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The best alcohol-free drinks for a night out

Most people who order alcohol-free drinks still drink, just less often and less each time. Here are the best alcohol-free options for a night out, from 0% beer to mocktails and mood drinks, and how to plan a night that mixes both.

By Peak21 October 20266 min read

The best alcohol-free drinks for a night out are the ones that still feel like part of the night: an alcohol-free beer, a 0% spirit with a good mixer, a proper mocktail or a mood drink chosen for how you want to feel. Most people who order them still drink alcohol too, so the right choice is simply the one that keeps you in the round and enjoying yourself.

This guide covers how people moderate now, what to order at the bar and where mood drinks fit in. Every option here is a good one, and the best night is the one that suits you.

79% of UK Gen Z adults drank alcohol in the six months to autumn 2025, up from 66% in spring 2023 (IWSR).
Almost half of UK alcohol drinkers now drink both standard and low or no alcohol drinks (Mintel, 2025).
44% of people in a Greene King survey of 1,200 said they moderate their drinking throughout the year.
Sales of alcohol-free cocktails in Greene King pubs rose 19% on 2024 (Greene King).
In England, a drink labelled "alcohol free" can contain no more than 0.05% alcohol (GOV.UK).

How do people moderate on a night out now?

People are still going out and still drinking, but they pace it differently. IWSR, which tracks drinking around the world, found that 79% of UK Gen Z adults of legal drinking age drank in the six months to autumn 2025, up from 66% in spring 2023. Between autumn 2024 and autumn 2025, the share who took a month or more off alcohol fell from 33% to 24%.

IWSR's president, Marten Lodewijks, puts it simply: people now moderate by drinking less often, and when they do drink, they drink less. That makes the night itself the place where moderation happens, one drink choice at a time.

Choosing both kinds of drink is now common. Mintel found that almost half of UK alcohol drinkers drink both standard and low or no alcohol drinks. Drinkaware's 2025 Monitor, a survey of 7,256 UK adults, found that 49% of young adults now choose no and low alcohol drinks to moderate, up from 28% in 2018.

Moderation also follows the occasion. Greene King found that sporting occasions saw the biggest rise in people choosing low and no alcohol drinks, up 11% on 2024, with date nights next. So the match, the gig and the first date are exactly where good alcohol-free options matter most.

Is alcohol-free beer a good choice for a night out?

Alcohol-free beer is an easy swap, because it looks and tastes like the drink everyone else is holding. In Greene King pubs, no and low alcohol beer makes up almost half of all low and no sales.

The words on the label matter more than most people realise. Under current government guidance for England, "alcohol free" means no more than 0.05% alcohol, "de-alcoholised" means no more than 0.5%, and "low alcohol" means 1.2% or less. In 2023 the government consulted on raising the alcohol-free limit to 0.5% to match countries such as the USA and Germany, so check the label for the exact strength.

If you want to keep things simple, an alcohol-free beer is a great first or last round. It keeps you at the bar with your friends, and nobody needs to ask what you are drinking.

What are the best alcohol-free spirits, wines and mocktails?

Alcohol-free spirits, wines and cocktails have grown into a real category with real choice. Mintel values the UK low and no alcohol market at £413m in 2025, and 53% of UK adults drank a low or no alcohol drink in the year to May 2025.

Pubs have caught up too. Greene King now sells over 300 non-alcoholic drinks across its 1,600 managed pubs, including 0% versions of classics such as the mojito, the passionfruit martini and the bellini. Alcohol-free cocktails are now the second biggest low and no category in its pubs, ahead of cider and wine.

Mocktails work well on a night out because they feel like an occasion. You get the glass, the ice, the garnish and a drink someone made for you. Greene King also found that most customers expect a dedicated low and no section on the drinks menu, so it is always worth asking the bar what they have.

Where do functional and mood drinks fit in?

Functional drinks add ingredients chosen for a purpose, and mood drinks go one step further by asking how you want to feel. Instead of picking a drink only by taste, you pick it for the mood you are after, whether that is relaxed or lifted. Our guide to what a mood drink is explains the idea in full.

This suits the way people moderate now. A night out often has several parts, from pre-drinks to the main event to the journey home, and each part can call for a different drink. A mood drink gives you a reason to choose something on purpose, rather than ordering a cola because it is the first thing on the menu.

Mood drinks also travel well. A can fits in a bag for the walk to the venue, the park before a gig or the house party where the fridge is full of beer.

How do you plan a night that mixes alcohol and alcohol-free drinks?

A little planning before you head out makes moderation feel easy. Decide roughly how many alcoholic drinks you want, then pick the alcohol-free drinks you will enjoy in between.

A few habits work well for many people. Start the night with an alcohol-free drink so your first round is about thirst. Alternate alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks through the evening. Choose something that looks the part, such as a beer bottle or a cocktail glass, so it feels like the same night as everyone else's.

Finishing on an alcohol-free round is a good move too. Drinkaware found that among people who drink above the weekly guideline and also drink alcohol-free drinks, 59% have them instead of regular strength alcohol, so swapping a round is a common and simple habit.

For the evenings you stay in, our guide to alcohol-free drinks for a relaxed night in has ideas for the sofa.

Where does Peak fit into a night out?

Peak began with a simple observation: many people use coffee to get going and alcohol to wind down. On a night out, Peak works best instead of alcohol, and Calm is where we would start. Peak Calm is a lightly sparkling juicy peach drink with 70mg of magnesium, and it has 33 calories a can. Magnesium contributes to normal psychological function, and Calm suits the moment before a big night, the gap between rounds or a whole evening off alcohol. It is the drink for feeling relaxed and still part of the party.

Peak Hype is a berry citrus drink with 60mg of caffeine from guayusa, an Amazon leaf, and it suits nights that are alcohol-free from start to finish, such as a gig, a long dance or a gaming night. We keep Hype for alcohol-free nights because caffeine can make people feel less drunk than they are while the alcohol affects them just the same (CDC). High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Try both moods with the Starter Pack. It has four cans of Calm and four cans of Hype.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best alcohol-free drink to order at a bar?

The best choice is the one you will enjoy and that feels like part of the night. An alcohol-free beer is the simplest swap, a 0% cocktail feels like an occasion, and a mood drink lets you choose how you want to feel.

Is alcohol-free beer really alcohol-free?

In England, a drink labelled "alcohol free" can contain no more than 0.05% alcohol under current government guidance. Drinks labelled "de-alcoholised" can contain up to 0.5%, so it is worth reading the label if you want zero.

Which alcohol-free drinks help you relax on a night out?

A drink with magnesium is a good place to start, because magnesium contributes to normal psychological function. Peak Calm has 70mg of magnesium in every can, and our magnesium drinks guide explains more.

Is it safe to mix caffeine with alcohol?

The CDC advises care, because caffeine can make people feel less drunk than they are while the alcohol affects the body just the same. That is why we suggest Peak Hype for nights that are fully alcohol-free.

Why do so many people moderate rather than quit?

Moderation lets people keep the social side of a night out on their own terms. IWSR found that people now cut back by drinking less often and less each time, rather than taking long breaks from alcohol.