Any suggestions for alcohol free festive drinks? Christmas morning used to be the only occasion I’d drink sherry. I’d enjoy a red wine with dinner and settle for a real ale or two as the day progressed. Last year I tried to kid myself low alcohol wine etc was fine. But it isn’t the same, is it?
I’ll probably make some kind of fruit punch, but any other suggestions for replacements and alternatives?
Thank you and have a wonderful Christmas everyone!
Kombucha? I’ll be buying a few bottles.
I’d forgotten about kombucha- I think because the pet one I kept became unmanageable over time - but no reason not to buy one from the experts!
If you can, buy directly from the brewer/maker, otherwise a good brand with live microbes and ‘bits’ in it. That’ll be my tipple. I’m afraid no alcohol lagers just aren’t my thing, beer never was, and the alcohol free wines I’ve tried have all gone down the sink! Or it will be fizzy water. I know how live, eh?
Another vote for kumboocha - although home made is quite alcoholic so check the label!
I made a spiced apple & berry beverage which went down well, tasted like mulled wine. Easy to do, no additives - warm pressed apple juice. Place mulled wine spices into pan with a cinnamon stick, liquidise frozen berries & then sieve & add to pan. Turn off the heat and leave to steep for an hour or so. I give it a kick by adding dessert spoon of Gimber - concentrated ginger Serve with small slice of dried or fresh orange. Very warming after walk on frosty day.
That sounds very nice indeed, and easy to make too.
Oh that sounds very nice 👍❤️ I don't drink alcohol either but this recipe is a brilliant alternative for Glühwein 👌☃️🦌🎄❤️
It's funny I packed up alcohol 15 years ago and I've never missed it,drinking alcohol free lager is OK though,you can be sociable and also drive of course. Have a nice Christmas.
I’ve not tried any wines but there’s a few beers that are okay for pretending, the aptly named Punk AF by Brewdog is nice if you like an IPA and Guinness “0” is really good in my opinion. I think I’ll be sticking mainly to Soda Water and Lime if out and Tap Water at home this year. Happy Christmas 🎄 🚰
Try Luscombe's sicillian lemonade.
Christmas Day I always have a few drinks. Tea Total for most of the rest of the year but I do relax at Christmas. I’m on Warfarin so that’s why I don’t normally have alcohol but one day of relaxation has never affected me in fourteen years.
I suppose it comes down to the reason why you can’t drink.
Hi Rainfern
It's the sulphites (preservatives) in wine that set your heart off in AF. In larger supermarkets they sell sulphite free wine. I bought some one year - not good for keeping though.
Jean
Thanks Jean, I’ll wait a few months before even the sulphite free til I’m darn sure my heart wants to keep in NSR!
Hi Autumn_Leaves,
I LOVE 1-2 Hot Chocolates... Good Ones... Expensive Mix...
I figure with all the money I am saving on Booze, why not splurge on the old standards and take it up a notch...
God Bless and Merry Christmas!
Johnny
And I love hot choc too, but sadly I’m temporarily cutting it out as triggers acid tummy.
Ok, Lets go with a "Non-Alcohol Pomegranate Spritzer"...
My daughter had one last night at dinner, delish and very festive!
onelovelylife.com/sparkling...
Cheers!
Oh wow that looks delicious 😋
Hi I have recently got some alcohol free mulled wine from Lidl. Haven’t tried yet. I used to love a Guineas pre Afib and have tried the zero one, which is very good but still went into afib after a short while. Have a good one everyone.
Hello Rainfern,
I do like some of the very low alcohol beers, I find Ghost Ship is very nice (0.5%). Tastes a lot like the real thing, I assume it’s down to the small amount of alcohol that’s present.
Happy Christmas!
Steve
I generally stick to ginger beer fever tree have the spiciest of all you can also get ginger and apple juice which is really lovely and changing the subject slightly last year. I had iced wine in Spain which is really just red wine shandy with red wine and lemon Fanta which you could make as weak or a strong as you wanted that was really delicious. My wife is now drinking that for Christmas dinner
Love ginger beer. Love ginger kombucha.
love a baileys at Christmas, but will give it a miss this year. Just bought some alcohol free gin and pink gin, haven’t tried it yet but will let you know!
I had a raspberry sour mocktail in a restaurant which was refreshing and delicious. I also have alcohol free gin and tonic at home and alcohol free beer. I haven’t found a palatable alcohol free wine despite my years of searching. Happy Christmas.
I like o% Guiness ( even hubbie will drink that ) 0% doombar and Estrella damn and fizzero from M and S if you want some bubbly.
Hi
I like Guiness too.
VERY GOOD for you.
FOR HEALTH - raise your glass!
cheri JOY
There are plenty of alcohol free drinks on the market these days, some impersonating alcohol, personally I cannot see the point. We will be having upmarket or should I say more expensive fruit mixes with soda. Also mulled apple juice and a good old fashioned with out the booze cup of tea. Merry Christmas 🎅.
3rd Christmas without alcohol , its different , not bad just different. Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year.
I was told to carry on as usual (which is to drink in modest quantities). And I have, with no ill effects whatsoever. In fact, of the three other people I know with AF, they all enjoy a drink in moderation.
Steve
Oh you brave people!
I should think it depends on medication. I've been forced to switch recently from pill-in-pocket to daily drugs (flecainide + metoprolol + rivaroxaban) and I have been advised informally (I know a cardiologist socially who has AF himself) that more than 1 daily unit is unsafe. My understanding is that it's very much about the immedate impact rather than the weekly limit over time, because the drugs lower the heart rate and so does alcohol. But not one of my prescriptions mentions alcohol on the label, which is surprising, and only the rivaroxaban mentions it in the leaflet.
I rarely drank anything on weeknights before all this kicked off, so abstemious days are no problem, but I have really been struggling with the 1-unit limit when I have a good dinner. One unit is approx 100ml, or less if it's a high ABV like a 14% red wine. It is really not much.
I've spent about £80 trying 'no-lo' wines so far, and there is little difference between a £5 bottle and a £10 bottle: they are all disappointing, like watered Beaujolais at best, or cheap grape juice at worst. If I only wanted to get squiffy, I could smoke something, but that is NOT the point -- it's the taste of wine with food I miss, and that is hardest thing to replace.
My son has managed to move to the zero alcohol wines and beers but I just don't find them enjoyable at all. I have seen no evidence to suggest a single unit is a limit with AF and I didn't know there was any reference in the rivaroxaban leaflet (although I've been switched to apixaban now). I certainly wasn't told to stick to one unit. I know there have been some studies that suggest no amount of alcohol is safe but, well, we all grew up being told dairy and saturated fats were unsafe and so on, yet now there's solid evidence of the reverse.
I tend to be somewhat sceptical of any study that looks at long term effects given the long list of confounding factors that must be there when looking at health over time. Moderation in all things is my motto! 
Steve
It was a cardiologist who told me to stay at 1 unit, and he has AF himself. This has nothing to do with the guidelines for people who don't have AF (14 units/week), but with the effect of alcohol on heart rate: anyone who is taking drugs to control heart rate, as I am currently, does not want the rate to drop so low that blood is not flowing, causing a heart attack or stroke. That was my understanding and it makes sense. The lack of a warning label in that case does not make sense.
I'm not a fan of beer so I have less of a problem with the palatability of low-alcohol beer, but the wine equivalent so far is very disappointing. Might as well drink upmarket soft drinks, as others have pointed out.
That's interesting as, so far as I know, alcohol increases the heart rate slightly rather than reduces it, and I don't know of any synergy with drugs that reduce the rate (i.e. to make that worse). In one study, I recall reading that alcohol in moderation (which was classed as two drinks a day for men, but one for women) had no effect at all on AF, whereas binge drinking and immoderate drinking were more harmful.
I think a drink is safe if it's enjoyed and even helpful when it is for the relaxation it brings on.
Steve
Abstract of "Effect of alcohol on blood pressure"
ncbi.nim.nih.gov
Monitoring editor: Cochrane Hypertension Group, S Tasnim, C Tang, V Musini, J Wright
"For low doses of alcohol, we found that one glass had little to no effect on blood pressure and increased heart rate within six hours of drinking.
"We are moderately certain that medium-dose alcohol decreased blood pressure and increased heart rate within six hours of consumption...
"We are also moderately certain that high-dose alcohol decreased blood pressure within six hours, and the effect lasted up to 12 hours...Heart rate increased significantly after alcohol consumption and remained increased at all times measured."
CONCLUSION
"Alcohol decreases blood pressure initially (up to 12 hours after ingestion) and increases blood pressure after that. Alcohol consistently increases heart rate at all times within 24 hours of consumption."
Hence my cardiologist's advice not to consume more than 1 unit, especially not while in arrhythmia and taking beta blockers (it's the metoprolol leaflet, not the rivaroxaban, that states no alcohol -- my mistake).
There may be something to be said for having a single unit several times a week to maintain at least minimal tolerance.
I read several conflicting studies but not that one - thanks for finding it. I think it must be hard for doctors to measure the effect with any certainty given the variety of findings. I'm a little surprised that there's any effect beyond a few hours as ethanol has a short half life.
Steve
My well-respected arrhythmia specialist says the same. Enjoy a drink and enjoy your life, and all of that. He did say having “no alcohol all week and then half a bottle at the weekend” wasn’t such a good idea, but as I have gone for months without touching alcohol and then had 2 or 3 glasses on a special occasion I’ve ended up with a couple of hours of troublesome ectopics. I think there may be something in the idea of tolerance, and total abstinence will result in having no tolerance. Similarly with caffeine, he said there’s no reason why not but having eliminated it to see if it would help ectopics on the advice of a GP, it didn’t, but now it affects my sleep quite badly whereas it was not so bad before. Sometimes excessive caution takes the enjoyment out of life.
Caffeine has no effect on me luckily and I think you are right regarding alcohol. I can well imagine it would have quite an added effect after a period of abstinence. My wife only has to smell it and she's woozy!!
Steve
It doesn’t take much to get me staggering around and not making much sense. I’d probably get drunk on those Bach flower remedies — very, very, expensive for very, very, very diluted brandy, so don’t waste your money! 🤣
Looking for triggers is a guaranteed way of creating health anxiety and an unhealthy relationship with food, so I don’t want to fall down that rabbit hole.
There was one large study (in Holland, if I remember) where the doctors looked into their patients AF triggers and, basically, found very few people could identify any.
Steve
I tend to agree with that. The only one I can identify is getting infected with Covid and my consultant agreed because he’s seen it in clinic. Even then, not everyone with AF is affected in the same way. I’m don’t want to end up one of those people who are like “OMG! It was the buckwheat! OMG! It was the cumin! OMG! It was the sweet potato!” Then one day it will be “the wrong kind of water” and seriously, I know someone who will only drink Evian water. It’s not healthy.
I have an elderly friend who waxes lyrically about the foods he must never eat and what they will do to him if he does, and yet I have known him on several occasions eat them unknowingly or unthinkingly without any effect. It's something of a running joke in the family.
I have come to think that some people just feel better if they can pin a label on things rather than accept it is serendipity. My days in the pharmaceutical industry showed how important and common, in blinded studies, the placebo effect was. I can well remember one study that showed how large red tablets more potent than others identical small white ones.
Steve
I’ve heard that certain colours of tablets work “better” too. There was an interesting study on “gluten sensitivity” and there was definitely a “nocebo” response to the gluten free products in the people who believed they were eating gluten when they weren’t. The study confirmed that some people had a sensitivity to wheat fructans, which is a FODMAP, rather than the gluten content so for some the symptoms are real but it’s not the gluten.
That's interesting and sounds right. In a sense, too, a placebo reposes is welcome. In the studies I recall, though, placebo responses tended to wear off after a few weeks. Another thing I recall from tests was that most people tend to get better even with no drug at all, so the actual effects of a specific drug can be hard to determine.
With symptoms that wax and wane such as arrhythmias, IBS and even some IBD, many forms of arthritis, and some "autoimmune" condition, it must be very difficult to ever be certain that a drug (or food supplement...) is working or not. Even antibiotics might not be the cause of an infection getting better when the body is constantly working to repair itself.
Steve
It’s very apparent with supplements. So many people I’ve known over the years have said, “Well, I *think* it *might* be helping a little bit”, but objectively speaking, they don’t really know. I have friends for whom it would be unthinkable not to take those big fizzy vitamin C pills every hour during a cold. I don’t see the point. The cold will go away anyway regardless of what they do. I don’t take anything if have a cold and the outcome is exactly the same. It’s the “reverting to the mean” tendency, as you say, the body is healing itself all the time. On the other hand, if someone is desperately seeking relief from symptoms and the hyped up supplement (ie placebo) doesn’t work, sometimes they end up being accused by the true believers that they “don’t want to get well” which is rife in the wellness industry who effectively sell placebos and expensive hope.
True believers are surely a law unto themselves. I remember many years ago when I used to go to church (don't ask!!) but was always asking questions at prayer meetings and was more than once told that "the devil is among us..."!
There's always a putdown for rational thinkers from "true believers"!
Steve
You’re obviously the devil incarnate! 🤣
No, I don’t think the “smoking” thing is a good idea. But I suppose if you went into AF you might feel more relaxed about it! 🤣
What I miss is the taste of wine, and smoking something is not going to help with that. If someone finally managed to produce "nolo" wine that actually tastes like wine, I'd be perfectly happy never to drink alcohol again.
Yes, I think I’d be happy with that.
Hi
I enjoy McCoys DARK GRAPE JUICE. Full of Vit C and goodness.
It is GRAPES without the fermentation. SEASONAL GREETINGS - HAVE A GOOD ONE.
cheri JOY
Aldi Zerosecco isn't too bad on the fizz front. I also have Becks Blue as a lager hit.Home Bargains do a very low alcohol rhubarb and ginger gin tipple (0.5%).
I also make a mockjito with ginger ale/beer, lime juice and crushed mint.
Merry Christmas!
Ang
Ginger beer lime and crushed mint sounds gorgeous!
I thought the Aldi Zerosecco was awful, but then I tried low-alcohol red wine and the cheap Zerosecco was actually better in comparison.
I've tried all the alcohol free "wines" and they are awful, even the expensive Hardys and Freixenet ones. Zerosecco is the best of a bad bunch.
Elderflower press. Tastes great and has a party fizz.
Tanquery do a non alcoholic gin which is fab, almost indistinguishable from the full fat version 😂
It's on my list. I've never been a gin drinker, but I'm getting desperate. -
I've tried a few but think that may be one with artificial sweeteners in it. Also Gordon's. Damned annoying when I thought I had found nice ones.🤗😄
There are some Christmas flavoured mixers from Fever Tree available at the moment - I like the Spiced Orange Ginger Ale.
Hi, depends on taste of course , but I've found non alcoholic Guiness looks good and tastes not too bad. Also for complete non alcoh I choose either elderflower, or tomato juice, with or without worcester sauce.
Beavertown do a fruity alcohol free light ale called Laser Quest. It tastes great and is sole in Sainsbury’s.
I'll be having a cup of tea. Not exactly festive but haven't had even a drop of alcohol since 1973 when I got the hangover from Hell.Now been taking opiates for 20 years so alcohol is definitely off menu. Have never missed it. I did try Iceberg non alcohol wine years ago but didn't seen the point.
Nothing wrong with a cuppa!
I like non alcoholic koparbourg or Old Moute. Quite sweet but just as good as the alcohol version. If you like sweet ciders you should like these. With the added bonus that they are cheaper than the alcohol version.
I enjoy making up a batch or two of fruit shrub syrup a few days before a party. Favorite holiday combos are pomegranate/peppercorn/white sugar/red wine vinegar or pear/star anise/brown sugar/white wine vinegar or peach/cardamom pods/honey/apple cider vinegar. Lots of recipes online.
wow looks amazing!
I haven’t read the other replies so this may be the 10th recommendation but I’ve just seen a booze critic on M&S big up Fizzero from M&S as a non alcoholic drink
Any of the CleanCo varieties are nice, with no artificial sweeteners. The gin and rum ones are good.
Yes, I like Kombucha too. In the summer I are out with friends. I drank one standard glass of red wine over the course of the meal. I had water too. No after effects. It has to be a good red
There are some nice alcohol free fine & the fever tree tonics don’t have artificial sweeteners. Have found a really nice alcohol free wine by majestic called ‘ Noughty’ .. not cheap but a nice treat. I was bought as a very very special treat ‘ alcohol free champagne’ … Wild Idol , best drink ever and not too sweet , not cheap though.
Heron Valley & Luscombe do some lovely elderflower, raspberry crush & scicilian lemonade drinks too.
I’m on diltiazem & flecanide for AF …. Cardiologist & pharmacist advised no alcohol or grapefruit juice as it can enhance the effects of these meds and end up passing out or getting more severe arrhythmias
I have found a company called DRY DRINKER they do a good range of beers and ciders.
Also a wide range of "wine" (so called), but I've tried three so far (two red, one white) and would not buy them again. They don't taste like wine, alas.
Heads up, everyone:
Zeno Alcohol-Liberated Red Wine (0.3% ABV), made in Spain and sold by Waitrose, was recommended in the media this week. I just had some. It is the best of the eight "no-lo" wines I have tried so far. For my palate, it isn't convincing enough to be an aperitif, but at least it doesn't taste like plain old grape juice (which, I've discovered, is added to "no-lo" wines, presumably to replace the sugar that is removed along with the alcohol).
It fares a little better alongside strong food -- I tried it with pasta and blue cheese.
If, like me, you are a wine lover, it still requires the correct attitude (goodwill or naked fear, or both) to accept this as a substitute. But it's the best I've found so far.
If anyone is checking my maths (how many no-lo wines have I tried), the tally is: one from M&S, one from Sainsbury's, one from Aldi (zerosecco), four from Dry Drinker and the Zeno from Waitrose.
Non alcoholic drinks
Alcohol and SVT
Merry Christmas from Downunder
Alcohol & Persistent AF
