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While the Gordon’s Alcohol Free option was something that I was really rather excited to get into, particularly after trying the ready to drink options – which I thought owed their sweetness to the tonic. What: If a flavoured gin is more your thing, consider this glorious rhubarb number from CleanCo. Yes, that’s the CleanCo owned by Made in Chelsea’s Spencer Matthews, but don’t hold that against it - it’s actually rather good. It’s very fruit-forward, which might not be to everyone’s tastes, but it’s still very pleasing over ice with tonic in our opinion. Good, craft alcohol-free gin will still have all of the delicious characteristics (i.e. botanicals and flavours) of full ABV gin. Hooray! I’d say the biggest pleasure is in the routine — putting the ice in the glass, pouring the gin, adding the tonic, garnishing and drinking. And in the same way long-term vegetarians insist that the aforementioned fake meat is indistinguishable from the real thing, I think that long enough drinking Gordon’s Alcohol free could convince you that this is what gin tastes like. What: Seedlip is the brand that really brought non-alcoholic gins into the public consciousness, and it has proven very divisive as a result - scour the web and you’ll find plenty of complaints. These heavy botanical spirits won’t be to all tastes, but if you approach with an open mind you might find something delicious - we like this very green Garden version, which boasts infusions of hay, pea, rosemary, spearmint and thyme. Splash a bit of elderflower tonic in and give it a go.
The first thing I’d like to praise Gordon’s for is the fact that its non-alcoholic gin is very clearly distinguishable from its boozy counterpart. These low-alcohol tipples are ideal if you want to enjoy something a bit special but you’re hoping to cut down on your alcohol intake. Adnams Smidgin Gin Alcohol-free gin or low-alcohol drinks are perfect for those who still want to enjoy a social drink without the sometimes negative effects associated with full ABV gin (when not enjoyed in moderation!). What you should take from this is that you shouldn’t expect mad savings on this, or any similar drink, just because there’s no alcohol.And I’m pleased to report that Gordon’s AF is rather tasty. All the notes you’d expect from a gin are definitely there, namely juniper berries (the dominance of which, of course, is what makes gin gin) and citrus. The Gordon’s Alcohol-Free gin has an extremely sweet overlay that makes it the sweetest non-alcoholic Gin I have tried. If you prefer a more traditional tasting option (that is easy to find in the UK) I, like I mentioned above, have written about Lyre’s Dry London Gin which you should read more about here. However, unless you’re as ditzy as me, you probably don’t care a jot what the bottle looks like. It’s all about how it tastes, after all.
Moving on from flavour, it does land a solid and weighted mouthfeel. On mouthfeel alone, it is one of the better more viscous non-alcoholic spirits on the market. It's also important to know that Gordon's Alcohol Free 0.0% isn't entirely devoid of alcohol. Gordon's says that it contains no more than 0.015% ABV, so there is in fact a trace of alcohol in each bottle. Both of our testers are gin lovers who were both planning on doing Dry January until this taste test assignment came along, which they couldn't resist.
Fancy a martini but minus the booze? Check out our list of alcohol-free gins
To put that into context - an entire 70cl bottle of Gordon's 0.0% contains less than 0.1 units of alcohol. Calories in gin: how does alcohol-free compare? Gordon’s, you will be unsurprised to know, claims to be the “World’s Favourite Gin”. Whether or not that’s true is up for debate, but it certainly is the world’s best-selling gin, which is a pretty stellar achievement when you take into account the fact that the spirit's popularity has been on the rise for nigh on a decade. However, others don’t use any base spirit at all, and instead rely on maceration, a process where botanicals are left to ‘soak’ in a liquid until they develop a flavour not dissimilar to real gin. These processes can also change the mouthfeel of a liquid, giving it a more ‘ginny’ character on the palate. Why is alcohol-free gin so expensive? As with real gin, low- and no-ABV spirits vary widely in taste (with varying degrees of success!) Most do manage to capture the herbal, slightly citrus notes of a generic gin, and other brands, like Seedlip, have even developed different flavours to emulate the different styles of gin you find: spiced, floral and so on.
However, I did sort of miss the slight astringency of real gin when you’ve added the tonic. While the juniper and quinine bitterness does keep the fake stuff adult, there’s a certain va-va-voom missing here. The legal definition of gin states that the liquid must contain an alcohol level (ABV) of at least 37.5%. This new type of drink usually has an ABV (that’s the alcohol level) of between 0 and 5%. This is a perfect companion to those doing Dry January, those who've made a new year’s resolution to ditch alcohol, or folk fancy filling a gin-shaped hole but don’t want morning headache. What: Adnams is best known as a brewery, but it also makes an interesting line of low-alcohol spirits. The Smidgin Gin is particularly good - it’s pretty juniper-heavy so it is reminiscent of a classic gin, with some zesty citrus notes and a touch of cardamom. If you’re looking for something to bolster a low-alcohol gin and tonic, this is the one.The vapour is then cooled and becomes liquid again; the distiller captures this liquid and dilutes it with water.
If you’re looking for a sweeter profiled alcohol free gin this may be one for you, however, if you’re looking for other options, find yourself a new favourite in the post I wrote with over 20 non-alcoholic gin options! However, the fact that around one in five drinkers (7.9 million people) in the UK planned to partake in Dry January this year — as well as a more general trend away from alcohol consumption, especially among younger folk — means that Gordon’s had to hop on the wagon sooner or later. Enter Gordon’s Alcohol Free…I’m also a big fan of the fact that it’s easy to distinguish between the non-alcoholic and alcoholic versions of Gordon’s famous green bottle. You’re not going to take this home by mistake thinking that it’s the real thing. Best of all, you can drink it while writing a review and make it to the end coherently. Cheers to that. See the results from when we assembled four of the UK's most reputable gin experts to find the best gin. Well, for starters, these drinks are not technically gin! These beverages are designed specifically to look and (as much as possible) taste very similar to gin, but with a very low, or no, alcoholic content (ABV).
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