I’ve been on a quest to minimize (not cut out) alcohol, and as a result, I’ve been exploring the emerging world of non-alcoholic spirits. There’s a lot out there, but it’s often hard to know what’s high quality or worth the (often hefty) price tag. So here’s a list of ones I’ve tried to date, as well as my honest opinion of what they taste like.

Note: I don’t make super fancy mocktails. My go-to is mixing NA spirits with light tonic water or seltzer, then adding garnishes like citrus or rosemary.

(P.S. I will keep updating this as I try more spirits!)

Clear Spirits

Nice, but much subtler than Adrift, and struggles a bit to stand up to other flavors. If you like grapefruit this is a good one for you – adding some grapefruit juice brings out the grapefruit flavor nicely. If you have to choose between the two, Adrift wins, hands down.

Seedlip Spice

Hints of warming spices, but pretty tasteless on its own and easily overwhelmed by other mixers. I’ve heard other Seedlip flavors are better, but haven’t tried them.

Amass Riverine

I can only describe the taste of this as green and of the forest. It’s pretty strong and polarizing. If you aren’t into savory things, give this a pass. I think this is best when paired with other earthy flavors (I made a strange concoction of beet kvass and yuzu syrup that somehow worked.)

The Optimist Smoky

This is a unique one, which gets its smoky taste from lapsong-souchong tea. It’s quite herbal and bitter (almost tasting of rose?), and I’ve found it goes best with ginger beer or sparkling apple juice and selzter. This is also a polarizing one, but if you’re looking for something different, it’s worth checking out.

Bitter, Apertif-Style Spirits

Pentire Coastal Spritz

A nice, bitter orange spritz that isn’t quite as flavorful as some of the other competition. This one is nice neat, but gets a bit lost with tonic water.

Wilderton Bittersweet Apertif

This has a nice orange, bitter flavor, but the addition of gentian threw me. It’s got a very particular aftertaste that I didn’t quite love, but others might enjoy. If you find the taste of Lyre’s Italian Spritz too straightforward, for example, give this one a try.

Abstinence Blood Orange

One of my favorite bitter orange apertifs, hands down. This has a nice blend of sweet and bitter (although, one of the bottles I tried was much more bitter than the other)? This is the one I’d keep going back to, between the taste and the price point.

Lyre’s Italian Orange

Of the two Lyre’s, this is the inferior one. It’s fine, and goes nicely with some tonic, but the flavor is a bit more fake orange and rhubarb and less bitter. Some reviews likened it to the taste of cough syrup – I think that’s harsh, but if you have to choose, go with the Italian Spritz.

Lyre’s Italian Spritz

Along with the Abstinence, this is my go-to bitter orange apertif. It goes really nicely in cocktails, and even stands up to Aperol in a blind taste test. In fact, we thought it tasted better than Aperol – same flavor and less sweetness!

Martini and Rossi Vibrante

This is a fun, slightly different take on an orange apertif. It has a nice sweet-tart flavor, accompanied by a bit more of an herbal “pop” than others – staying true to its name “vibrante.” This is also priced better than others, so worth checking out.

Figlia Fiore

This one is hard to describe. It has a lovely, complex flavor of red fruits, rose, and clove. But it’s also a very specific flavor, which makes it less versatile when it comes to making cocktails. I’d say this was worth checking out, but I wouldn’t order it again.

Pathfinder Hemp and Root

I love a good amaro, but this one wasn’t for me. It has a great flavor and bitterness (think sophisticated coca cola syrup), but the addition of Douglass Fir threw me. When I opened it, I kept thinking of men’s aftershave, which is not for me. That said, other people really love this, so if you are looking for an NA amaro in an alpine style, check this one out.