Drinks with added benefits

enjoy a bravus

Over the past few years, alcohol-free drink producers have begun to experiment with new and interesting substances. Some ingredients, such as CBD, have an impact on the mind whilst others, such as kombucha, have an impact on the gut.

As such I’ve created a separate section outside of the non-alcoholic drink categories and I’ve called this ‘drinks with added benefits‘. 

AF DRINKS FOR THE BODY

drinks for the body

AF DRINKS FOR THE MIND

drinks for the mind

Non-alcoholic drinks for the body

Nowadays you can find all manner of non-alcoholic drinks that have a positive benefit to the body. Some have active ingredients such as probiotics that you find in kombucha whilst others have more traditional ingredients such as electrolytes or additional vitamins. You’ll find a collection of interesting body-boosting non-alcoholic drinks below.

Kombucha drinks

kombucha

Although kombucha has been around for hundreds of years it has had somewhat of a resurgence thanks to its many health qualities and unique taste. If you are unaware of kombucha is its essentially fermented tea (generally black tea) drink that is carbonated and has an acidic edge.

I mentioned health benefits and kombucha has many. Not only is it low in calories and sugar but it also has probiotics (good for the gut) and contains antioxidants as well as vitamins and minerals.

Nowadays drinks companies are coming up with a range of exciting and inventive combinations of kombucha and exotic ingredients.

Counter Culture 

counter culture kombucha

Counter Culture offers a unique range of sparkling kombucha drinks. From grapefruit and lemongrass to spiced blackcurrant you are sure to find some flavour profiles to jazz up your kombucha drinking.

drinking counter culture

DRINKS WITH ADDED INGREDIENTS

PICOSO DRINKS

picoso non-alcoholic spicy sodas

Picoso Spicy Sodas are tasty, refreshing and truly unique in their flavour profile. Suitable for vegans and gluten-free drinkers they have great spicy ingredients and added electrolytes. 

drinking picoso

Villbrygg sparkling DRINKS

villbrygg wines

Villbrygg brings you a taste of Norway thanks to its collection of Nordic Tropic sparkling drinks. The drinks combine unique local ingredients to create some of the tantalising and refreshing non-alcoholic drinks out there. 

drinking villbrygg

Non-alcoholic drinks for the mind

Mood enhancing drinks are those non-alcoholic drinks that include ingredients such as adaptogens (ie mushrooms) that either attempt to give you a mellow feeling without the use of alcohol or alter your state-of-mind.

All these drinks are legal (well in the UK anyway) and most contain natural ingredients to achieve an effect. 

DRINKS WITH A MELLOW EFFECT

NuWave Beer

nuwave alcohol-free lager

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened up a can of NuWave but I really liked it. The flavour was quite unique; probably due to the many different botanicals and biotics added resulting in a tasty, crisp non-alcoholic lager I enjoyed drinking.

drinking nuwave lager

IMPOSSIBREW

impossibrew ale

Impossibrew have created beers using their secret sauce aka ‘social blend’ to create calmness and soothe the mind without resorting to alcohol. I tried out their hazy pale ale which scored a reasonable 65.

drinking impossibrew

Three Spirit

three spirit social

Three Spirit was one of the first mood-altering non-alcoholic drinks I tried and it continues to remain a favorite. There are three different ‘botanical concoctions’ that have been created. Social Elixir (pictured) was certainly tasty but didn’t really have the behavioral impact I had anticipated. 

drinking social elixir

Collider Beer

collider lager

Collider is an interesting non-alcoholic beer producer who add adoptogens to their beers which have an impact on your body’s response to anxiety as well as mood-boosting properties. The Collider lager I tried included Lion’s Mane mushroom, Ashwagandha and L-Theanine.

drinking non-alcoholic collider

CBD drinks

mind altering drinks

CBD is a trendy ingredient added to all manner of drinks but what exactly is it? Well for the uninitiated CBD is an active ingredient found in cannabis and extracted directly from the hemp plant but it is not the ‘high’ inducing part of cannabis.

What CBD does is help reduce anxiety as well as benefit insomnia and those who have chronic pain issues. Just to mention it also shows no signs of addictiveness and according to the World Health Organization, there is no evidence of public health-related problems associated with its use.

CBD Botanical

cbd spirit

Drink producers Maria and Craig have created this drink by intertwining botanical ingredients with CBD. Check out my review of this interesting non-alcoholic spirit.

drinking cbd spirit

Buy mood-enhancing non-alcoholic drinks?

You can buy non-alcoholic soft drinks with added benefits from a number of supermarkets and specialist online stores, some of which are listed below.

uk customers

dry drinkerDry Drinker is a great retailer when you are looking for a comprehensive range of non-alcoholic drinks from cider and wine to  beers and spirits. Check out their build a box option to try out a range of different beverages.

Check out these guys too

us customers

proof no more

Proof No More is a great American non-alcoholic retailer that brings all the latest and greatest beers, spirits and more to your door.

Check out their extensive collection of non-alcoholic spirits.