The holiday season can be synonymous with overindulgence — whether that’s shortbread cookies or cocktails at the office Christmas party.
If you’re looking to temper your alcohol intake this holiday season — or just enjoy a tasty concoction — you’ve come to the right place. Edify rounded up a variety of locally-minded non-alcoholic beverages to ensure everyone’s celebration is merry, bright and hangover free.
At a recent holiday market, I decided to grab a glass of mulled wine to warm both my hands and stomach. It tasted great — at first. But within 20 minutes I was feeling a little tipsy. When I spotted Token Bitter’s alcohol-free mulled wine, it seemed like just the ticket to a holiday drink without the immediate hangover.
“We only do it seasonally, but it’s one of our best sellers,” says Jamie Shtay, co-owner of Token, which specializes in handcrafted, artisanal aromatic bitters and mocktails. “We get asked for it all season long because it’s so good. And I’m not just saying that because it’s ours. It’s one of those drinks that literally feels like Christmas.”
Warm drinks aside, the company also sells some perfect adult stocking stuffers: a holiday mocktail box with sangria, bitters, orange garnish and a recipe card, as well as a box of bitters samplers.
Let’s make it official: craft breweries have nailed non-alcoholic beer. Downing an NA brewski these days feels akin to the real thing, both in taste and experience.
At your next holiday celebration, keep it local and serve Sea Change’s Black Sheep non-alcoholic hazy IPA for a hop-heavy, citrus-infused flavour, or turn to Alley Kat, Edmonton’s OG craft brewers, for their Clear Skies Pale Ale, which boasts a sweet, malt-based taste.
JoAnne Pearce, owner of Edmonton mocktail bar Spilt, is the first to tell you she might not have much technical knowledge about wine, but she knows what matters: taste.
“I once heard someone describe non-alcoholic wine as a wine with the spine ripped out. It’s a really difficult one,” she says. To help her stock the bar with the good stuff, she turned to Somm Zero sommelier Alex Viol, who specializes in non-alcoholic wine. “I rely on him to send me what he thinks is good and the last batch of stuff he sent really knocked my socks off,” she adds. Her current pick: Divin Pinot Noir.
“I had a glass while I was closing and I had this little instinct that kicks in that tells me to slow down because I don’t want my behaviour to be altered or to have a hangover – that’s how I know it’s good,” she says.
Mad Moose, are the new kids on the non-alcoholic block, having entered the scene in March 2025. With a “smoky and smooth” flavour (and fun branding: “moose around without the mess”) the Edmonton company says their spirit is meant to be served on the rocks, but it can also take the place of its alcohol counterpart in any cocktail.
Find it at 23 locations across the city, including shops like Sherbrooke Liquor to the Chateau Louis Liquor Store.
