Since starting The Zero Proof, the question we get more than any other is “what is the sober curious movement”? It’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s people who are curious about being sober. It’s a movement for everyone and anyone. It’s more to do with being intentional about what and when you drink, than not drinking at all. You can still lead the life you want to live – dinners with drinks, cocktails on the beach, brunch with mimosas, night caps, etc – but without the usual negative effects of drinking alcohol. Sober curiosity is about being open to alternatives and being present in any given moment.

The term was coined by Ruby Warrington in 2018 when she published her book, Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, Limitless Presence, and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol. Yeah, that’s a mouthful. She had come to sober curiosity when she started to question her relationship with alcohol. How was it impacting her life? What would her life look like without it? To cut a long story short, she saw significant improvements in her wellbeing physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, with almost no negative side-affects. And that’s what makes the sober curious movement so intriguing.

Sober curiosity challenges the notion that alcohol is a necessity in any setting or scenario. It offers legitimate alternatives, drinks that taste good, have unique profiles, and can truly replace their alcoholic counterparts without compromising on the experience. In many ways it is part of the broader move towards wellness, aiming to improve quality of life without unrealistic, unsustainable sacrifices.

We’re not here to preach though. We found that it works for us, and maybe it’ll work for you to. So, next time you’re ordering a drink, why not make it a sober alternative and see where it takes you.

What’s the deal with non-alcoholic wine? It’s about to get good. If you’ve been following the “no-low alcohol” movement for almost any amount of time, especially here at home, you’ll have noticed the distinct lack of good quality no-low alcohol wine. That’s about to change, in a big way.

Let’s dive right into stats – numbers don’t lie. Non-alcoholic wine grew by 300% year-on-year in 2021 and now owns around 17% of the non-alcoholic segment, second only to beer. The no- and low-alcohol drinks category is predicted to own over 30% of total market share by 2024. And, according to a study by Fact.MR, non-alcoholic wine alone is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 7% between now and 2027 and reach an estimated value of $10 billion over the same period. Non-alcoholic wine isn’t going anywhere. So, where’s the wine?

There are a few reasons that no-low alcohol wine has been lagging behind other no-low alcohol offerings. The most obvious one is that it’s much more challenging to make. Wine is a living, breathing thing made by passionate artists, that is then aged in barrels for years (and even longer in the bottle). Wine is huge category and people know what it should taste like, so getting it ‘right’ is tricky. Much of that has to do with the production process.

There are two primary ways to make non-alcoholic wine from wine; reverse osmosis or vacuum distillation. The former involves passing wine through a membrane (think of it as a really tight filter), the latter sees wine heated to a temperature where the alcohol evaporates (like when using wine for cooking). Both processes are much more intricate, but those are the basics. Neither method is without its shortcomings, but as the market grows so will the technology which will only make the product better. Until better technology arrives, sparkling wines offer some of best non-alcoholic experiences. The bubbles cover up some of the “flaws”, and there are already a growing number of brands doing excellent work.

Two of our favorite producers are Oddbird and ISH. They take premium sparkling wine, then remove the alcohol by vacuum distillation (allowing them to remove the alcohol at a much lower temperature than before). Although still non-alcoholic wines are not quite there yet, there are some good products out there like Eins Zwei Zero’s Riesling and Oddbird’s organic red and white (the best we’ve tasted). Grüvi’s Red Blend, a non-alcoholic red wine which received rave reviews, launched on 31 July and has already sold out.

Other producers are using a different approach. Instead of removing alcohol from wine, they’re creating unique wines with juices, spices, herbs, and other extracts. Acid League is leader on this front. Their products, called Wine Proxies, are interesting and excellent.

There’s also a low barrier to entry because people already know what to do with wine. Chill, open bottle, pour, enjoy. Less education needed and a more regularly enjoyed beverage, unlike spirits that are a bit more complicated to use and enjoyed less frequently at home.

What we’re getting at is that the non-alcoholic wine category is growing fast and there are already some great options available. We predict that much like its parent category it will also see product development fueled by a virtuous cycle of media attention, consumer demand, and on-site awareness (as that slowly starts coming back). And at the end of the day, all of this translates into good news for the likes of you and us.

The goal of any non-alcoholic drinks producer is to create an alternative so close to the original that few, if any, can tell the difference. So far, ISH is the closest to the real thing we’ve found.

The Danish “Mindful Drinking Company” was created to give consumers the choice of being simultaneously playful and mindful; “a choice to be social but also sensible. To be present and at the same time practical.” We’d say they’ve accomplished that, and we’re not alone – ISH took home 9 medals at the 2021 Bartenders’ Brand Awards.

ISH’s range of products includes ready-to-drinks (RTD), a rum, a gin, two wines, and a spritz. We tasted them all. Here are our thoughts on each.

DaiquirISH: Honestly, we were blown away. Words on a page will never do his one justice, but to put it simply: it tastes like a rum daiquiri! DaiquirISH is an RTD that comes in can (like all of ISH’s RTDs) and we knew we loved it from the first sip. Citrus notes, an amazing burn and roundness from the “spirit” hit you first, followed by slight bitter and pleasant lingering burn. It’s tart and sweet like a daiquiri should be, and it really tastes like there’s rum in it. Perfect to be sipping on the rocks at the beach. 

G&T (GinISH & tonic): This could be the perfect non-alcoholic G&T. Lovely spice and juniper hit the nose, bitter, juniper, and citrus hit the tastebuds. It starts sweet and ends bitter, just like the real thing. It’s exactly what it’s meant to be – simple yet sophisticated. Add a squeeze of lime for a citrus kick and garnish the glass.

SpritzISH: When ISH launched this they took to the streets of Copenhagen to see if people could guess how much alcohol their new spritz contained (zero %) without telling them what it was. Almost everyone guessed it was alcoholic. No one even suspected it was alcohol free. It’s that good. You’ll notice the colour before anything else – it’s right on. Notes of citrus, a touch of cinnamon, bubbles, everything a spritz should be. We were very impressed by the weight of it, mouthfeel is fantastic, like with real Aperol. Like the DaiquirISH, it comes very close to the real thing, and it’s a real contender for our favorite aperitif alongside Lyre’s Italian Spritz and Wilfred’s Bittersweet Orange & Rosemary Aperitif.

GinISH: It hits all the right notes. Pop the cork and breathe in the botanicals. Sipping, it’s generally very well balanced with even heat and a nice burn. Citrus, botanicals, bitter, and burn with slight cucumber notes. Natural botanicals make it cloudy. A lot of the non-alcoholic gins we’ve tasted are too bland, others too aggressive on bitter, chemicals or spice to compensate for the lack of alcohol. Not GinISH, it’s exactly as it should be.

RumISH: It’s not easy to mimic the way alcohol envelopes your senses when consumer, but RumISH has just about nailed it. It does it in a subtle, incredibly balanced, natural way. You get that kick, spice and intensity that usually only comes from booze, followed by caramel, vanilla, citrus and oak. It’s warm and it’s welcome.

You can pick up ISH’s full range exclusively from our Bottle Shop.