The celebrity non-alcoholic drinks to buy – and which ones to avoid
Not long ago, it seemed as if every celebrity in possession of a large fortune must be in want of a vineyard, or at the very least of their own wine brand. It’s a sign of our wellness-oriented, gut-bacteria-loving times that many stars are now passing on the hedonism of wine-aisle merch. Instead of duty-free, they’re getting into the world of alcohol-free with their own zero-alcohol drink brands.
The Formula One legend Lewis Hamilton launched an alcohol-free tequila alternative in the United States last autumn. The American singer-songwriter Katy Perry has a non-alcoholic aperitif range, De Soi, made with natural ingredients, such as L-theanine which is derived from green tea and is said to help ease stress and anxiety.
Meanwhile the supermodel Bella Hadid is one of the founders of Kin Euphorics, a range of no-abv drinks with “functional ingredients” – that is, adaptogens and nootropics that are said to influence mood and brainpower without the damaging effects of alcohol. And Kylie Minogue has her finger on the popular pulse, as ever, and added an alcohol-free sparkling rosé to her best-selling wine range in late 2022.
Here, we have tested some of the celebrity zero-alcohol brands that are readily available in the UK.
Kylie Minogue
Kylie’s extensive wine range takes in pinot noir and chardonnay from Australia but it’s her rosé (sparkling from Italy and still from France) that has taken her to number one in the UK wine charts. Given the phenomenal success of Kylie Minogue Wines rosé prosecco, an alcohol-free sparkling rosé was an obvious next step.
Kylie Minogue Alcohol-Free Sparkling Rosé
Tesco, Asda, ￡6; Sainsburys, ￡7 for 750ml
It looks like pink prosecco but it’s made from carbonated water, “non-alcoholic fermented grape juice concentrate” and green tea infusion, with added acidity and “natural flavouring”. It’s cheap, buoyant, bubbly, easy to drink and gets great customer ratings on the supermarket websites. I would be grateful for it at a party but it’s not delicious.
Jonny Wilkinson
After opening up about his struggles with anxiety, the former rugby star is now focused on mental-health advocacy. No. 1 Living is the health drinks range (think kombucha and water-based kefir) he founded with his nutritionist wife Shelley Jenkins six years ago. Wilkinson, who is teetotal, is a majority shareholder and actively involved in the business.
No. 1 Living Rose Blush Sparkling Kombucha
Sainsbury’s, ￡8 for 750ml
It presents like a sparkling rosé wine but with an overt floral smell (it’s made with rose essence). A subtle tea taste leads to sherbetty, tinned peach notes, reminiscent of Love Heart sweets. Not bad, but feels quite mass-market and is not a patch on the sparkling teas made by Real.
Blake Lively
The Hollywood actor, who starred in Gossip Girl and The Green Lantern, recently launched her Betty Buzz premium soft drinks in the UK. The schtick here is that the drinks are free from artificial flavours, sweeteners, colours and preservatives, setting them up against the likes of bottles by Belvoir and Fentimans.
Betty Buzz Sparkling Grapefruit
Amazon, Wholefoods, ￡2.50 per 266ml bottle
The Betty Buzz range takes in a sparkling lemon and lime, a Meyer lemon club soda and an excellent fiery ginger beer as well as this sparkling grapefruit. They all taste OK – clean and fresh and not too sweet. But the price! It makes my favourite Square Root Soda look cheap. I’ve marked it down on cost grounds.
Spencer Matthews
Spencer Matthews worked as a City trader and a nightclub promoter before his appearance on the reality show Made in Chelsea brought him fame. After “drinking excessively for most of my 20s” he went teetotal ahead of the birth of his first child. His company, CleanCo, makes a range of alcohol-free spirit alternatives.
CleanCo Clean G
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, around ￡16 for 700ml
The CleanCo range takes in whisky, rum, tequila, vodka and gin alternatives. This gin replacement succeeds in evoking memories of G&Ts, though it veers towards the Gordon’s/very weak pub G&T end of the spectrum – think citrusy edges and a slightly cupboard-under-the-sink vibe…
Lewis Hamilton
The Formula One racing driver teamed up with the premium Mexican spirits producer Casa Lumbre to create Almave, an alcohol-free drink based on blue agave, the plant used to make fine tequila. “I’ve always loved tequila for its taste, but there are times when I don’t want the alcohol part of the deal,” said Hamilton on its launch last year.
Almave Ambar Non-Alcoholic Blue Agave Spirit
Independent Spirit of Bath, ￡32.95 for 700ml
With good viscosity, a pleasingly tequila-like nose (think vegetal aloe vera and hints of smoke), this tequila replacement is actually rather good. A peppery bite on the finish replaces the burn of alcohol and this works well both on the rocks and mixed with fresh lime juice to make a 0 per cent abv margarita. I’d buy it!