & rosella Wild Kombucha on-tap refillable range
State: New South WalesTASTING NOTES:
Something very grown-up happening here, Australian botanics plus ripe stone fruit, with a strong, dry finish and drinkability for days. A fabulous replacement for something boozy. - 07.
Mailer McGuire Kombucha - Wild Hops Kombucha
State: New South WalesTASTING NOTES:
Highly drinkable, well-balanced 'booch, with sweetness and fruitiness tying for first place, this is one you could sip on all day. - 08.
Remedy Drinks - Remedy Switchel Finger Lime
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
A clean ride; ginger is the predominant flavour here. There’s complexity in the structure and something buttery and rich about it, perhaps from a wine-based vinegar, which makes this a drink of high interest. - 09.
Kombu Kombucha - Ginger & Lemon Myrtle
State: New South WalesTASTING NOTES:
Delicious - this has acidity, structure and oomph in perfect balance. Gentle residual sugars buoy the gingery flavour to the end of the palate without overwhelming the overall delightful lightness of this drink. Sublime. - 10.
Kombu Kombucha - Neat & Natural
State: New South WalesTASTING NOTES:
A bright, tart, vivacious number, this ‘booch is balanced as hell - fruity without being overly sweet, its freshness is truly thirst quenching.
Soft Drinks, Mixers, Shrubs & Cordials
- 01.
sin-ko-nah tonic syrup - original
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
A remarkable tonic. Complex and fresh, judiciously bitter and wildly appealing, works with still and sparkling water, but lock it in with a G&T and it's happy days. The quality is through the roof here - everything in the right place. A landmark product. - 02.
Juice Culture - Circus
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Like a rhubarb and strawberry compote, the perfect combo of sweet and tart. Not at all saccharine, the flavours are super natural tasting. So pretty! The taste of a sunny winter afternoon. - 03.
CAPI - Flamin' Ginger Beer
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Wouldn't change a thing. Raw ginger taste, fresh light mouthfeel, perfectly balanced acidity and drive, this would make for the perfect palate cleanser - this drink leaves you better than it finds you. - 04.
StrangeLove - Holy Grapefruit/ 300ml Lo-Cal Soda
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Holy Moly! The fizz here is great, spritz-y and super-clean. There’s a great bitterness that’s super true to fresh grapefruit, but enough sweetness to carry it through to the end. Yum! - 05.
SECO SPARKLING - GREEN APPLE & ELDERFLOWER
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
A curious and lovely thing here, though leaning into the apple fruit flavours, also shows cherry and fresh stone fruit. It’s super light with a touch of marzipan, lush texture, fresh and juicy with a floral-kind of flavour going on. A really excellent product. - 06.
TasPop - Mandarin Lime & Bitters
State: TasmaniaTASTING NOTES:
This has a lovely subtle bitter flavour, so lovely in fact that even more would lift this product into the next level of excellence - it lacks a little texture, but overall it does what it needs to. - 07.
Patio Beverages - Bloody Mary Mix
State: New South WalesTASTING NOTES:
Fresh, crisp savory vegetable juice. The tomato element is juicy and plush, the spices are harmonious. This is the perfect hangover cure, with or without your alcohol of choice. - 08.
CAPI - Dry Tonic
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
So fresh and so clean - this has a gentle sparkle, and it’s super refreshing. Great tonic water, so good you could drink it on it’s own for sure. - 09.
Heal Thy Soda - Heal Thy Soda - Ginger Beer
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Ginger tang, ginger whiffs, a tight and tart palate with good freshness factor and generally super high refreshment. This is a clever use of the primary ingredient of ginger, with zing and zest to the fore. Feels like it would do you good too. - 10.
SECO SPARKLING - SPICED PINEAPPLE
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Clean and crisp with loads of tropical fruits - ripe pineapple, fresh melon. It’s dry on the palate with high refreshment factor! Yum. We have a serious contender here!
Non-Alcoholic "Alcoholics"
- 01.
Lyre's - Italian Orange
State: New South WalesTASTING NOTES:
Super enjoyable with something light and fizzy for bitter orange soda vibes, the perfect Italian summer in a glass, sans the booze. - 02.
Lyre's - Vermouth Rosso
State: New South WalesTASTING NOTES:
Amaro vibes here, would definitely work well as a spritz. Lovely acidity, balanced bitterness and citrus rind rounds this out to perfection. - 03.
Somersault - Lemon Squash & Matcha
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
What an impressive alcohol alternative! Really strong depth of character with a satisfyingly textual mouthfeel, backed up with a bold profile of citrus and acid. It would be very interesting to see what you could do with more applied technique - oak, perhaps, to increase floral notes and more specific varietal characteristics. - 04.
NON - Roasted Beetroot & Sansho
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
A really interesting, non alcoholic drink - the saltiness here lends huge potential as food-match beverage and the fructose yielded from the vegetable element balances well - little after spice is a very pleasant way to round this out. - 05.
NON - Salted Raspberry & Chamomile
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Comforting rooibos tea nose combined with generous use of spices and botanicals are rounded out with good raspberry acids. A summer slosher! - 06.
Lyre's - Coffee Liqueur
State: New South WalesTASTING NOTES:
This nails the Kahlua-esque, creamy espresso, freshly ground coffee aromas. Super fun with a silky texture - the addition of milk could add creaminess and viscosity - who doesn't want a virgin white Russian? - 07.
Lyre's - Amaretto
State: New South WalesTASTING NOTES:
Very strong almond essence vibes, biscotti - should shake very well into a non-alcoholic amaretto sour. Delish. - 08.
Kefie - Hopped Water Kefir
State: TasmaniaTASTING NOTES:
Delicately floral/elderflower aromats from thoughtful use of hops, a slight bitterness could be balanced with more mouthfeel to neutralise the tannins from the hops, but in the end this is such a brilliant drink with so much character that quibbles like that whipped away quick. It’s a beautiful, nourishing kind of vibe here – ready for action. - 09.
Somersault - Pink Grapefruit & Ginger
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
A gentle easy drinker with a nice fruit profile that would be lifted with the addition of vanilla or sweet aromatics. Very drinkable.