Every year we all tend to make resolutions with the best intentions for our health. Going alcohol-free, or even just cutting back on the alcohol is a constant theme for resolutions, especially after the Holidays, so it’s no surprise that #DryJanuary has become a whole thing. This year our team wanted to not only scour sparkly alternatives to enjoy in place of our favorite alcoholic beverages, but we also looked at which ones worked best to actually help with our wellness. Because isn’t that the entire point?

According to the experts we asked, while there are some benefits to drinking some types of wines, the general consumption of alcohol should be minimized overall. Silicon Valley nutritionist Sarah Koszyk tells us “From a wellness perspective, alcohol is one of the primary culprits that impairs nutrition. There are so many pathways in which it inhibits, impairs, and breaks down the body’s nutritional processes, that any move to decrease alcohol consumption is encouraged.”

But there’s more. Just because a beverage is an “alcohol-alternative” doesn’t necessarily make it healthier. Sarah Koszyk also confirms this, “while we love alcohol-free drinks, what we do have to watch out for are the processed and synthetic ingredients, as well as sugars! I’m always a fan of the real food factor, and really like when beverages incorporate real herbs, fruits, and plant ingredients.”

So we spent #DryJanuary actually trying what’s out there. Enjoy our list of the best, most functional alcohol-free drinks we tried this #DryJanuary, that we think deserve to be part of your routine even after this month is over!

Curious Elixirs

Curious is perfectly named for those curious about the world of non-alcohol cocktails. A 0% alcohol, non-booze cocktail brand with 5 pre-made flavors whose profile ranges from ‘a spicy pineapple margarita meetings the smoldering ginger and lime, infused with damiana to help you unwind’ to ‘lemon, cucumber, alpine flowers, herbs, and ashwagandha to help you de-stress,’ Curious Elixirs are as creatively flavored as they are functional. If you notice from the one-liner descriptions, not only is each drink a distinct signature flavor, but the addition of wellness-oriented herbs provide a functional, often de-stress related, benefit to your drinking ritual.

Hiyo

Hiyo is a self-described “better-than-alcohol” canned beverage brand that offers organic adaptogens, natural nootropics, and herbs aimed at stress-busting and mood-boosting. Quite an assortment of functional ingredients in each can! Available in three flavors: peach mango, watermelon lime, and blackberry lemon, these light, sparkling tonics are sure to delight taste buds as they ease the body. We particularly love the variety pack option that packs all the flavors into a sizable 12-can case.

Sunwink

What’s interesting about Sunwink is that they’re so into wellness, that aside from their alcohol-free sparkling tonics, they actually sell ingestible powders. Sunwink Sparkling Tonics are each focused on various wellness goals: detox, immunity, stress, recovery, uplifting, and digestion. Although all flavors ranging from Immunity Berry to Digestion Lemon are quite delicious and light on the taste buds, admittedly there are some that work better as alcohol-alternatives, which they’ve helpfully categorized in their Mocktails Tonic Pack, featuring Detox Ginger, and our favorites: Hibiscus Mint Unwind and Lemon-Rose Uplift Tonic.

De Soi

De Soi is a unique line of alcohol-free apertifs formulated with adaptogens. And what we like, beyond the exceptionally gorgeous packaging is the versatility. Feeling fancy? Go for the classic bottle of apertif. Want convenience? All flavors are also available in a can. With three flavors, described more as vibes like Golden Hour than notes, we’d opt for the variety pack as a good place to start and explore. Their most popular, the aforementioned, Golden Hour has notes of citrus and lemongrass topped with maca and l-theanine. However, for red wine lovers, Purple Lune not only looks the part, but gives a rich and dark flavor profile of cherry, rose, vanilla oak, and blackberry nectar. And for those looking for something a little lighter, how about Champignon Dreams? A light take on summer Champagne with strawberries and passionflower is a must try.

Three Spirit

Three Spirit is all about choosing the spirit based on your mood and moment, and they’ve even got a quiz on their site to find your perfect drink match. We love how purposeful for each occasion the three different spirits are: Livener energizes and brings out the vibrance, Social Elixir makes you the most connected friend at dinner parties and intimate get togethers with its promise to make you elevated, calm, and connected, while Nightcap (the top seller) is not only a wonderful way to hit the spot but also provides a functional kick to help get you mellow, dreamy, and soothed for the night.

Kin Euphorics

Kin is very clear that they’re not about replacing alcohol, but rather about giving people more meaningful social rituals. There are cans of ready-to-drink options like the newly released Actual Sunshine, a ‘rise and glow’ beverage with saffron and turmeric, adaptogens, and Vitamin C, D and Zinc, and there are drink mixes like High Rhode, a gently caffeinated beverage infused with adaptogens, nootropics, 5-HTP, and GABA to conjure conversation. Feeling a little less social? Try Lightwave, a non-caffeinated beverage for inner peace, with reishi and tryptophan to deliver an experience described as “naked forest bathing at midnight.”

Moment

For the ultra-wellness seekers out there, Moment might be your cup. Not only is this canned beverage alcohol-free, most options are also sugar and caffeine free. With most of their assortment separated between still beverage and carbonated sparkling beverage, Moment is for those of you who look at alcohol-free beverages and think “what’s the gotcha?” Well, there really isn’t any here. It’s a lot of goodness in each flavor, packed with ingredients like hibiscus, ashwagandha, turmeric, and even apple cider vinegar. We know, at this point you’ve seen all these herbs in one iteration or another. So what makes Moment special might just be what isn’t in it. And while we don’t like to use the word “guilt” to describe anything, as an alcohol-free, sugar-free, caffeine-free offering, Moment is pretty much as close as it gets to a guilt-free beverage.

Recess

Okay, putting Recess on this list might seem like an obvious one. But hear us out — have you seen any of the other brands at stores you shop at? Alcohol-free beverages are pretty much still in the land of online DTC (direct-to-consumer), so having an option that even exists locally can make all the difference. Recess is a CBD infused beverage (and also opens our foray into CBD-based alternatives for those of you curious about how CBD can provide a functional alternative to alcohol), and recently introduced a ‘zero-proof Margarita mocktail’ that’s literally made for #DryJanuary.

Little Saints

Little Saints is a brand that’s both new and hot on our radar. Described as plant-magic mocktails, each of the four-flavors utilizes CBD, Terpenes, and Reishi in addition to specially selected herbs exclusive to each respective flavor. Our favorites would have to be Negroni Spritz as a crowd pleaser, and Ginger Mule as that perfect hit of light refreshment. Think of the perfect ginger beer with a touch of lavender. Oh another plus? It’s sugar-free, too! While there doesn’t seem to be an option to try all four flavors in a variety pack, we do like the versatility of selecting 4-packs, 8-packs, 16-packs at any time.

Cloud Water

Cloud Water makes sparkling CBD, Hemp, and Immunity focused beverages in those three categories. Okay so good news, and bad news: the bad news is that we actually didn’t love the CBD waters, but the good news is that there is quite a breadth with product selection and the Immunity tonics are quite good, particularly Grapefruit Mint + Basil and Blackberry Lemon + Rosemary. We’d recommend the Immunity tonics as the starting point of the entire line, particularly as they can be purchased as a variety pack. Another good thing about the Immunity packs? Each can is packed with the daily recommended value of Vitamin D3 and Zinc, not that you’re taking this as a supplement, but still, a great perk.

Wunder

Wunder is for when you want to get serious about your CBD beverage. In fact, you have to be over 21 to shop their website. Here’s why: most CBD beverages don’t replicate the actual experience of smoking or ingesting the actual plant at all because they only isolate the CBD component. Wunder though, combines the chill benefits of CBD with the actual high of THC via the functional buzz of Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC which are targeted toward the the mind and body, respectively. In this sense, this CBD beverage gives you an actual high (delivered within 15 minutes, too!), though measured in a functionally beneficially dose. We also love the flavors, particularly Watermelon Basil, and Blackberry Lemon. And while flavor combinations in this category are all pretty much faultless, Wunder has won awards for their taste because they use real fruit juices to create their tonics. So while trading in your alcohol for true CBD might not be for everyone, we thought it would be worthwhile to share one that really delivers on the functional buzz.

Join the alcohol-free party!

During our dive into the alcohol-alternatives category, it struck us just how much this space has grown. While there are some closures, namely Haus, it always seems like more brands are popping up every month! We love the creative takes that no longer feel like sacrificing anything, instead they focus on delivering better: better experiences, better benefits, and better taste. You better believe we’re going to keep our eyes on this space, and if there’s any that you’d like us to try, just send us a message!