Drink To Your Heart's Content

For responsible guns and designated drivers, having a drink meant water. Not any more...

- Gabriel Stone

There’s never been a better time to be a curious drinker. The shelves are awash with wines from all corners of the world, craft spirits boasting every botanical under the sun and a frankly bamboozling array of beers. And that’s just the supermarkets. Until recently, however, it felt as if all the fun was reserved for boozers. Anyone eschewing alcohol, whether on doctor’s orders, losing the coin toss as designated driver or simply self-imposing the occasional day off, was faced with a rather lacklustre choice. The few nonalcoholic beers on the market were watery shadows of the real McCoy and the classic cordials were fine for a single glass but too sweet to nurse all evening, especially with a meal. That left the dependably classy San Pellegrino or, for those whose taste buds craved greater stimulation than fizzy water, the invigorating punch of Big Tom Bloody Mary mix – served sans vodka, of course.

But suddenly the world’s drinks producers woke up and threw themselves at this woefully neglected demographic. Within the past five years or so, every beer brand now seems to offer a non-alcoholic version, while quirky upstart Seedlip broke the dam for a flood of alcohol-free spirits. The wine world has also been working hard to get in on the act, so far rather less successfully, but surely it’s only a matter of time and technology.

CHALLENGING SPORT