Dry January is upon us, and you might be wondering how you'll make it through social events while sticking to your new resolution.
Whether you're kicking the bottle to the curb or just vowing to cut down, you might be wondering what your options are. Rather than just sipping on a soft drink and feeling awkward, fortunately, there is an array of 0 per cent drinks to try.
Most of us know about the exact mimics of your favourite, just without the booze, but there's a new range promising a 'buzz' and relaxation without the alcohol.
YouGov data shows 10 per cent of adults in Britain plan to try Dry January, with those aged 18-24 the most likely to give it a try.
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One of the new drinks is Sentia Spirits, and writer George Walsh was a willing guinea pig to give it a go.
How does the booze alternative work?
George tried the range of drinks from Sentia Spirits, and you can find out how he got on below.
Created by Professor David Nutt, it's said that Sentia Spirits are designed to serve as an 'effective alternative to drinking low levels of alcohol'. It promises to deliver that ‘gentle buzz’ of feeling tipsy without the subsequent hangover.
GABA stands for gamma-aminobutyric acid, a substance that naturally occurs in the body and acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain and nervous system.
Drinking Sentia Spirits apparently triggers the same neurotransmitter to give you that 'tipsy' feeling without the booze.
The brand's motto is 'feel good today, feel good tomorrow' - to avoid that dreaded hangover.
What happened when trying the non-alcoholic tipple
I opted for the GABA Gold, a caffeine-free, gluten-free, vegan drink boasting ‘a dynamic fusion of functional botanicals’ which contains hops and schisandra, a fruit-bearing vine used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Sentia has been created to mimic the calming effect GABA produces in humans, giving drinkers that ‘sweet spot’ of feeling relaxed and sociable.
The drink claims to give you a 'calm, lifted mood, and mental balance … bringing warmth and wellness to all your social gatherings'.
But I was more than willing to be proven wrong. And what better setting to have my narrow-minded world view expanded than in the company of close pals after a heated game of Catan?
How to drink the non-alcoholic spirit
I began by sipping it neat. Personal preference notwithstanding, it’s probably not something I would recommend. As someone with a rather blemished history with sub-par Skittle bombs at University pre-drinks, the citrusy-sweet flavour of the GABA Gold (£32 for 50cl) immediately brought up some long-repressed memories of spinning rooms and pounding headaches.
However, after mixing it with something as simple as tonic water and ice, the taste became far more palatable. And after a few minutes, I began to feel a subtle-but-notable warming buzz; a feeling of comforting relaxation, as if I had just been given a hug by Sulley from Monsters, Inc. while Sir David Attenborough ASMR played in the background.
Several sips later, the sensation remained. It didn’t quite give me the urge to oil up the hips and break out some questionable dance moves, or fire up SingStar and belt out my finest rendition of Busted’s Year 3000, but there was a discernible feeling of contentment.
One of my friends agreed, as she said: “Not bad at all, I definitely feel a bit more chilled. And there is a surprisingly pleasant depth of flavour, too.”
Another added: “Really nice. I could get very used to that.”
While another gave an equally glowing reference, simply uttering the words “would drink again” between glugs with all the eloquence of someone for whom the use of an adjective and a slap in the face are one and the same.
Would I drink it again?
For me, drinking Sentia Spirits turned out to be a largely pleasant experience, so much so that I’d be keen to try the other flavours in the range, which include GABA Red (spiced berries) and GABA Black (earthy, smoky and bitter).
I found it to be an enjoyable, satisfying beverage that retained many of the same perks as drinking booze but with far fewer cons. Free from the warped sense of reality that can come with a hangover, consider me something of a GABA convert.
Perhaps this really is a case of ‘new year, new me’ after all.
What's in the Sentia Spirits range?
There are currently three different spirits up for grabs online, priced at £32 for a 50cl bottle, and they're each designed for different occasions: Sentia Red, Sentia Black, and Sentia Gold.
You can find out what each beverage was created for below:
- GABA Black: to boost productivity or jumpstart evening plans with ginseng and gingko
- GABA Red: to chill out and unwind with ashwagandha and passionflower
- GABA Gold: to bring warmth and wellness to social gatherings with hops and
Topics: Dry January, Alcohol, Food And Drink
The LADbible Team