With so many alcohol-free options to choose from Dry January needn't be a fun-free slog this year, says influencer Inka Larissa (aka @onthesauceagain)
Most pubs, bars and restaurants are offering special deals and hosting events to attract customers in January. Even if you took the pledge for this month it’s worth making the most of the offering. Going dry for January doesn’t mean you have to stay home and do nothing.
Mocktail Month
Scotch & Rye, Inverness
This venue might be known for its delicious food menu, but their alcohol-free cocktail selection is excellent. You’ll find drinks made with non-alcoholic whisky liqueur and zero botanical spirits. Make sure to ask the staff for their seasonal booze-free beers and ciders!
Mamasan, Glasgow
This Southeast Asian inspired bar and brasserie is famed for its fresh and authentic style of cooking. They use Seedlip drinks as the base of their beautifully presented mocktails. The mocktail menu covers flavours suitable for all taste buds. If you need a little pick-me-up, go for the Espresso mocktail.
The Ivy on the Square, Edinburgh
The Ivy offers a great selection of non-alcoholic cocktails. Some of my personal favourites include Mountain Spritz and Angelic Amaretti Sour. The first is made of sustainably sourced botanicals that capture those mountain flavours.
Siberia Bar & Hotel, Aberdeen
If you still want to enjoy good music and dance the night away, Siberia Bar & Hotel also offers alcohol-free cocktails at great prices. For those with a sweet tooth, try their Virgin Pornstar.
Kinloch Lodge, Isle of Skye
Each time I’m on the Isle of Skye, I make a point to visit Kinloch Lodge, pictured above. Whether it is just for a little snack or a Sunday lunch, it’s a place worth the stopover. Whatever the weather, you’ll be charmed by the atmosphere. Pair your meal with a mocktail, some of my favourites include Feragaia Sour and Gin-less Gimlet.
Alcohol-Free Spirits
If you don’t want to face the weather and want to get cosy at home, here are a few Scottish alcohol-free spirit brands to try at home.
Feragaia
Fife-based Feragaia is made from 14 botanicals, including lemon verbena, blackcurrant leaf, sugar kelp, hibiscus, bay leaf and apple. Try it in a Paloma or mix with ginger ale and lime.
Glen Dochus
Glen Dochus range is ideal for those who usually would enjoy whisky. The range includes five releases: West Coast Blend (candied fruits, light smoke, caramel), Highland Blend (figs, nutmeg, cardamom), Export Blend (gingerbread, cinnamon, toffee), Royale Blend (candied orange, hazelnut, vanilla, honeycomb) and Island Blend (peat smoke, black pepper, candied peel, chocolate).
Talonmore
Talonmore non-alcoholic spirit is a unique blend of complex and fiery flavours. Made with a mix of rooted and plant-based ingredients, the palate offers spicy notes of ginger and cinnamon balanced with maltiness and fruity sweetness. Try it in an alcohol-free Espresso Martini, Hot Toddy or a Sour.
Eden Mill
Eden Mill has created two different non-alcoholic premixed spirits, Eden Original & Tonic and Eden Love & Rose Lemonade.
RECIPE: Juniper Syrup
If you miss drinking G&T’s during dry January, I suggest you make your own juniper syrup at home.
- 3tsp Dried juniper berries
- 2 Bay leaves
- Short peel of orange
- 1 Cardamom pod
- 1 cup of water
- 1cup of sugar
-
Method
In a small saucepan, muddle the juniper berries. Add the bay leaves, orange peel and water. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the sugar and simmer for 15 minutes. Let the mixture cool, then cover and store in the fridge overnight. Strain and serve. Tip: You could also use other ingredients based on the flavours you like. For example, pink peppercorns, lemon peel, lavender, pink grapefruit or coriander.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here