Non-alcoholic drink#Low-alcoholic drink

Sparkling apple cider, soft drinks, and juice naturally contain trace amounts 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.alcoholfree.co.uk/community/questions/what-is-meant-by-alcohol-free/ |title=What is meant by alcohol-free? |publisher=alcoholfree.co.uk |date=14 May 2006 |access-date=23 January 2020}}

Ethanol distillation is used to separate alcoholic drinks into what are advertised as non-alcoholic drinks and spirits. Distilled wine produces low alcohol wine{{Cite web |title=low alcohol wines |url=https://bottlebarn.com/blogs/news/low-and-no-for-those-seeking-zero-or-low-alcohol-wine |website=bottle barn}} and brandy (from brandywine, derived from Dutch brandewijn, "burning wine").{{Cite book| year=1989 | title=Oxford English Dictionary | publisher=Oxford University Press | location=Oxford, England}} 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, although several brands market their non-alcoholic drinks with '0%' on the packaging. 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.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}{{Cite web |last=khaitan |first=Yashika |date=2025-03-30 |title=Virgin Mojito |url=https://yashilink.com/virgin-mojito/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=yashilink.com/}}

{{See also|Zero tolerance#Alcohol}}

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) 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.").{{cite web|url=http://www.iard.org/policy-tables/beverage-alcohol-labeling-requirements/#european-union|title=Beverage Alcohol Labeling Requirements by Country|publisher=IARD.org|access-date=10 June 2016}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.thelocal.se/20121029/44108|title=Sweden's alcohol-free drink label 'misleading'|publisher=Thelocal.se|date=29 October 2012|access-date=5 February 2013}}

{{main|Non-alcoholic mixed drink}}

Non-alcoholic cocktails often resemble alcoholic cocktails without any liquor. They can be a blend of fresh fruit juices, syrups, cream, herbs and spices, or can use non-alcoholic spirits. These drinks are designed specifically for those who are sober, and are particularly favored over cocktails by teetotalers, underage persons, drivers, pregnant women, and others who choose drinks that are alcohol-free.{{cite web|url=http://www.fruc.org/history/ |title=fruc.org |publisher=fruc.org |access-date=10 April 2018}}

The Woman's Christian Temperance Union publishes several recipes for fruestas, which are nonalcoholic fruit drinks for large functions, such as proms and weddings.{{cite book |last1=Rollins |first1=Cristin Eleanor |last2=Finlay |first2=William |title="Have You Heard the Trampling of the New Crusade?": Organizational Survival and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union |date=2005 |page=53 |language=en}} As a locution, fruesta drinks are etymologically derived from "fruit" and "fiesta", being a portmanteau of the two words.

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.").{{cite web|url=http://www.icap.org/table/alcoholbeveragelabeling|title=Beverage Alcohol Labeling Requirements by Country|publisher=Icap.org|access-date=5 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221175352/http://www.icap.org/table/alcoholbeveragelabeling|archive-date=21 February 2013|url-status=dead}}

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%.{{cite web|url=http://politiken.dk/forbrugogliv/forbrug/tjekmad/ECE2260362/nu-maa-en-alkoholfri-oel-indeholde-mere-alkohol/|title=Nu må en alkoholfri øl indeholde mere alkohol|work=politiken.dk|date=11 April 2014}}

Non-alcoholic beverage means a beverage which contains a maximum of 1.2 percentage by volume ethyl alcohol.{{Cite web|url=https://stm.fi/en/alcohol-act|title=Alcohol Act}}

Non-alcoholic beer, termed as "birra analcolica", is regulated as equal to or less than 1.2% ABV.{{cite journal|title= A Preference Study for No Alcohol Beer in Italy Using Quantitative Concept Analysis| doi=10.1002/j.2050-0416.2008.tb00775.x | volume=114| issue=4 |journal=Journal of the Institute of Brewing|pages=315–321|year = 2008|last1 = Porretta|first1 = S.| last2=Donadini | first2=G. |doi-access=free}}

Systembolaget defines alcohol-free as a drink that contains no more than 0.5% alcohol by volume.{{cite web|url=https://www.systembolaget.se/English/Product-range/Alcohol-free-products/|title=Alcohol-free products|publisher=Systembolaget.se|date=11 March 2011|access-date=5 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130408002702/https://www.systembolaget.se/English/Product-range/Alcohol-free-products/|archive-date=8 April 2013}}

Licensing laws only place restrictions on the sale or consumption of drinks with an alcohol content of over 0.5%.{{cite web|title=Licensing Act 2003|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/17/section/191|website=legislation.gov.uk|publisher=Crown copyright}}

In Japanese Liquor Tax Law, {{Nihongo|alcoholic drinks|酒類|shurui}} are defined as equal to or more than 1% ABV,{{Cite web|title=酒税法|url=https://elaws.e-gov.go.jp/search/elawsSearch/elaws_search/lsg0500/detail?lawId=328AC0000000006}} so that drinks that are less than 1% ABV are not treated as alcoholic drink.{{Cite web|title=ノンアルコール飲料|url=https://www.e-healthnet.mhlw.go.jp/information/dictionary/alcohol/ya-060.html|access-date=11 October 2020|website=e-ヘルスネット 情報提供|language=ja}} However, {{Nihongo|Advertisement Judging Committee on Alcoholic Drink|酒類の広告審査委員会|Shurui no Kōkoku Shinsa Īnkai}}, organization for making self‐imposed regulation, defines {{Nihongo|non-alcoholic drinks|ノンアルコール飲料|non’arukōru inryō}} as drinks that 0.00% ABV.{{Cite web|title=酒類の広告審査委員会 －自主基準 自主基準の遵守等－|url=http://www.rcaa.jp/standard/non-alcohol.html|access-date=11 October 2020|website=www.rcaa.jp}}

An alcohol free drink is defined as under 0.7% alcohol by volume.{{cite web|url=http://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/1989-06-02-27#KAPITTEL_1|title=Lov om omsetning av alkoholholdig drikk m.v. (alkoholloven)|work=lovdata.no}}

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 and medovukha. This also includes low-alcohol beers by definition.{{cite web| title =State standard of non-alcoholic beverages| publisher =Euro-Asian Council for Standardization, Metrology and Certification| url =https://docs.cntd.ru/document/1200115087| access-date =}}

A malt drink that contains less than 0.5% alcohol by volume does not have to be labeled.

{{Blockquote|(e) Non-alcoholic. The term “non-alcoholic” may be used on labels of malt beverages only if the statement “contains less than 0.5 percent (or .5%) alcohol by volume” appears immediately adjacent to it, in readily legible printing, and on a completely contrasting background. No tolerances are permitted for malt beverages labeled as “non-alcoholic” and containing less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume. A malt beverage may not be labeled with an alcohol content of 0.0 percent alcohol by volume, unless it is also labeled as “alcohol free” in accordance with paragraph (f) of this section, and contains no alcohol.

(f) Alcohol free. The term “alcohol free” may be used only on malt beverages containing no alcohol. No tolerances are permitted for “alcohol free” malt beverages. |U.S. Code of Federal Regulations|Title 27, Part 7—Labeling and advertising of malt beverages, Subpart E §7.65 Alcohol content{{cite web| title =Electronic Code of Federal Regulations| publisher =United States Government| url =https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-27/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-7/subpart-E/section-7.65}} See §7.65, paragraphs (e) and (f).}}

• Alcohol law
• Alcohol-free bar
• List of non-alcoholic cocktails
• Non-alcoholic malt drinks

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite web |last1=Sheppard |first1=Julie |title=The rise of no- and low-alcohol spirits |url=https://www.decanter.com/spirits/the-no-and-low-alcohol-spirits-450802/ |website=Decanter |language=en |date=14 April 2021}}

{{Alcohol and health}}

{{Lists of beverages}}

{{Authority control}}