After a December that can only be described as concerningly boozy, my taking part in Dry January has felt as much of a necessity as it has a choice. It’s also given me the ideal opportunity to write a Gordon’s Alcohol Free Gin review. In a press release, the manufacturer said that 'Gordon's 0.0% is created by distilling the same botanicals used in Gordon's Special Dry London Gin, capturing the essence of Gordon's in a delicious alcohol-free alternative'. When you taste it “neat” is when this is most evident. Of course, unless you’re reviewing the drink like me or are doing so out of pure curiosity, you’re unlikely to try the “gin” by itself. It’s certainly more pleasurable to drink unpaired with tonic than actual gin is; after all, there’s none of that wincing pungency that alcohol is responsible for. Gordon's goes hard on the latter, including a lot of that specific sort of lemoniness that keeps you thirsty and leaves a pleasant, sweet aftertaste. Paired with tonic (or lemonade, in fact) it’s a very nice drink, and one suggestible enough that you can get creative with your garnishes. I opted for some lemon peel and fresh basil leaves, which added a nice dimension to it, while blush orange and star anise (above) worked a treat, too.

However, the fact that around one in five drinkers (7.9 million people) in the UK planned to partake in Dry January this year — as well as a more general trend away from alcohol consumption, especially among younger folk — means that Gordon’s had to hop on the wagon sooner or later. Enter Gordon’s Alcohol Free… Best of all, you can drink it while writing a review and make it to the end coherently. Cheers to that. The legal definition of gin states that the liquid must contain an alcohol level (ABV) of at least 37.5%. This new type of drink usually has an ABV (that’s the alcohol level) of between 0 and 5%. This is why it is probably worth spending a little bit more, and choosing beverages from a trusted craft gin distiller, when selecting your no- or low-ABV ‘gin’; hopefully, it’s a sign that your drink will have been crafted with real care and premium ingredients. Is alcohol-free gin harmful?

The best alcohol-free gins you can buy in 2023

The vapour is then cooled and becomes liquid again; the distiller captures this liquid and dilutes it with water. These low-alcohol tipples are ideal if you want to enjoy something a bit special but you’re hoping to cut down on your alcohol intake. Adnams Smidgin Gin However, I did sort of miss the slight astringency of real gin when you’ve added the tonic. While the juniper and quinine bitterness does keep the fake stuff adult, there’s a certain va-va-voom missing here. And I’m pleased to report that Gordon’s AF is rather tasty. All the notes you’d expect from a gin are definitely there, namely juniper berries (the dominance of which, of course, is what makes gin gin) and citrus.

While the Gordon’s Alcohol Free option was something that I was really rather excited to get into, particularly after trying the ready to drink options – which I thought owed their sweetness to the tonic. Botanicals are all the different herbs, spices, fruits and other natural flavourings that craft distillers use to produce the unique flavour of their spirits (and is the reason why gin is such a marvellously versatile drink - the varieties of flavour are endless!). Both of our testers are gin lovers who were both planning on doing Dry January until this taste test assignment came along, which they couldn't resist.A 50ml measure of Gordon's Special Dry London Gin contains 104 calories, which is roughly the same as two ginger nut biscuits.

See the results from when we assembled four of the UK's most reputable gin experts to find the best gin. However, unless you’re as ditzy as me, you probably don’t care a jot what the bottle looks like. It’s all about how it tastes, after all. Low- and no-ABV gins are made in a variety of ways. Many are now being produced by gin distillers, and use many of the same processes as are involved in the creation of real gin.Well, for starters, these drinks are not technically gin! These beverages are designed specifically to look and (as much as possible) taste very similar to gin, but with a very low, or no, alcoholic content (ABV). Yes, that’s why we already offer craft rum, liqueurs, aperitifs, mixers, and - soon - other spirits such as vodka on our shop! To put that into context - an entire 70cl bottle of Gordon's 0.0% contains less than 0.1 units of alcohol. Calories in gin: how does alcohol-free compare? It's also important to know that Gordon's Alcohol Free 0.0% isn't entirely devoid of alcohol. Gordon's says that it contains no more than 0.015% ABV, so there is in fact a trace of alcohol in each bottle. Gordon’s, you will be unsurprised to know, claims to be the “World’s Favourite Gin”. Whether or not that’s true is up for debate, but it certainly is the world’s best-selling gin, which is a pretty stellar achievement when you take into account the fact that the spirit's popularity has been on the rise for nigh on a decade.

As you can tell from the picture above, Gordon's Alcohol Free 0.0% is almost identical in appearance to Gordon's Special Dry London Gin. Nose Both testers found Gordon's Alcohol Free 0.0% had a much stronger smell than Gordon's Special Dry London Gin, with sweet herby scents coming through with particular dominance. We’ve all thought it: without the booze inside the bottle, why am I paying so much for this drink?! Well, there’s a clue to the answer in the production process we’ve explained above. When creating these alcohol-free alternatives to gin, many of the best craft producers are using all the same strict methods, equipment and high-quality ingredients that they would to create a bottle of real gin. The design is immediately recognisable as Gordon's, but there's little chance of mixing up the non-alcoholic version with its boozy counterpart. Taste What: If a flavoured gin is more your thing, consider this glorious rhubarb number from CleanCo. Yes, that’s the CleanCo owned by Made in Chelsea’s Spencer Matthews, but don’t hold that against it - it’s actually rather good. It’s very fruit-forward, which might not be to everyone’s tastes, but it’s still very pleasing over ice with tonic in our opinion.Those looking to cut down on their alcohol intake will be pleased to discover that they can also significantly cut their calorie intake when drinking Gordon's Alcohol Free 0.0%. A 50ml measure of Gordon's Alcohol Free 0.0% contains six calories, which is roughly the same as half a crisp. As with real gin, low- and no-ABV spirits vary widely in taste (with varying degrees of success!) Most do manage to capture the herbal, slightly citrus notes of a generic gin, and other brands, like Seedlip, have even developed different flavours to emulate the different styles of gin you find: spiced, floral and so on. And of course, because it doesn't contain alcohol, it's better for your liver, skin, immune system and mental health. Gordon’s Alcohol Free Gin review: the verdict