As we are in full swing of Dry January, I thought I’d share some alcohol-free food and drink recipes for you all to try! I know cutting alcohol can be a bit of a challenge especially if others are drinking around you. However Good Stuff Drinks will be keeping us afloat this month with their fantastic range of alcohol-free wines, beers & ciders. 

Good Stuff Drinks

Founded in 2019 by Tom Coles, a lover of beers and an avid runner. He found it difficult to enjoy a beer and race at the same time, as he would have to cut alcohol out whilst he trained for marathons/triathlons. After his race he would relax and drink beer again, but Tom found this tiring having to lose weight for his races and gain it back after his race, so he decided to find another solution! Alcohol free beer! He was pleased to see there was a various range of options however not all were alcohol free some still had 2-3% and so Good Stuff Drinks was born, their drink beverages are 0.0% or 0.5% free alcohol. A great way to enjoy your favourite drinks and to keep fit! 

We had the pleasure of trying 3 non alcoholic drinks- The Very Cautious One Shiraz 0.0%, Torres Natureo Muscat 0.0%, and Drynks Unlimited Smashed Cider 0.0%. I created 3 different recipes that best suited the drinks – first up I used the Shiraz to make a shallot & red sauce for my steak.  

Ingredients 
 
Steak 
Butter 
Seasoning 
 
For the steak I tend to lightly season both sides and then leave it to rest for a few minutes. Heat up the frying pan on medium heat, once hot add the rump of steak into the pan – I prefer my steak medium rare so I tend to cook the rump for 3 mins on each side. If the steak gets dry, add butter to the frying pan. Leave the steak to rest on the side and do not throw the steak juice away as that will be used in our red sauce. 

Red sauce 
 
Shallot 
Sugar 
Olive oil 
Beef Stock 
Crushed garlic 
Sprig Rosemary 
Balsamic Vinegar 
Alcohol free Shiraz 
 
First drizzle a bit of olive oil to sauté the shallot for a few minutes until golden, season with black pepper, crushed garlic and a sprig of rosemary.  

Continue to cook for a few minutes but make sure you’re occasionally stirring as you do not want the shallot to burn.  

Pour the balsamic vinegar in until its evaporated into a thick syrup. Then pour the red wine and wait until it has evaporated by 2/3, after pour the beef stock and bring to boil for a few minutes.  

Then turn down the heat to let the sauce simmer. Sieve the sauce removing any loose ingredients, then pour back into the pan with a spoonful of butter and whisk it in, add a pinch of salt, sugar and the left-over steak juice and stir it in. 

When I first opened the bottle of Shiraz a plum like smell greets you, the taste reminded me of a rich cranberry flavour with a corky aftertaste. Personally, the flavours weren’t to my liking but I enjoyed trying a non alcoholic red wine.  

 

My second dish is Wild Mushroom Risotto using Good Drinks Stuff Muscat –  

Ingredients 

Butter 
Shallot 
Risotto Rice 
Crushed Garlic 
Vegetable Stock 
Mixed Mushrooms 
Tarragon Chopped 
Alcohol free Muscat 
Wild Dried Mushrooms 
Oatly organic creamy oat 
 
Firstly, soak dried wild mushrooms in boiled water, once softened squeeze out the excess water into a bowl and leave the mushroom juice to a side as you’ll need this for the stock.  
 
Melt butter in saucepan, adding in the shallot to sauté and then add the crushed garlic. Cook on low heat for a few minutes until soft, then add in the dried mushrooms and mixed mushrooms, cook for a further few minutes. Then stir in the rice making sure you cover it evenly with butter, add in the white wine Muscat and cook until the wine has evaporated.  

Gradually add in the mushroom stock a little at a time, do not add more until the previous amount has reduced. If you run out of the mushroom stock, you may use the vegetable stock. Continue until the rice is al dente.  

Then add cream and butter in the pan and chopped tarragon and serve. 

The alcohol-free white wine worked perfectly in my risotto, there were no complaints – creamy and delicious. I poured a glass of white muscat to try, and honestly to my surprise it was a pleasant taste – I’m not a fan of normal white wine unless its sweetened but this one was tasty! It didn’t have a vinegar smell, it was refreshingly crisp, and fruity with a smooth finish. It was a thoroughly enjoyable taste and will definitely purchase in the future for parties.  

My third recipe is a mocktail – Hot Apple Cider, something warming to keep us going through this Dry January and our 3rd lockdown.  

Ingredients 
 
Cloves 
Nutmeg 
Orange Zest 
Cinnamon Sticks 
Black peppercorns 
Maple Syrup (Optional) 
Non alcoholic Apple Cider 

 

On medium heat fry the cloves, cinnamon sticks, black peppercorn and until you get a nice aroma. 

Then add the nutmeg into the pan then stir for a bit more then add in the non-alcoholic apple cider and some fresh orange zest.  

Bring to boil and then reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Once done take off heat and sieve the loose ingredients, you may serve with maple syrup if you want a sweeter drink or you can serve it how it is! 

You can taste the cinnamon spice followed by the citrusy orange zest. I added a bit of maple syrup to tie the drink together. It was warming and comforting to say the least, a wintery mocktail to enjoy at home. The smashed apple cider was delicious- I strongly recommend purchasing this one! Its vegan and gluten free! When I tried it on its own the cider was refreshing and not overly sweet, like a crispy apple fizz – delicious! 

I was amazed how realistic the non-alcoholic beverages tasted; however, they do not taste like your normal wines/cider but they are definitely full of flavour! 

My favourite out of the 3 was the smashed apple cider it was refreshing and so similar to an alcoholic one, you wouldn’t know the difference. They all worked well in my recipes which I was pleased with! I particularly enjoyed the cider in my mocktail. If you’re doing Dry January this month check out Good Stuff Drinks’ website, they have a range of enticing flavours that I’m sure you’ll enjoy! 

*Disclosure: The products in this review was provided by Good Stuff Drinks on a complimentary basis.