Five delicious drinks to help you reduce your alcohol intake without compromising on flavour Aoife Carrigy's pick of low-alcohol drinks Domaine du Pas au Loup, Haut-Poitou AOP Sauvignon Blanc 2023 Fierce Mild AF Extra Pale Ale Lucky Saint Non-Alcoholic Hazy IPA Saicho Jasmine Sparkling Tea Dandy de Cidrô Tinto 2023 Sometimes we drink for the buzz of the booze, but often we drink for other things. The shared glass and the company we enjoy it in. The flavour hit, with or without paired food.
The marking of time: post-work, or pre-night out, or weekend o’clock, or one for the road. We drink to toast anticipated celebrations that we want to hold in our hearts. Or to say, ‘I’m glad that day is done.
’ We drink for the communal hum of a pub, or some quiet solitude at home. Most of the above are not exclusively dependent on how much, if any, alcohol we consume in our drink. And with today’s ‘NoLo’ boom in no- and low-alcohol alternatives to boozy beverages, we have many delicious ways to actively reduce our alcohol consumption without compromising on flavour or on many of our other reasons to drink.
It’s become de riguer to allocate January to an annual effort towards abstinence, but it’s worth doing a more frequent stock take of our habitual intake. December’s blowout means we’re ready in body, mind and pocket for a little Dry January rethink — but September also invites reassessment. School runs or not, we’re all resetting after summer’s looser timelines.
As we re-embrace routine, it’s a prime time to consider our alcohol consumption. The beauty of the modern NoLo revolution is that it’s not black and white: you don’t have to be in or out, all or nothing. We can reduce our weekly alcohol units by becoming more actively aware of ABV (alcohol by volume) percentages.
Today, I’ve featured two wines that weigh in several percentages lower that most wines’ typical ABV of 12pc-15pc. From a southern Loire appellation enjoying a comeback, the Haut Poitou is just 11pc ABV compared to 12pc-13pc for a typical Loire Sauvignon, but without notable loss of body. The Douro red is even more unusual at 11.
5pc, compared to the 12.5pc-14.5pc that wines from this region can regularly reach.
If you’re skipping the booze altogether, dealcoholised wine is continuously improving, with brands like Hollow Leg, Kolonne Null and French Bloom building on standards set by Leitz, Torres and Thomson & Scott. Arguably, they still have a way to go, which is opening up opportunities for interesting wine alternatives like the previously recommended sparkling Bemuse Brut Non-Alcoholic Honey Mead ( drinknolo.ie , €18), the soon-to-be launched Bæk range of hand-crafted beverages from Majken Bech-Bailey (watch this space) and tea-based alternatives like today’s drink of the week.
Meanwhile, alcohol-free beers are flying it in terms of quality, as per today’s example of two new entries to the Irish market. Cheers to that! Saicho Jasmine Sparkling Tea Saicho Jasmine Sparkling Tea, Hong Kong, 0pc, €24 (75cl) One of three lightly carbonated, cold-brewed, single-origin teas exclusive to Amy Kiernan’s excellent Cork-based webshop, drinknolo.ie, alongside the drier Hojicha and Darjeeling options.
Featuring green jasmine tea from Fuding in China’s Fujian province, sweetened with concentrated white grape juice, it balances floral aromas with subtle orchard and exotic fruits and a hint of oak-derived vanilla for a slightly off-dry pairing for light desserts or salty-spicy savoury fare, or a stylish solo toast in a flute glass. drinknolo.ie Lucky Saint Non-Alcoholic Hazy IPA Lucky Saint Non-Alcoholic Hazy IPA, England, 0.
5pc, €2.50 (33cl) A new companion to Lucky Saint’s widely available lager, both unfiltered for extra flavour. Expect subtle hoppy aromas of fresh lemon and grapefruit lifting warm Rich Tea malt, sunny lime-soaked papaya notes on the palate and a clean, crisp citrus finish.
Go chilli-spiked Mexican or Asian foods. Hole in the Wall, Blackrock Cellar Dandy de Cidrô Tinto 2023 Dandy de Cidrô Tinto 2023, Douro DOC, Portugal, 11.5pc, €19.
99 A light and lively blend of classic local grapes (Tinta Roriz, Tinta Francisca, Viosinho) picked early to retain their freshness and keep sugar ripeness and therefore alcohol levels down, with red currant, cherry and cranberry notes making it a perfect pizza or cured meats partner. McHugh’s, Number 21, Pinto Wines, MacGuinness Wines, La Touche Wines; latouchewines4u.ie Fierce Mild AF Extra Pale Ale Fierce Mild AF Extra Pale Ale, Dundalk, Co Louth, 0.
5pc €2.99 (33cl) Skilfully brewed with special yeasts to 0.5pc (rather than dealcoholised by boiling, vacuum distillation or reverse osmosis, which extract flavour and body with the alcohol), this new brew offers soft citrus and tropical fruit notes well balanced by a crisp, hoppy finish that tastes like more.
McHugh’s, Martins, craftcentral.ie Domaine du Pas au Loup, Haut-Poitou AOP Sauvignon Blanc 2023 Domaine du Pas au Loup Haut-Poitou AOP Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Loire, France, 11pc, €17.99 Expect classic Loire Sauvignon notes of grassy nettles, gooseberry and lime zest on the nose and palate, with some floral hedgerow aromas and mineral bite on the palate.
A classy pairing for seafood, vegetable dishes or fresh goat’s cheese. McHugh’s, Number 21, Pinto Wines, MacGuinness Wines, La Touche Wines; latouchewines4u.ie Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel Stay up to date with all the latest news.
