Nowadays, more of us are going non-alcoholic sometimes or all the time. Maybe you’re ditching alcohol to improve your health, cut empty calories, or feel better. Or perhaps you’re planning a pregnancy, a Dry January, or a night as a designated driver.

Here’s what to drink instead. They’re all great tasting, modest in sugar (from added sugar or juice), and low-ish in calories per serving (anywhere from zero to what you’d get in about half a light beer). 

This article comes from  Nutrition Action. We don’t accept any paid advertising or corporate or government donations. Any products we recommend have been vetted by our staff and are not advertisements by the manufacturers. They’re just healthier foods we think you’d like to know about!

1. Hop water

If you’re a craft beer fan, say hello to hop water. Hoplark offers zero-calorie sparkling waters “brewed” with the pleasantly bitter hop plant flowers that give craft beers their character. Choose from cans named for their hops like “citrus-forward” Citra or “pine-forward” Mosaic. Or go with Vanilla Bean or Lemongrass made with—you guessed it—real vanilla bean or lemongrass. Hoplark’s 0.0 Citra hop water is similar, but it’s made for anyone craving the extra dose of hops you might get in, say, a “double dry hopped” IPA beer.

Then there’s the company’s HopTea “refreshing craft brewed tea.” The only difference between hop water and Hoplark’s HopTea: instead of sparkling water, the base is sparkling unsweetened iced tea (black, green, white, or herbal). Why? When paired with hops and fizz, teas—especially black teas—taste surprisingly beer-like. (Bonus: If you’re gluten-free, so is HopTea. Most beer isn’t.) Most HopTea varieties have zero calories. Some “limited edition” flavors add a little fruit juice or sugar, but not typically more than 10 to 50 calories’ worth.

Also try: Sierra Nevada Hop Splash. Or go with just about any brand you can find. Most have just two or three main ingredients—water and hops, sometimes natural flavor—so they’re calorie-free. (But it’s always a good idea to check the ingredients and Nutrition Facts.)

2. Non-alcoholic beer

A 12 oz. can of an IPA beer with alcohol has around 200 calories. So even many non-alcoholic ones hover around 70 to 100. But a Partake Non-Alcoholic IPA takes it down to just 10 calories, without resorting to any tricks. (It has just four ingredients: water, barley, hops, and yeast.)

How can Partake go that low in calories yet still deliver such big IPA taste? For starters, plenty of hop flavors shine through. Then there’s the “proprietary brewing method perfected over many years,” says Partake’s website. Translation: It’s a secret.

What’s more, none of Partake’s other non-alcoholic beers (like pale ale, pilsner, hazy IPA, etc.) top 30 calories per can. Impressive!

Also try: Athletic Brewing Lite (25 calories) and Upside Dawn Golden ale (45 calories) 

3. Alcohol-removed wine

Non-alcoholic wines have come a long way—so far, in fact, that some can stand in for a celebratory glass of bubbles without a tradeoff on taste.

Wölffer Estate would know. The company had been producing mostly alcoholic wines for decades before adding a handful of alcohol-removed wines to its repertoire.

More good news: Wölffer’s Spring in a Bottle Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine is dry enough to give a 5 oz. glass just 6 grams (1-1/2 teaspoons) of sugar and 40 calories. Cheers!

Also try: A 5 oz. glass of Good Twin Non Alcoholic Sparkling Beverage is similar in taste, calories (30), and sugar (5 grams) and slightly lower in price (we paid $16 for a bottle of Good Twin and $22 for Wölffer). 

Another budget-friendly option:Giesen non-alcoholic wines are typically sold for the same price as Good Twin (or less), and the brand offers a wide range—from Chardonnay to Premium Red—all with just 20 to 30 calories in a 5 oz. serving.

4. Bottled or canned zero-proof cocktails

Amaro is a liqueur that has been infused with botanicals (herbs, spices, etc.), which gives it bittersweet notes that aficionados love. It’s typically consumed after a meal.

Each 7 oz. bottle of non-alcoholic St. Agrestis Amaro Falso holds two (strongly flavored) 40-calorie servings. So pour half in a glass with ice and a splash of seltzer, if you like. That limits the sugar to 2-1/2 teaspoons. The numbers for a St. Agrestis Phony Negroni cocktail—you can often find it offered on bar or restaurant menus—are similar.

Also try: Ghia is a “non-alcoholic aperitif” with a taste that’s reminiscent of bitter spirits like Aperol and Campari. That lends a pleasantly complex bite to the company’s Le Spritz cocktails, which come in five flavors: Ghia Soda, Ghia Ginger, Blood Orange, Sumac & Chili, and Lime & Salt. The 8 oz. cans have 50 to 70 calories and no more than 2-1/2 tsp. of sugar. 

5. Cocktail-inspired canned spritzers

Maison Perrier Chic cans are equal parts bubbles, fruit juice, flavor, and mocktail. Care for a piña colada? Try a Piña Fizz. Each variety takes hints from a classic cocktail, but with just a fraction of the sugar (6 grams or less) and calories (30 or less)...and no syrups or mixers with food dyes (just natural colors from fruit and vegetable extracts).

Also try: The Spindrift Cosnopolitan is a fizzy riff on the Cosmopolitan (cranberry, orange liqueur, lime, and vodka), but with only 10 calories per 12 oz. can from cranberry juice, orange juice, and lime juice and extract. Another good bet: Spindrift Nojito. The rum-free, sugar-free mocktail has the lime and mint flavors of a mojito…and almost no calories.

6. Fun sparkling drinks that don’t mimic alcohol

Don’t feel like having something that’s trying to taste like beer, wine, or a cocktail? Sometimes you just want a beverage that feels like a special treat.

Something & Nothing calls itself a “premium soda,” but it bears no resemblance to Coke or Sprite. Each 12 oz. can is sweetened with 40 to 60 calories’ worth of fruit juices and is spiked with flavors like ginger, mint, cucumber, Thai basil, rose, or yuzu (a citrus fruit). One downside: At around $2.70 per can, the cost isn’t, um, nothing. 

Also try: Ruby Concord Grape Sparkling Water with Hibiscus has 30 calories per can, just three ingredients (water, concord grape juice, hibiscus herbal tea), and a fun mix of sweet grape-y and tart hibiscus flavors.