What is Non-Alcoholic Tequila Actually Made From?
(Photo: Ritual Alternative Spirits)
Non-alcoholic spirits emerged as one of the hottest, unexpected trends of 2023. Between mocktails, “sober curious” drinkers and Dry January, the industry has successfully courted a new type of consumer that would otherwise pay it no mind.
Several brands have capitalized on the zeitgeist by creating non-alcoholic versions of the world’s fastest-growing spirit, tequila. On the shelf, you’ll find Lyre’s Agave Blanco, Spiritless Jalisco 55, Fluere Smoked Agave (tastes like mezcal) alongside dozens more. Over the past few months, celebrities like Danny Trejo, Lewis Hamilton and Regé-Jean Page have gotten in on the action.
But what are these teetotalling spirits actually made from?
Contrary to popular belief, it’s usually not agave. Rather, these beverages are a chemistry-like concoction of salts, acids and flavorings carefully assembled to imitate the real thing.
A Peek Behind the Curtain
Following his zero-proof tequila, Danny Trejo plans to launch a non-alcoholic gin, rum, American whiskey and mezcal. (Photo: Trejo’s Spirits)
Ritual Zero Proof Tequila — owned by spirits juggernaut Diageo — is perhaps the most recognizable name in the category. On its website, the brand lists off an assortment of familiar and unrecognizable ingredients: filtered water, natural flavors, cane sugar, citric acid, xanthan gum, salt, caramel color, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate.
On the back of Trejo’s Tequila Alternative, you’ll find a similar but slimmer list: water, sugar, natural flavor, potassium sorbate and citric acid.
In addition to water and sugar, we can safely assume that citric acid and potassium sorbate are the building blocks of non-alcoholic spirits (they regularly appear in all manner of non-alcoholic gins, rums, whiskeys, etc).
But are these the ingredients that imbue faux-alcoholic flavor?
Most likely. Citric acid is regularly used in sodas, teas, juices and cocktails to add a sour, tangy flavor not unlike the bite of a good alcoholic spirit. On the other hand, potassium sorbate is a salt-like food preservative used to inhibit mold and yeasts in dairy (McDonald’s milkshakes), wines and hard seltzers. Though the ingredient may add some booze-like zing, it’s probably included to ensure that no alcohol develops within the bottle.
Last but not least comes the ambiguous mention of “natural flavor,” that cheeky phrase found on the ingredients list of seemingly every food product in existence.
In the case of non-alcoholic tequila, it likely indicates some combination of agave, citrus or vegetal extracts. A few brands have gone above and beyond in this regard; F1 racer Lewis Hamilton’s new Almave is distilled from real blue Weber agave that skips the boozy fermentation process.
All of this is to say, the formula isn’t set in stone. Unlike real tequila, there is no mandatory definition governing zero-proof spirits.
Just as the plant-based meat industry discovered a wide variety of proteins, glutens and soy to make its product “click,” the zero-proof spirits industry will continue to innovate in ways that make the current catalog look obsolete by comparison.
Read More:
Upscale Hotel Sues Rejected Underage Drinker Who Orchestrated Months-Long Smear Campaign
Is Tequila Really the Healthiest Spirit? Exploring the Half-Truths of Agave Spirits Folklore
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