Our drinks experts have worked closely with Robinson’s brewers to install, test and run this revolutionary piece of brewing kit. It really is a UK first and we’re excited to see it in action producing our range of Smashed beers and ciders.” They start with great tasting, fully alcoholic Beer and Cider. The Oxygen-free vacuum chamber enables them to gently heat the liquid for just a few minutes.

SMASHED Cider – ClubAF SMASHED Cider – ClubAF

David Bremner, Marketing Director at Robinson’s Brewery said: “We are incredibly proud to partner with Drynks Unlimited and build their innovative CVD plant in our brewery. Their stealth focus on producing the best quality alcohol-free drinks in the market perfectly complements our brewing history and expertise. Our no and low sales are up 51% this year and this trend is set to continue through innovation in flavour and dispense.”

The best non-alcoholic drinks you can buy in 2023

We liked the discernible bitter orange flavour, which was reminiscent of a natural, zesty marmalade, and the fact that it’s free from preservatives, flavourings, artificial colours and sweeteners. Serve perfectly chilled over ice with a slice of blood orange or a shaving of rhubarb for extra points. And if orange isn’t your bag then the Floral Fizz and Spicy Ginger Fizz are equally delightful. Its first alcohol-free brand, Smashed, has four products in its range; Smashed Cider, Smashed Hops, Smashed Citrus and Smashed Berry (launching in 2020) and available in bottles and cans. The Smashed range uses the finest British ingredients to create authentic tasting beer and cider and then the alcohol is gently removed in a low impact cool vacuumed environment which maintains the same bubbly, personality, character and flavour of the full alcohol version. For fans of the festive season who would rather skip the conventional Christmas hangover, mulled cider which is non-alcoholic is still an untapped area. Several brands do offer their own non alcoholic mulled syrups, which can be added to a warmed up version of an alcohol free cider to give a similar experience. William Fox Mulled Spice Syrup, and Simply Hot Spiced Apple Winter Warmer Syrup offer their own premixed syrups to add to drinks, and there are also plenty of alcohol free recipes available online. The range is vegan-friendly and gluten-free where possible, with each product boasting less than 100 calories. It would be easy to think that no alcohol-free drink could turn the head of a committed whisky drinker, but Spirits of Virtue is out to prove otherwise with its Dochus range.

Cider in 2023 - FindThisBest (UK) Top 10 Best Alcohol Free Cider in 2023 - FindThisBest (UK)

If you enjoy the sweetness of cider, you may also be a fan of the Brothers Toffee Apple – a rich drink which mixes in notes of cream soda and toffee. Made by four brothers in Somerset, this popular English cider now has a non-alcoholic version to fix any sweet-toothed cravings. The CVD process is designed to gently remove alcohol from premium craft drinks without affecting the flavour and aromas in the original, fully alcoholic beer and cider. The method takes longer to produce alcohol-free drinks – up to eight days to make a bottle of Smashed Cider or Lager.Golden, slightly opaque sparkling liquid with a fresh inviting aroma of English apples. The taste delivers pure refreshment with a perfect balance of sharpness, sweetness and bite. The initial refreshing upfront green apple taste is perfectly complimented with a great mouthfeel and a satisfying astringent mature English cider finish. Richard Clark, Founder and MD of Drynks Unlimited said: “The last 0.5% of alcohol is the hardest part to remove. That’s why the majority of ‘alcohol-free’ drinks on the market are low alcohol (0.5% or above), very few are truly 0%. This market-leading technology means we are the first British-based drinks company to produce alcohol-free drinks that deliver exceptional taste and an authentic experience. This process removes all of the alcohol without damaging the characteristics and taste of the liquid producing a great refreshing drink with the taste and

Cheetham Bell MD Mark Harrison partners with DRYNKS Former Cheetham Bell MD Mark Harrison partners with DRYNKS

Gin has become the spirit of choice for many, so its no surprise that the alcohol-free market has got in on the action too. And while there are many options to choose from, Ceder’s Wild is considered one of the best options in the gin alternative space. Richard Clark, Founder and MD of DRYNKS Unlimited said: “Mark joins us at a key moment as we accelerate the growth of our Smashed brand in the UK and globally. He is perfectly positioned to help us align our creative brand focus and drive awareness with consumers who are increasingly looking for a quality great-tasting alternative to alcohol. Mark will be joining a brilliantly passionate team who are all focused on driving growth for the brand. We’re really excited to have Mark on the team.” In comparison, non-alcoholic cider has appeared a lot more recently, as the low and no alcohol sector has witnessed a significant boom in popularity and innovation. Coinciding with the pandemic, between 2020 and 2022 the number of consumers who have started to look out for their health has increased, and consequently many want to cut down on drinking. As a result, a several brands have developed what is some of the best alcohol-free cider on the UK market. The best products in the non alcoholic cider category The classics

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Our revolutionary range of truly AF drinks will bring true sessionability to the nolo category for the very first time.” The Smashed range uses the finest British ingredients to create authentic tasting beers and ciders and then the alcohol is gently removed in a low impact cool vacuumed environment which maintains the same bubbly, personality, character and flavour of the full alcohol version. All Smashed drinks are vegan, gluten free (where possible), low in sugar and contain less than 100 calories. We may be all about the 0% but we are 100% focused on creating a collection of alcohol-free drinks.

Smashed Berry Can - Alcohol Free Drinks Smashed Berry Can - Alcohol Free Drinks

In comparison to the other craft cider brands out there, DRYNKS is a relatively new addition to the non alcoholic cider world, being established in 2017. Out of all of the brands mentioned so far, it is also the most unique in that it exclusively focuses on developing alcohol-free lagers and ciders. The brand offers two flavours – Smashed Cider, an alternative to apple cider, and Smashed Berry, a mixed fruits cider alternative. Some of successful names on the market include The Good Cider of San Sebastian, a popular Spanish brand which has produced several award-winning drinks since it was founded in 1918. Produced from apples grown in Lerida in Northern Spain, their zero alcohol apple cider is also gluten free and vegan.Richard’s vision: “Our mission is to create a portfolio of alcohol-free brands that deliver an ethically sourced, authentic, natural taste that will let drinkers forget that they aren’t drinking something alcoholic. We are the only UK drinks business to invest in a state-of-the-art cool vacuumed distillation kit that gently dealcoholises full-strength drinks. This produces delicious alcohol-free drinks that taste just as good as a quality alcoholic version.” DRYNKS Unlimited own the only 0% brewery in the UK which uses pioneering cool vacuum distillation technology to produce alcohol free drinks that taste so good you wouldn’t know there wasn’t any booze in them. All Smashed drinks start life as real craft beer and cider (between 5% - 5.7%) and they are gently dealcoholised which retains the DNA of the original drink. The business invested in this process because it delivers a quality taste experience that consumers crave. While alcoholic and alcohol-free ciders are different drinks, they are both made using a similar process. Like beer, both types of cider are fermented. To turn traditional cider into a 0.0% version, it then goes through a dealcoholisation process, where alcohol is removed from the drink in a manner that doesn’t hinder the traditional taste or mouthfeel of cider that consumers still desire. When did non-alcoholic cider first appear on the market?