Finding Dry January a bit difficult? Stay strong – we’ve rounded up 10 low-and-no drinks that scored top honours in our first Masters competition of 2024.

The low-and-no category is gaining steam with consumers looking past former stereotypes of booze-less libations (no more ‘boring’ fruit juices and fizzy drinks) and jumping on healthier trends.

At the start of the year, two teams of judges sat down at London’s Hacha Brixton to find out which brands are impressing the most in the low-and-no category, in the first competition of our The Global Spirits Masters calendar.

Panel one consisted of Matt Chambers, spirits writer and co‐founder of the Whisky For Everyone blog; Sarah Miller, founder of the Gin A Ding Ding blog; and David T Smith, spirits writer, consultant and co‐founder of the Craft Distilling Expo, who chaired the group.

The second panel saw Melita Kiely, editor of The Spirits Business and chair of The Global Spirits Masters, lead a group with Richard Legg, founder of Distilled Knowledge, and Ruchira Neotia, wine and spirits consultant and drinks experience designer at Darjeeling Express.

Scroll down to find out which entries can call themselves Gold medalists, and discover the two that were awarded the competition’s coveted Masters award.

Adnams Smidgin Dry Gin

As the judges dug into a flight of non‐alcoholic white ‘spirits’, it wasn’t long before the first recipient of a Master medal was uncovered: Adnam’s Smidgin Dry Gin.

The concept from the Suffolk-based distillery is packaged with a 2.5ml measuring spoon, so consumers can get 80 servings (smidgins) from the pocket-sized 50% ABV bottle of gin, to be mixed with their tonic water of choice for a full-flavoured, low-strength G&T.

Miller found it “attractive and inviting” on the nose with “tonnes of rich juniper that mixes well with tonic”. She added that it also had “good robust flavour” and a “classic G&T profile”.

On top of its Master medal, Smidgin Dry Gin also received a Low-Alcohol Taste Master – the highest honour a product can receive in the competition.

Everleaf Forest

Another big winner was Everleaf’s Forest expression, scooping up both a Master and Taste Master medal in the Non‐Alcoholic Apéritif (less than 0.5% ABV) heat.

It had the judges laying on the praise for its “delicious” palate and “earthy notes on the finish”. Kiely acknowledged that she could “sip this over ice quite easily”, while Legg said the product’s “nice depth of flavour and bitterness, balanced very well with the sweetness”.

The expression is a blend of 14 bittersweet sustainably sourced botanicals, including orange blossom, Madagascan vanilla, bitter gentian, saffron, vetiver, and cassia bark.

Gutss Italian Bittersweet

The judges kept the Master medal streak going following Everleaf Forest, handing out another honour to Gutss Italian Bittersweet in the Non‐Alcoholic Apéritif (less than 0.5% ABV) category.

This went down a treat with the panel for its “good Spritz potential”. Its nose was described as “zesty with herbal bitterness” and its palate as “nice and syrupy”, with plenty of orange zest and bitter green herbs – a worthy Aperol replacement for all those staying sober over the summer.

Ceder’s Classic

Featuring “a medley of citrus” and “nice woody, herbal notes”, Ceder’s Classic has the flavours of gin without the alcohol. This resonated well with the judges who gave it a Gold medal.

And the Pernod Ricard-owned brand didn’t stop at one Gold Medal in the Non‐Alcoholic Apéritif (less than 0.5% ABV) category either, nabbing another for its Wild variant, which contains juniper, ginger, clove and rooibos.

NIO Margarita Next

With “bright agave notes” on the nose, “tangy citrus” on the palate” and an overall “beautiful balance”, the judges found a lot to love about NIO’s lower alcohol take on the Margarita, recognising it with a Gold medal in the flight of Pre‐Mixed/RTD products.

The RTD is made with a mix of Seedlip Grove 42, Cointreau and Tequila Exotico Blanco, and has all the fun of your regular Margarita while dialling back on the woozy-head effects of the more potent versions.

Sentia Red

Billed as the ‘world’s first’ Gaba Spirit – a spirit made with herbs that target the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system, a part of the brain that manages relaxing and anxiety-relieving effects – Sentia Red served over ice is said to bring the same mood-enhancing effect that a small glass of wine may have, but without any of toxins that come with alcohol.

All this of course would be moot if didn’t taste good, too – and it did, the judges noting it to be “reminiscent of sloes, with a herbal edge”, which earned the expression a Gold medal in the alcohol‐free dark ‘spirits’ (less than 0.5% ABV) section.

Seedlip Garden 108

Seedlip’s English countryside-inspired non-alcoholic spirit ticked all the right boxes for the judges, scoring a Gold medal in the Non-Alcoholic White ‘Spirit’ (less than 0.5% ABV) section for being “light and fresh” while offering “subtle floral” flavours.

Seedlip’s founder Ben Branson used ingredients such as handpicked peas and hay from his family’s farm in the blend, as he wanted to “recreate the experience of sitting in our fields eating peas with my grandfather”.

The brand’s inaugural release, Spice 42, didn’t fare too badly either – also capturing a Gold medal in the category.

Hayman’s London Light

With 70% less alcohol than a regular bottle of gin, Hayman’s London Light ‘spirit’ took home a Gold medal in the Lower‐Alcohol (between 6 and 26% ABV) round.

The judges commended it for being “citrus‐forward and rounded”, which gives those watching their booze intakes a low-ABV G&T without having to sacrifice the cocktail’s classic flavours.

De Kuyper Zero 0% Pornstar Martini

Who says rounds of Pornstar Martinis mean breaking out the hangover survival kit the next day?

De Kuyper’s Gold-medal-winning no-alcohol variant of the cocktail was created to ‘facilitate the global trend towards healthier yet convenient lifestyles’, and it bagged Gold in the Pre-Mixed/RTD section for its palate of juicy, sour fruit and some vanilla on the palate.

The Dutch liqueur brand’s non-alcoholic Margarita was a gold medal winner in the section as well with Kiely noting: “For 0%, this is nicely done.”

Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 0.0%

Diageo struck gold in more ways than one with Captain Morgan 0.0% Spiced Gold Rum, the first dark ‘spirit’ in its non-alcoholic portfolio.

It secured a Gold medal in the Non-Alcoholic Dark ‘Spirit’ (less than 0.5% ABV) round for boasting “vanilla on the palate” and an “aroma that’s akin to a sweeter‐style gold rum”.

To create the liquid, Diageo went through more than 400 recipes to find something comparable to Captain Morgan Original Spiced Gold and, much like its alcoholic counterpart, the final product has notes rich with caramel, molasses, vanilla and warm brown spices – just without any of the alcohol.