An alcohol-free or non-alcoholic drink, also known as a temperance drink, is a version of an

alcoholic drink An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The c ...

made without

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

, or with the alcohol removed or reduced to almost zero. These may take the form of a

non-alcoholic mixed drink A non-alcoholic mixed drink (also known as virgin cocktail, temperance drink, or mocktail) is a cocktail-style beverage made without alcoholic ingredients. Also called "zero proof" drinks, the non-alcoholic drink dates back to the earliest days ...

(a "virgin drink" or "mocktail") or non-alcoholic beer ("near beer"), and are widely available where alcoholic drinks are sold.

Scientific definition

Low-alcoholic drink

Sparkling apple cider,

soft drink A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a drink that usually contains water (often carbonated), a sweetener, and a natural and/or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a su ...

s, and juice naturally contain

trace amounts ''Trace Amounts: Autism, Mercury, and the Hidden Truth'' is a 2014 anti-vaccination biographic film by Eric Gladen, who claims to have experienced mercury poisoning after receiving a tetanus vaccine. In the film, he presents his investigation on ...

or no alcohol. Some fresh orange juices are above the UK 'alcohol free' limit of 0.05% ABV, as are some yogurts and

rye bread Rye bread is a type of bread made with various proportions of flour from rye grain. It can be light or dark in color, depending on the type of flour used and the addition of coloring agents, and is typically denser than bread made from wheat f ...

. Ethanol

distillation Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separation process, separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distilla ...

is used to separate alcoholic drinks into what are advertised as non-alcoholic drinks and spirits. Distilled wine produces low alcohol wine and

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

(from brandywine, derived from Dutch ''brandewijn'', "burning wine"). Distilled beer may be used to produce low-alcohol beer and whisky. However, alcoholic drinks cannot be further purified to 0.00% alcohol by volume by distillation. Most drinks labeled "non-alcoholic" contain 0.5% ABV, as it is more profitable than distilling it to 0.05% ABV often found in products sold by companies specializing in non-alcoholic drinks.

Ethical issues

Alcohol is legal in most countries of the world where a drinking culture exists. In countries where alcohol is illegal, similar non-alcoholic drinks are permitted. The definition of "alcohol-free" may vary from country to country. The term "non-alcoholic" (e.g.,

alcohol-free beer Low-alcohol beer is beer with little or no alcohol content and aims to reproduce the taste of beer while eliminating (or at least reducing) the inebriating effects of standard alcoholic brews. Most low-alcohol beers are lagers, but there are some ...

) is often used to describe a drink that contains 0.0% ABV. However, most drinks advertised as "non-alcoholic" or "alcohol free" sold by countries with zero tolerance with state-run liquor monopoly, actually contain alcohol. In the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

, the labels of drinks containing only more than 1.2% ABV must state the actual alcoholic strength (i.e., show the word "alcohol" or the abbreviation "alc." followed by the symbol "% vol."). Alcohol is a

psychoactive drug A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, psychoactive agent or psychotropic drug is a chemical substance, that changes functions of the nervous system, and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition or behavior. ...

and some critics say that the label "non-alcoholic" is misleading, due to the presence of small amounts of alcohol in most drinks labelled as such, and a threat to recovering alcoholics.

Mocktails

Mocktails, an abbreviation for "mock cocktails", are festive, non-alcoholic party drinks. The word "mock" implying a facade of the alcoholic cocktail without any of the alcoholic content. Mocktails can be described as a smooth blend of only non-alcoholic drinks, which could be fresh fruit juices, syrups, cream, herbs and spices. Mocktails are designed specifically for those who do not take alcoholic drinks or need to refrain from them, which means these blends can be enjoyed by people of all ages. They are particularly favoured over cocktails by teetotalers, underage persons, drivers, pregnant women, and others who choose party drinks that are alcohol-free.

Fruestas

The

Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program th ...

publishes several recipes for fruestas, which are nonalcoholic fruit drinks for large functions, such as proms and weddings. As a locution, fruesta drinks are etymologically derived from "fruit" and "fiesta", being a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words

Legal definitions

EU

In the

, the labels of drinks containing more than 1.2% ABV must state the actual alcoholic strength (i.e., show the word "alcohol" or the abbreviation "alc." followed by the symbol "% vol.").

Denmark

The government of Denmark have decided to change the ''alcohol free'' legal definition from 0.1% alcohol by volume to 0.5%. This is due to the different taste of 0.5% than of 0.1%.

Finland

non-alcoholic beverage means a beverage which contains a maximum of 1.2 percentage by volume ethyl alcohol.

Italy

Non-alcoholic beer, termed as "birra analcolica", is regulated as equal to or less than 1.2% ABV.

Sweden

Systembolaget (, "the System Company"), colloquially known as ("the system") or ("the company"), is a government-owned chain of liquor stores in Sweden. It is the only retail store allowed to sell alcoholic beverages that contain more than 3.5% alcohol by ...

defines ''alcohol-free'' as a drink that contains no more than 0.5% alcohol by volume.

United Kingdom

Licensing laws only place restrictions on the sale or consumption of drinks with an alcohol content of over 0.5%.

Japan

In Japanese Liquor Tax Law, are defined as equal to or more than 1% ABV, so that drinks that are less than 1% ABV are not treated as alcoholic drink. However, , organization for making self‐imposed regulation, defines as drinks that 0.00% ABV.

Norway

An ''alcohol free'' drink is defined as under 0.7% alcohol by volume.

Russia

Non-alcoholic drinks are defined as containing less than 0.5% abv in general, or less than 1.2% abv if based on a fermentation product, including drinks like kefir,

kvass Kvass is a fermented cereal-based Alcohol by volume, low alcoholic beverage with a slightly cloudy appearance, light-brown colour and sweet-sour taste. It may be flavoured with berries, fruits, herbs or honey. Kvass stems from the northeastern ...

and

medovukha Medovukha ( rus, медову́ха, medovúxa, mʲɪdɐˈvuxə; uk, меду́ха, medúxa, ; be, мяду́ха, медаву́ха, miadúxa, miedavúxa, , ) is a Slavic honey-based alcoholic beverage very similar to mead, but it is mad ...

. This also includes low-alcohol beers by definition.

United States

malt drink A malt drink is a fermented drink in which the primary ingredient is the grain, or seed, of the barley plant, which has been allowed to sprout slightly in a traditional way called "malting" before it is processed. By far the most predominant m ...

that contains less than 0.5%

alcohol by volume Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...

does not have to be labeled.

List of traditional non-alcoholic drinks

Aam panna Aam is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Overbetuwe Overbetuwe () is a municipality in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. It was formed on 1 January 2001 as a merger of three former ...

* Aguas frescas *

Aguapanela Aguapanela, '' agua de panela'' or ''agüepanela'' is a drink commonly found throughout South America and a few parts of Central America and Caribbean. Its literal translation means "panela water" as it is an infusion made from panela which is der ...

* Almdudler *

Apfelschorle Apfelschorle () (Apple Spritzer), also Apfelsaftschorle (Apple juice spritzer) or Apfelsaft gespritzt (Splashed apple juice) in German, is a popular soft drink in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. It consists of carbonated mineral water and app ...

Atole ''Atole'' (, from Nahuatl '' ātōlli'' ), also known as ''atolli'' and ''atol de elote'', is a traditional hot corn- and masa-based beverage of Mexican origin. Chocolate ''atole'' is known as ''champurrado'' or ''atole''. It typically accomp ...

* Ayran *

Baesuk ''Baesuk'' () is a variety of ''hwachae'', Korean traditional fruit punch made with ''bae'' (배: Korean pear), black peppercorns, ginger, honey or sugar, and water. History Originally, ''baesuk'' was served in Korean royal court cuisine, so tha ...

Bandrek Bandrek is a traditional hot, sweet and spicy beverage native to Sundanese of West Java, Indonesia. The Sundanese people who live in the cool, highlands consume bandrek to warm themselves at night and during cold weather. This hot beverage is ma ...

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...

Barley water Barley water is a traditional drink consumed in various parts of the world. It is made by boiling barley grains in water, then (usually) straining to remove the grains, and possibly adding other ingredients, for example sugar. Variations *Kykeon ...

Birch sap Birch sap, birch water or birch juice is the sap directly tapped from birch trees, ''Betula pubescens'' (white birch), ''Betula pendula'' (silver birch), '' Betula lenta'', ''Betula papyrifera'', and '' Betula fontinalis''. Birch sap may be consu ...

Blåbärssoppa Blåbärssoppa or blueberry soup ( fi, mustikkakeitto, is, bláberjasúpa) is a Nordic soup made from bilberry, bilberries, which can be served cold or hot. It is sweet and contains starch, which gives it a fairly thick consistency. It is served e ...

Bread Drink Brottrunk (literally meaning "bread drink" in German) is a fermented grain beverage similar to bread kvass, made in Germany from bread. The bread is baked from biodynamically grown grains. This bread is then fermented in a proprietary month-lo ...

* Cendol *

Chalap Chalap or shalap or chalob ( ky, чалап, ; uz, chalob, ; kk, шалап, translit=shalap, ), also marketed as Tan ( ky, Тан, ) by Enesay ( ky, Энесай), is a beverage common to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. It consists of qatiq or suz ...

* Champurrado *

Champús Champús is a drink popular in Peru, Ecuador and southwest Colombia, made with maize, fruits such as lulo (also known as naranjilla), pineapple, quince or guanábana, sweetened with panela and seasoned with cinnamon, cloves and orange tree leaves ...

Chass Chaas ( gu:છાશ ''chhash'', hi:छाछ ''chhachh'') is a curd-based drink popular across the Indian subcontinent. In Rajasthani it is called ''ghol,'' in Odia it is called ''Ghol/Chaash,'' ''moru'' in Tamil and Malayalam, ''taak'' in Mara ...

Chicha morada Chicha morada is a beverage originated in the Andean regions of Perú but is currently consumed at a national level. The base ingredient of the drink is corn ''culli'' or ''ckolli'', which is a Peruvian variety of corn known commonly as purple ...

Cholado Cholado or Raspao is an icy beverage with fresh fruit and sweetened condensed milk traditional from Jamundí, in the region of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. It is made from crushed ice or shaved ice, chopped fruit, condensed milk, fruit syrup, and s ...

* Chai *

Coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

Egg cream An egg cream is a cold beverage consisting of milk, carbonated water, and flavored syrup (typically chocolate or vanilla), as a substitute for an ice cream float. Despite the name, the drink contains neither eggs nor cream. It is prepared by po ...

Egg nog Eggnog (), historically also known as a milk punch or an egg milk punch when alcoholic beverages are added, is a rich, chilled, sweetened, dairy-based beverage. It is traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, and whipped egg whites ...

Elderflower cordial Elderflower cordial is a soft drink made largely from a refined sugar and water solution and uses the flowers of the European elder (''Sambucus nigra'' L.). Historically, the cordial was popular in Northwestern Europe where it has a Victorian ...

Es bir Bir pletok is a non-alcoholic Indonesian drink of the Betawi people in Jakarta, Indonesia. Pletok beer is made from several spices, namely ginger, pandan leaves, boiled sappan wood, and lemongrass. Bir pletok is mostly found in Indonesia and ...

* Falooda * Garapa * Ginger ale * Ginger beer * Ginger tea * Hawaiian Punch * Horchata * Hot chocolate *

Hwachae ''Hwachae'' () is a general term for traditional Korean punches, made with various fruits or edible flower petals. The fruits and flowers are soaked in honeyed water or honeyed magnolia berry juice. In modern South Korea, carbonated drinks and/o ...

Jindallae hwachae ''Jindallae-hwachae'' () is a variety of ''hwachae'', or Korean traditional fruit punch, made with Korean rhododendron petals and mung bean starch. It is prepared for ''Samjinnal'' (삼짇날, a Korean traditional holiday which falls on every ...

Kava Kava or kava kava (''Piper methysticum'': Latin 'pepper' and Latinized Greek 'intoxicating') is a crop of the Pacific Islands. The name ''kava'' is from Tongan and Marquesan, meaning 'bitter'; other names for kava include ''ʻawa'' (Hawaiʻi), ...

* Kefir * Kombucha *

Kvass Kvass is a fermented cereal-based Alcohol by volume, low alcoholic beverage with a slightly cloudy appearance, light-brown colour and sweet-sour taste. It may be flavoured with berries, fruits, herbs or honey. Kvass stems from the northeastern ...

Lassi Lassi () is a regional name for buttermilk, the traditional dahi (yogurt)–based drink, consumed in the South Asian region. Lassi is a blend of yogurt, water, spices, and sometimes fruit. Salty lassi is similar to doogh, while modern sweet la ...

* Licuado * Mattha * Mazamorra *

Milkshake A milkshake (sometimes simply called a shake) is a sweet beverage made by blending milk, ice cream, and flavorings or sweeteners such as butterscotch, caramel sauce, chocolate syrup, fruit syrup, or whole fruit into a thick, sweet, cold mixture ...

Mocochinchi ''Mocochinchi'' (from the Quechua for dried peach) is a Bolivian beverage. It is made with peaches that have been peeled and dried. The fruits are left in water overnight, then boiled with sugar and cinnamon. The drink is served cold, and often, a ...

Mote con huesillo Mote con huesillo is a traditional Chilean summer-time drink often sold in street stands or vendor carts. It is a non-alcoholic beverage consisting of a sweet clear nectar-like liquid made with dried peaches (huesillo) cooked in sugar, water and ...

Nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

* Orange drink * Orange soft drink *

Peanut punch Peanut punch is a beverage that is popular in the Caribbean. The main ingredients of the drink include peanuts/ peanut butter, milk and sugar. However, variations occur whereby regular milk is often replaced or added to a mixture including cond ...

Roasted barley tea Barley tea is a roasted-grain-based infusion made from barley. It is a staple across many East Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. It has a toasty, bitter flavor. In Korea, the tea is consumed either hot or cold, often tak ...

* Root beer * Sarsaparilla * Sharbat *

Shikanjvi Shikanjvi or Shikanjabeen is a lemon-based drink originating in the northern part of India and Pakistan. Alternative names include ''shikanji'', ''shikanjbi'' and ''shikanjbeen''. Shikanjvi is distinct from lemonade, and often contains other ingre ...

* Smoothie *

Subak hwachae ''Subak-hwachae'' () or watermelon punch is a variety of ''hwachae'' (punch) in which watermelon is a primary ingredient. It is widely consumed during summer throughout Korea to keep cool in hot temperatures. Preparation Watermelon is cut in ha ...

Sujeonggwa Sujeonggwa is a Korean traditional cinnamon punch. Dark reddish brown in color, it is made from mainly cinnamon, sugar, water and ginger. It's often served with ''gotgam'' (dried persimmon) and garnished with pine nuts. The punch is made by brew ...

Switchel Switchel, switzel, swizzle, switchy, ginger-water or haymaker's punch is a drink made of water mixed with vinegar, and often seasoned with ginger. It is usually sweetened with molasses, though honey, sugar, brown sugar, or maple syrup are somet ...

Tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...

Tereré (of Guaraní origin) is an infusion of (botanical name ''Ilex paraguariensis'') prepared with cold water, a lot of ice and pohá ñaná (medicinal herbs), and in a slightly larger vessel. This infusion has its roots in Pre-Columbian America, w ...

Thadal Thadal is a cooling and energizing drink, used by the pehlwan of the Sindh province in Pakistan. The drink keep the wrestlers liver cool during fights and exercises. The drink is prepared using ground char magaz, dry fruits, pepper and almonds. T ...

Yerba Mate Yerba mate or yerba-maté (''Ilex paraguariensis''; from Spanish ; pt, erva-mate, or ; gn, ka'a, ) is a plant species of the holly genus ''Ilex'' native to South America. It was named by the French botanist Augustin Saint-Hilaire. The leave ...

Water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

Yuja hwachae ''Yuja-hwachae'' () is a variety of ''hwachae'', Korean traditional fruit punch made with finely shredded ''yuja'', Korean pear, and honey or sugar. In Korea, ''yuja'' are largely cultivated in the southern part of the Korean peninsula such as Go ...