Sometimes we receive messages asking if an alcohol-free spirit can be or should be drunk straight. Sometimes we are even told that the non-alcoholic spirit was drunk straight and it was awful.

Whiskey, tequila and I suppose any alcoholic spirit can be drunk solo. It isn't necessarily nice, but you can do it.

So, should you be drinking your non-alcoholic spirit straight and what will it taste like?

As a general rule, non-alcoholic spirits are to be paired with a mixer or to form the base of a cocktail. Most of the spirits are infused heavily with botanicals to ensure the flavour cuts through any mixer and therefore is n’t advised to be drunk solo.

Typically they will leave a strong aftertaste in your mouth from the unique and powerful ingredients and botanicals used and just simply don’t work solo.

This isn’t however the same for every 0% spirit, so please do check the bottle or of course we will provide recommendations in your JOMO magazine. An example of a spirit that can be drunk straight is SENTIA. A functional red in colour, alcohol-free spirit to make you feel boosted. When running the Cocktail Masterclass at the Club Soda Mindful Drinking Festival, we started by sipping this spirit straight and then went on to make a Pornstar Martini.

This is however unusual and we would recommend trying your spirit in different ways. If you would like to get to know the spirit without the mixer, we would recommend pouring a double measure over ice, swirling and smelling it to understand the ingredients inside and then moving on to pair it with the chosen mixer.

Once you have tried different mixers for example, a tonic, a soda and a cocktail, you will then become familiar with the flavour or the spirit itself.

This is why non-alcoholic spirits are typically more complex to drink given the variety of ingredients and understanding how they complement each other in the best way. This is why we are here. To do the work for you and showcase the best mixers for the spirit in question.

We asked Crossip's Carl whether he would recommend drinking Crossip straight to which he responded 'Crossip is designed to be very powerful so drinking it straight would be overwhelming.'

I have heard rumours (actually can very much confirm it is the truth) that a new whiskey is in town and that it tastes like the alcoholic version. This can be drunk completely on its own.

We hope you have as much fun experimenting as we do and enjoy the spirits and mixers paired each month.

If you haven't yet enjoyed your spirit by pouring over ice, swirling and smelling before adding your mixer, why not try it this month by subscribing to JOMO’s award-winning spirit subscription box!