An alcohol-free or non-alcoholic drink, also known as a temperance drink, is a version of an alcoholic drink 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 "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. Ethanol distillation 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 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 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 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 of the two words.

Legal definitions

EU

In the European Union, 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

A malt drink 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 * Aguas frescas * Aguapanela * 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 * Ayran * Baesuk * Bandrek *

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 *

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 * Champurrado * Champús * Chass *

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 * Chai * Coffee * Egg cream * Egg nog * Elderflower cordial *

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 * Jindallae hwachae *

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 * 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 * Root beer * Sarsaparilla * Sharbat * Shikanjvi * 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 * Tereré * Thadal * Yerba Mate * Water *

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 ...