Ever wonder about those alcohol-free drinks with 0.5% or less ABV? Here’s the scoop: living a 0.0% lifestyle is totally possible—but you might be surprised by how many regular foods and juices naturally contain trace amounts of alcohol! Sugar plus a little fermentation, and suddenly your juice is helping to spike the punch.
Why aren’t all spirits 0.0%? We get asked this all the time.
Most, if not all, of our alcohol-free spirits have never been distilled or fermented, yet they may still contain trace amounts of alcohol. This is because many use fruit extracts for their flavour profiles, and natural fruit extracts often contain alcohol. As a result, these products are labeled up to 0.5% ABV. Alcohol acts as a powerful solvent, extracting and preserving flavour compounds from fruits—like vanilla beans in vanilla extract—and it helps with shelf stability. It’s also commonly used as a base in cocktail bitters. For those seeking zero alcohol, we offer water-based bitters that are completely free of alcohol.
When it comes to building alcohol-free cocktails at the bar, it gets tricky to explain. Even if we use 0.0% spirits, a dash of pineapple, lemon or lime juice is likely to sneak in a trace amount—still below 0.5%, but it’s technically alcohol. We used cold-pressed juices but event pasteurized juices will still ferment before their expiry date. If you’ve ever found a fizzy jug of apple cider in the fridge, that’s nature at work! Fruit left too long on the tree or ground will ferment (and yes, birds enjoying overripe apples may need to sober up before they fly home).
Some of our customers have sensitivities or perceived allergies to alcohol. If you eat bread, yogurt, and juice without issues, you’ll likely be fine enjoying options marked 0.5% or less. Fun fact: our bodies may even make small amounts of alcohol naturally to aid digestion!
We do our best to inform and accommodate every dietary concern, and we’re always here to chat about options, ingredients, and best picks for you.
Hope you found this helpful—or at least interesting next time you check the back of your fridge!
Foods That Contain Alcohol (including ABV [alcohol by volume] %):
Ripe and very ripe bananas - between 0.2-0.4% ABV [4]
Breads (burger rolls, rye bread) - between 1.18-1.28% ABV [5]
Fruit & Fruit juices (grape, orange, apple) - between 0.04-0.5% ABV [6]
Yogurt & Kefir - between 0.05-2% ABV
Kombucha, Must (usually made from grapes) - between 0.5-5% ABV
Vinegars (balsamic, champagne, sherry, wine vinegar) - between 0.1-0.4% ABV
Food additives like extracts or flavourings - up to 35% ABV
Condiments like mustard and soy sauce - between 1.5-2% ABV
Some soft drinks - up to 0.5% ABV