The shift to alcohol-free is happening around the world, and Québec is no exception! What was once a trend has become a more conscious habit. With the movements to consume less and better and embrace wellness that so many public figures are advocating for, a lot of us are rethinking our alcohol consumption.
It’s a concept that originated in the United Kingdom and quickly caught on. According to Patrice Plante at Monsieur Cocktail, the keen interest in alcohol-free beverages is rooted in the idea of not placing alcohol at the core of our social relations and turning the spotlight on the drink itself, regardless of whether or not it contains any alcohol. He supports a movement in which everyone can enjoy the same cocktail, with or without alcohol.


The classics, revisited
The virgin mojito’s finest hour is long past, and so is the need to come up with useless justifications. The wide array of alcoholic cocktails has set the stage for a multitude of alcohol-free drinks.
Gin at 0.5% alcohol or less: No more counting!
Unlike wine and beer, gin isn’t dealcoholized. To give this spirit its complexity, the distiller uses the same copper still process as for alcohol-based gin. Instead of distilling a neutral alcohol and aromatics, the gin gets its character from a water-based solution.
Distillerie Noroi’s Esprit-De-London gin, which contains less than 0.5% alcohol, has very pronounced aromas lifted by essence of orange peel, is the perfect base to mix drinks.
Here are some simple recipe ideas that can be prepared at home and easily made with gin at 0.5% alcohol or less:
- Tom CollinsDry gin
- CDS branchéDry gin
- Gin GrapefruitDry gin
Click here for more ideas to mix your next drink made with gin at 0.5% or less.
Fun in a can
Ready-to-drink beverages are fantastically popular, and there are so many excellent options at 0.5% or less. And what could be simpler than popping open a can? The huge interest in colourful canned cocktails quickly led to the arrival of an impressive array of tastes and flavours. Here are just a few recommendations:
- Not available Online Available In store
- $10.00Available Online Available In store
- $9.80Available Online Available In store
- $9.80Available Online Available In store
Say yes to a second glass of wine (at 0.5% alcohol or less!)
It’s a question that gets asked again and again: how do you get the alcohol out of the wine? Regular and very low-alcohol wines start out the same way: White wine is pressed and reds and rosés macerate. The next step is alcoholic fermentation, which is what makes the juice turn to wine.
The wine is then dealcoholized in a different vat and cooled to -30 °C for just a quick moment to reduce the density of the alcohol, which separates from the rest of the liquid and can then be easily removed. To rebalance the acidity and preserve the final product, vitamin C is added.
We suggest you try:
As the alcohol-free trend continues to grows, there will certainly be more and more options and we think that’s great news. Try a few: we’re sure you’ll love them! Cheers!
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