Well, for starters, these drinks are not technically gin! These beverages are designed specifically to look and (as much as possible) taste very similar to gin, but with a very low, or no, alcoholic content (ABV). Good, craft alcohol-free gin will still have all of the delicious characteristics (i.e. botanicals and flavours) of full ABV gin. Hooray! However, others don’t use any base spirit at all, and instead rely on maceration, a process where botanicals are left to ‘soak’ in a liquid until they develop a flavour not dissimilar to real gin. These processes can also change the mouthfeel of a liquid, giving it a more ‘ginny’ character on the palate. Why is alcohol-free gin so expensive? Yes, that’s why we already offer craft rum, liqueurs, aperitifs, mixers, and - soon - other spirits such as vodka on our shop! It’s the use of these botanicals - particularly juniper, which is legally required to be the dominant flavour of gin - that helps the final product to taste similar to the real thing.

The legal definition of gin states that the liquid must contain an alcohol level (ABV) of at least 37.5%. This new type of drink usually has an ABV (that’s the alcohol level) of between 0 and 5%. It would be very difficult to make alcohol-free gin at home unless you happen to own a miniature still! This is because the process really relies on the distillation of an alcoholic base spirit to the point where all the alcohol has evaporated.

The best alcohol-free gins you can buy in 2023

The vapour is then cooled and becomes liquid again; the distiller captures this liquid and dilutes it with water. This is why it is probably worth spending a little bit more, and choosing beverages from a trusted craft gin distiller, when selecting your no- or low-ABV ‘gin’; hopefully, it’s a sign that your drink will have been crafted with real care and premium ingredients. Is alcohol-free gin harmful? And here’s where the process changes from the usual: whereas a standard-strength gin will be diluted by about half, in these situations the liquid will be more heavily diluted by the distiller, by adding much more water, and this brings the overall alcohol content of the liquid much lower. With a growing movement of sober-curiosity and being aware of enjoying alcohol in moderation, the good news is that quality craft distillers that we know and love (like Salcombe Distillery and Warners) are turning their hand to 0% or low-alcohol spirits that make for a refreshing alternative that are very close taste-wise to a real G&T! Can you make alcohol-free gin at home? We’ve all thought it: without the booze inside the bottle, why am I paying so much for this drink?! Well, there’s a clue to the answer in the production process we’ve explained above. When creating these alcohol-free alternatives to gin, many of the best craft producers are using all the same strict methods, equipment and high-quality ingredients that they would to create a bottle of real gin.

This brand-new “no and low” range is a way for Clubbers to experiment with even more tasty new tipples! Here’s everything you need to know… What is alcohol-free gin?That said, many do make a very pleasant and refreshing alternative that’s the closest you’ll get to a real G&T! How do you drink alcohol-free gin? When we say ‘gin and more to your door’ - we mean it! So we’re now offering a carefully curated shop edit with alcohol-free gin and low-alcohol spirits. As with real gin, low- and no-ABV spirits vary widely in taste (with varying degrees of success!) Most do manage to capture the herbal, slightly citrus notes of a generic gin, and other brands, like Seedlip, have even developed different flavours to emulate the different styles of gin you find: spiced, floral and so on. Low- and no-ABV gins are made in a variety of ways. Many are now being produced by gin distillers, and use many of the same processes as are involved in the creation of real gin.