What makes a great nonalcoholic drink? Beverage experts open up about Dry January, zero-proof cocktails

If your goals for the new year included abstaining from alcohol or finding a refreshing booze-free alternative to help slow consumption, you're in luck: Options for delicious nonalcoholic sips these days are overflowing and go far beyond basics like club soda with lime.

The ever-evolving nonalcoholic beverage category has been on the rise over the past few years, shifting from a trend in January to a wellness movement sparking larger lifestyle conversations on podcasts, prompting people to use wearable tech like Oura Rings or Apple Watches to track the less-than-desirable impacts of alcohol on our health, and encouraging investors and entrepreneurs to embrace new business opportunities in the zero-proof space.

The best nonalcoholic drinks: What makes menu-worthy nonalcoholic beverages

From ready-to-drink mocktails or adaptogen-enhanced spirit-free sips to handcrafted booze-free beverages taking space on high-end restaurant and bar menus and easy at-home recipes, there's an abundance of high quality options that take this trend far beyond the first month of the year.

Alex Barbatsis knows all about adding N/A options to fit menu trends, as he's done so successfully for Chicago's renowned, award-winning craft cocktail bar, The Whistler.

"Incorporating more nonalcoholic offerings on drink menus is a great move for bars since they've become more popular and it helps extend hospitality to everyone," he told "Good Morning America." "People who don't drink alcohol should still be able to go to a bar and enjoy something unique and complex like a craft cocktail. Having fun and interesting nonalcoholic cocktails on your menu will help everyone feel more included, plus it'll keep them coming back to your bar."

"With any cocktail, a great nonalcoholic drink should have unique levels to it," he explained, adding that many bars have repurposed classic cocktail ingredients to make N/A versions. "We have a house-made curry nectar that we use in both our regular cocktails and our spirit-free drinks. If an ingredient works great in a regular cocktail, why not use it in a nonalcoholic one?"

(Check out one of his favorite recipes below to recreate and taste-test at home.)

Daisies, a pasta-focused Chicago hotspot that earned a spot on the New York Times' Best Restaurants 2023 list and received a Michelin Green Star, has also adapted to the growing interest in N/A drinks to help elevate its already lauded menu.

When asked what makes a spirit-free beverage menu-worthy, beverage director Nicole Yarovinsky told "GMA" it's about "taking it as seriously as you would any other beverage."

"Treating it like something your guests should be as excited to pair with a signature dish as the sommelier's recommended glass is so important," Yarovinsky said.

"I think it's a fantastic opportunity for the culinary industry to explore new avenues of this art form," she added. "We've seen the cocktail, spirit, wine and even beer world flourish with more attention, care and education dedicated to those programs in bars and restaurants, and I believe the same can happen for nonalcoholic drinks."

Yarovinsky said she's seen "a more culinary approach becoming popularized on cocktail menus," which she said helps bring the bar and kitchen closer.

"Taking the culinary approach to N/A drinks is challenging but liberating in a way, because the flavor and concept become the focal points, as opposed to building around a base spirit," she explained. "Sometimes the best pairing for a dessert is a house tea blend with a twist, as opposed to a sherry."

Storied beverage director Sebastian Tollius of Eleven Madison Park fame has also evolved the booze-free options served alongside the iconic restaurant's vegan tasting menu.

From a "nogroni" recipe, which he shared below with "GMA," to offering at-home cocktail kits free of spirit, Tollius is committed to crafting unique distilled drinks sans-alcohol.

Ready-to-drink nonalcoholic beverages

Functional, feel-good aperitifs that come in a can, like De Soi (pronounced "de swa"), founded by Katy Perry and award-winning distiller Morgan McLachlan amid the early skyrocketing opportunity in the industry, have made a tremendous mark on the category.

The line of N/A spritzes comes in four varieties -- Golden Hour, Champignon Dreams, Très Rosé and Purple Lune -- made with botanicals like yuzu, lemongrass and rosemary, and mixed with mind-mellowing adaptogens like L-theanine, reishi mushroom and ashwagandha.

The name for the contemporary spirit-free cocktails comes from the French phrase maîtrise de soi or "self control" and is meant to encourage pleasure with restraint.

"Since the inception of De Soi, we've seen a transformative shift in the nonalcoholic beverage industry, driven by the massive influence of health and wellness trends," CEO Scout Brisson told "GMA." "The diversity and accessibility of nonalcoholic options now, compared to just three years ago, have not only made the transition easier for individuals but have also played a crucial role in introducing and educating more customers about the category as a whole."

Pointing to brands like Athletic Brewing and Hop Wtr that have "paved the way" on bar menus and shelves, the CEO said that "nonalcoholic beer is at the forefront, creating a wake for other subcategories ... as they bring consumers into the world of better-for-you, delicious-tasting, N/A alternatives."

Recipes for nonalcoholic drinks, booze-free beverages to make at home

Pomelo Breeze

Marie Mano, director of food and beverage at Agents Only Bar & Lounge at Hotel Dena in Pasadena, California, shared this simple and refreshing N/A recipe that feels like a tropical riff on a Paloma.

Ingredients
1 part fresh passionfruit puree 1 part fresh lime juice
3 parts grapefruit soda
Sea salt for garnish

Directions

In a collins glass, combine juices followed by the grapefruit soda. Stir and garnish with a fresh lime wheel.

The Nogroni, Non-Alcoholic Negroni

Recreate this classic cocktail without the booze from the beverage team at New York City's famed (and three-Michelin-starred) Eleven Madison Park.

Ingredients
1 ounce Monday Gin
1 ounce Pathfinder
1 ounce Eleven Madison Home Non-Alcoholic Vermouth
Orange twist or slice for garnish

Directions

Add all your ingredients into a mixing glass.

Fill the mixing glass with ice cubes and stir.

Strain your cocktail into a rocks glass with fresh ice and garnish the drink with a slice of orange or a twist of orange peel.

Click here for even more tips to make N/A drinks at home from more pros behind the bar who want to make it easy for you to do the same.