8 Best Fall Non-Alcoholic Drinks for Crisp Days and Cozy Nights

This article is a part of The Daily Pour’s Sober October Week, a full week of content dedicated to the phenomenon that is Sober October — a month during which many lay off booze altogether or perhaps take it easy. This week focuses on all things non-alcoholic, from beer to wine to spirits to functional beverages and beyond. Click here to check out the rest of our Sober October content.

Colourful trees during the Autumn season in Markham, Ontario, Canada. (Photo: Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via AP)

October is here, and that means autumn! The season of crunchy leaves, apple picking, corn mazes, Halloween and pumpkin-spice-everything. We welcomed the season with Drinks With Benefits — New York City’s first non-alc festival — at the end of September. While I wait for the weather to cool down to sweatshirt weather-level temps, here are eight adult non-alc drinks I’m most pumped up about this fall.

Proxies – Dry Cider 🍏

(Photo: Proxies/Instagram)

Rarely do you smell the crispness of a Granny Smith apple and the sulphuric bite of wine in a non-alc cider, but our friends at Proxies have nailed it yet again. There are light floral notes on the nose and the perfect amount of bubbles. Cider with a bite but without the booze is the hardest thing to get right. This beautiful new offering has that elusive bite coming from verjus — the highly acidic unfermented juice coming from the pressing of unripened fruits, like apples – wine tannins and sulfites — balanced with extracts of oak, chamomile, quassia bark, mandarin peel, and ale yeast.

Plaid Circus – Bubblegum Fantasy

(Photo: Plaid Circus)

With Himalayan White Tea and herb and botanical-infused vinegar and honey as a base, Bubblegum Fantasy isn’t your ordinary non-alc spirit analogue. Let’s just say it tastes like bubblegum, except it’s 1950s bubblegum dressed to the nines, with her hair in pinup-style victory rolls. She’s got fruits like mango and peach, lemon-peel and hibiscus infused vinegar, cane sugar, wildflower honey and, of course, bubblegum flavoring.

Wilderton Aperitivo Co. – Coffee Amaro

(Photo: Wilderton Aperitivo Co.)

If you’ve met me, you’ll know I’m obsessed with coffee. OBSESSED. Not just my morning cup (or cups!) of Joe — but coffee yogurt, ice cream, bitters (see below), etc. My dad is a coffee connoisseur, and he passed that love of the bean down to me and my brother. So, when I heard Wilderton Aperitivo Co. birthed a limited-release Coffee Amaro, I had to get my hands on a bottle! Of course, you get all the warm baking spice notes associated with a good coffee roast, but the surprise note is rhubarb. Why? Its sharpness and tartness balances the heaviness that coffee naturally brings to the table, and I think it’s actually a beautiful combo. Perfect for any espresso martini you want to make – cold or hot, because why not?!

All the Bitter x Zero Proof Nation Cherry Coffee Blast

(Photo: All The Bitter)

You’re seeing a theme here, right? Coffee is good year-round, but those warming notes are perfect for fall. Meet my collab with alcohol-free bitters darling All The Bitter: cherry (decaf) coffee blast. We put our heads and hearts together on a flavor that resonated deeply with me and the Blessings, co-founders of the brand, but the magic isn’t just in the liquid (which, like Frank’s Red Hot, I put that sh*t on everything!), it’s in the mission. This SKU is only available via All the Bitter’s website and at non-alcoholic bottle shops nationwide — which you can find via my global map of alcohol-free and NA-friendly establishments. You can’t get it at a big box store or Amazon (ATB actually pulled their whole inventory from Amazon); it’s meant to be a love letter to the indie businesses that drive this industry forward through education, 1:1 attention and community.

Athletic Brewing – Lodge Life

(Photo: Athletic Brewing Co.)

This campfire in a can is like a liquid s’more, and is only 90 calories for the whole treat. You get cinnamon, you get vanilla, you get cacao nibs – and of course, you get the malt and yeast promised by a non-alc brew. I truly believe stouts can be enjoyed throughout the year – not just during colder months – but if you’re unfamiliar with this type of brew, settle in by the fire. Stouts are traditionally dark beers (although I’ve heard of white stouts, and that’s another deep dive for another day) and often have a heavier mouthfeel/viscosity than their lighter counterparts (e.g. like ales, IPAs or sours, say).

Sylva – Orchard

(Photo: Sylva)

This is the only beverage on my list I haven’t tried yet. Sylva Labs is the brainchild of Ben Branson, founder of Seedlip and grandfather of the modern NA beverage movement. Sylva’s previous release, Padauk, is the company’s second foray into a dark sippable spirit achieved through the sonic ageing of a variety of woods. If you need me to repeat that, I will, because WTF!? Sylva uses ultrasound, along with heat, oxygen and pressure to age its liquids, extracting flavor, character and color from the woods sourced per expression. Orchard is what you’d expect, at least on paper – wood from apple, plum and cherry trees to create a smoky, lightly fruited sweetness. I wonder what would happen if I sang to my glass…

Babylonstoren – bitterrlekker

(Photo: Babylonstoren)

What is bitterlekker? It means “extremely delicious and pleasant” in Afrikaans, and this South African non-alc Aperol-like spritz does not disappoint. You’ve got the bitter orange peel, of course, and some South African honeybush tea – from the farms in South Africa (cue the Out of Africa John Barry score) that blend together to create a beautiful symphony in a little glass bottle. I’m obsessed. Spritzes, like stouts, are also year-round affairs. Cheers!

Tomorrow Cellars – Red Blend

(Photo: Tomorrow Cellars)

A lot of people say that non-alc red wine is the hardest to get right, and I’m inclined to agree. But this sub-category has come a long, long way. Enter Tomorrow Cellars’ 2023 Red Blend. What I dislike about many reds is the immediate dry mouth and weird tongue wringing that I find myself doing post-first or second sip. Not so with this one. There’s a super secret botanical blend in this wine that balances all the notes out. You’re left with a lighter-bodied red that’s got delightful oak, berry and cocoa notes.