Some of the best non-alcoholic drinks

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Cutting empty calories? Pregnant? Stocking up for “Dry January”? Don’t drink? We’ve got good news.

The latest crop of non-alcoholic drinks tastes as good as (or better than) the real thing. The bad news: They cost as much as (or more than) the real thing.

Here’s a sampling. None top 50 calories or 2 teaspoons of sugar per can. Head to each brand’s website to see prices or find stores.

Hoplark HopTea

Hoplark practically invented the hoppy, fizzy, calorie-free category of non-alcoholic drinks.

The company’s HopTea—“tea brewed like craft beer”—is sparkling tea brewed with the citrusy hop flowers that give craft beers their character. Think Mosaic hops in The Green Tea One, Simcoe and Citra in The Really Hoppy One Black Tea, etc. For fruity and tangy, go with The Mile-High-Biscus One Hibiscus Tea.

Dry alcohol-removed wines

“Quality non-alcoholic wine. Yes, that’s a thing,” says Sovi, a maker of “alcohol-removed wine.”

Many non-alcoholic wines are sweet; they taste more grape juice-y, less wine-y. An 8 oz. serving of Fre Red Blend, for example, has 11 grams (2½ tea­spoons) of sugar, plus 70 calories.

But an 8 oz. can of Sovi Red Blend comes with a mere ½ tsp. of sugar (and only 25 calories). And it just might fool your palate into thinking you’re sipping the real thing. Ditto for Sovi Sparkling White or Sparkling Rosé. Another good bet: Surely.

Soft seltzer

Hard seltzer, meet hops. Think of DayPack (made by Athletic Brewing Co.) as a non-alcoholic, less-sweet take on a fruity can of White Claw...minus the Claw’s 100 empty calories.

Flavors? Choose from Black Cherry, Blood Orange, Mango, and Lemon Lime. Mmm.

Ghia

Ghia is a “non-alcoholic apéritif” with a taste that’s reminiscent of bitter spirits like Aperol and Campari.

That lends a pleasantly complex bite to the company’s Le Spritz cocktails, which come in Ghia Soda, Ghia Ginger, and Lime & Salt (it’s actually low in sodium). The 8 oz. cans have 40 to 50 calories and no more than 2 tsp. of sugar from juice.

Or, for a sugar-free bitter drink, try Hella Cocktail Co. Bitters & Soda in Classic Dry Aromatic, Grapefruit, Ginger Turmeric, or Lemon Lime.

Craft non-alcoholic beer

Athletic Brewing Co. says it was “the first brewery fully devoted to the production of non-alcoholic craft beer in the US.” It shows.

Even though the new Athletic Lite (25 calories) clocks in well below an alcoholic beer like Bud Light (110 calories), Athletic nails the flavor.

Two other non-alcoholic upstarts with plenty of lower-cal beers that taste great: Partake Brewing and Surreal Brewing Company.

Sparkling hop water

“Not the right time for a beer, but got a hop craving?” asks craft brewer Sierra Nevada. “Drench it with Hop Splash, our sparkling water infused with Citra and Amarillo hops.”

While you’re at it, check out similar zero-calorie hop waters like Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher and the many hop varieties of Hoplark Sparkling Water.

All are subtly hoppy. Want more? Head for the stronger “double dry hopped” Hoplark 0.0 line.