New Zealand's no-alcohol booze scene is having a moment

Our relationship with alcohol is changing. While 2020’s lockdowns saw an initial spike in alcohol sales in New Zealand, it dropped as people started embracing a healthier lifestyle: exercising more, cooking at home, and cutting back the booze.

“Both New Zealanders and Australians seem to be choosing to drink less, or needing to drink less, for health or other reasons,” explains AIA Vitality Australian Ambassador and dietitian Marika Day. “We’re starting to see a shift in drinking trends.”

With excess alcohol consumption one of the four main risks to your health – along with smoking, physical inactivity and an unhealthy diet – these are positive steps to see.

There are many reasons people cut back on drinking, but general health and wellbeing is often the big one. Still, if it was possible to enjoy your favourite drink, without any of the negative alcohol-induced side effects, wouldn’t that be an enticing prospect?

Enter the new breed of alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks

While non-alcoholic beers and wines have been available for a good while, they’ve often fallen short in the flavour department. But now, thanks to a new generation of non-alcoholic brewers and distillers, New Zealanders can enjoy a range of delicious tipples – with fewer carbs, fewer calories and, of course, no alcohol.

The sober curious movement extends beyond beer, too. Zero-alcohol wines and spirits are also appearing in bottle shops, supermarkets, and restaurants, helping to bridge that divide between the drinkers and non-drinkers.

If you’re more of a spirits drinker, you’re in luck! With a little bit of searching, you’ll find some beautifully crafted local distilleries who specialise in completely alcohol-free spirits. Using botanicals and completely removing the alcohol, you’re left with a premium product fit for any good mocktail. Alcohol-free spirits are also sold in some of the larger Countdown supermarkets around the country, so keep an eye out this month.

“All these different varieties of alcohol-free options provide the opportunity to have a drink that, in New Zealand, is almost a cultural tradition – without the alcohol,” Marika says.

For the most part, yes.

“The removal of the alcohol reduces any alcohol-associated health risks,” Marika explains. “Switching to alcohol-free drinks can see an improvement in overall health, particularly the health of the liver, which is responsible for processing and removing alcohol from the body.”

This study shows that alcohol-free beer can improve blood circulation and may reduce the risk of thrombosis (when blood clots form in the arteries). Non-alcoholic drinks (anything under 2% ABV) are hydrating, and can be a good way to boost our daily water intake.

Booze-free beer has around half the number of calories as a regular mid-strength beer, so you’re less likely to gain a beer belly from alcohol-free drinks, or make unhealthy food choices when you’ve had too much to drink or are recovering the next day. And if you already associate the taste of beer or wine with fun nights out with friends, switching to the alcohol-free stuff will still give you a nice little hit of dopamine, the feel-good endorphin.

If you have an alcohol addiction already, it’s best to avoid the booze-free version. Given many alcohol-free beverages now taste almost identical to conventional beers and wines, it may prompt drinkers to reach for the harder stuff.

Most drinks have sugar in them too, so if you’re having more than one or two drinks, your sugar intake could rise pretty dramatically.

“Just because it’s alcohol free, doesn’t mean low in sugar or calories, or that’s it actually healthy,” Marika says, encouraging drinkers to check the nutritional info on their bevvy of choice.

Whatever your reasons for cutting back or abstaining from alcohol altogether, your beverage choices don’t need to be relegated to the soft drink fridge. And with this many options, drinkers could easily go dry for a month – or more – to sample this rapidly growing range of healthy alternatives. Cheers to that.