THE MEASURE

Up your drinks game with no/low-alcohol beers and spirits – ready-made or makeyour-own – plus a luxurious hot chocolate

No/low-alcohol beers and spirits, plus a luxurious hot chocolate

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With the no/low movement showing no signs of slowing down, the quality of zero-alcohol products on offer is increasing all the time. This is especially true for alcohol-free spirits, a sector that in the past has been rather hit and miss.

One to keep an eye out for is Feragaia, which launched last year. Made in the Scottish Lowlands using 14 different ingredients, including locally sourced serrated wrack seaweed, bay leaf and chamomile, it’s clean, subtle and elegant, with warming spice and herbal notes. It’s lovely lengthened with tonic water, but we prefer it best drunk neat over ice, which lets the spirit’s smoky, peppery notes shine through. £23.95/500ml; masterofmalt.com

Embracing an alcohol-free lifestyle – or even just committing to not drinking a few days each week – can be challenging, particularly when it comes it finding interesting alternatives to sip. This is where wine writer Fiona Beckett steps in with How to Drink Without Drinking, a practical guide to going booze-free. It’s full of sensible, realistic and helpful advice, and makes the important point that going on the wagon doesn’t mean you have to compromise on taste or quality.

This is where the book’s many creative and interesting recipes come in handy – from cordials and shrubs (see p59 for our recipes) to mocktails (think lychee martinis or hibiscus and rose cosmos) and other more niche offerings such as switchels, fruit stocks, kefir, kombucha, kvass and tepache. There’s also recipes for teas, tisanes and coffees, plus lassis, milkshakes and smoothies. Out 2 January

(£15.99, Kyle Books).