Dry January: what if you tried the alcohol-free Gin & Tonic?

After the end of the year holidays, many of you are embarking on the great challenge of January, the Dry January. A month of detox where alcohol is prohibited to recover from the possible excesses of December. What if we told you that you could still enjoy all the flavors of gin without failing to meet your good resolutions?

Alcohol-free gin, how does it work?

Because the market for non-alcoholic spirits, if it is still small, is expanding day by day thanks to the creativity of distillers and growing demand. The goal: to offer an alternative to classic gins without taking away the taste qualities. But what are the techniques put in place to produce them?

First option, obtain distillates at zero degrees by de-alcoholizing them. After all the classic process, a final vacuum distillation is carried out to separate the alcohol from the liquid. In the end, we only keep the essence and we make sure that the aromas are expressed more. Second possibility, the most common concerning gins, decoctions composed of mixtures of distilled plants. This singular production moves away from the traditional scheme but is close to tasting. Each one then differentiates itself by its original recipe. Ceder’s mixes crystal clear Swedish water and plants from the Cederberg Mountains in South Africa, Nolow combines ginger, mint and the essential juniper, Atopia bases its character on citrus fruits and spices, JNPR pays tribute to its Norman origins with apple notes, Golf India November travels the world by looking for its ingredients on all continents… and emotions are at the rendezvous in the glass.

Tips for a successful mocktail

If they can be consumed alone, they really find their favorite ground in cocktails, or more precisely mocktails. Indeed, for the most part, they were designed for mixology. Some rules to follow though. Preferably choose ingredients and preparations that are not very sweetened. Because without alcohol, it is necessary to rework the balance to preserve the freshness, even if quality alcohol-free gins can bring it in addition to their intense aromatic bouquet. Then we add herbs, a citrus zest, or fruits with marked acidity. A delicious Gin & Tonic is no longer necessarily synonymous with alcohol.