“Everything in moderation, even moderation,” quoth Oscar Wilde. We think he’s onto something, just quietly. If you’re currently on the train pulling into moderation station when it comes to your drinks, you’re far from alone. Roughly 44% of Aussies have copped to actively reducing the amount of alcohol they drink, and in this they’re following a global trend.
Yep, Corona Virus notwithstanding, people are generally drinking less all around the world—which means that you’ve now got plenty of low and no-alcohol options to choose from when you’re out with your mates! Good news all around.
So what to enjoy when your mates are on the beers? Well, first of all it depends on whether you’re just wanting to take a wee wander on the lighter side for a little while, or abstain completely. If it’s the former, as you probably already know, most of your favourite beers are available in a light version. But what you might not know is that there are now a whole heap of wines following suit, so if you’re a fan of the vino more so than the brews, you’re in luck! Companies like The Hourglass, Paradox, Allevio and the soon-to-launch Everflow have a range of tasty low-alcohol wines for you to explore.
And the days when you used to be limited to some dodgy watery whites of ambiguous origin are long gone: you’ve got loads of options for whites, rosés and even some cheeky reds ranging from 9.5% alcohol all the way down to just 5%! And if you’re after a cocktail? Get amongst it with zero-alcohol spirits like Seedlip and build up from there. You can craft a range of your go-to faves or create something entirely new. The sky (well, the rim of the glass, really) is the limit.
Plus there’s the newest thing from North America just starting to settle on our shores: low-alcohol Seltzers, combining subtly flavoured soda water and a spirit, generally vodka. You might’ve heard of White Claw, which is about to hit our shores, but we’ve already got a bunch of brands ready and waiting to enjoy on a hot day!
So you see? Heaps of options to drink when you’re not “drinking.” Start exploring and snap some up for your next season of sipping now.
