Like so many women who appreciate a fine glass of wine or a nicely mixed cocktail, I’ve spent years trying to make myself enjoy the alcohol-free versions of these drinks.
But an evening on zero per cent anything can be a little . . . boring. Besides, too often these drinks are pale imitations of the real deal and packed with sugar to make up for the lack of booze.
So no wonder I’m keen when I hear about a new breed of alcohol alternatives called GABA drinks which promise to change all that. Short for gamma-aminobutyric acid, GABA is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter that helps regulate our nervous system, keeping us calm, relaxed and focused. If our brains don’t have enough, we feel anxious and depressed.
Drinking alcohol inhibits GABA, which is why we often feel anxious the morning after one too many.
GABA drinks contain proprietary blends of botanical or synthetic ingredients known to stimulate the body’s natural GABA pathways. The idea is that they give you that two-drink, chilled out feeling – without the hangover to follow.
There’s serious science behind this. Professor David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacologist from Imperial College London, proved alcohol works by stimulating the brain’s GABA system back in 1980. Fast-forward to the early 2000s and he and his team introduced the idea of creating a safer alcohol alternative that works with GABA.
In 2021, they launched Sentia Spirits, the first GABA drinks brand, which has slowly gained a following. ‘The reason alcohol is so popular is because it helps people socialise and manage stress. So why not give them a drink which gives them relaxation and sociability but with massively reduced harms?’ Professor Nutt tells me.
Now a wave of new drinks are using the power of plants and other compounds to boost GABA.
All contain their own combination of herbs, extracts and other substances that have been scientifically proven to either stimulate GABA pathways in the brain, help the body manage stress (adaptogens) or improve cognitive functions such as focus and memory (nootropics). Some of these substances, such as L-theanine, magnolia bark and ashwagandha, even do all three.
Sometimes called ‘functional drinks’, they’re typically low-calorie, low-sugar, vegan and gluten-free. But can they really give you a harmless buzz – and what do they taste like? I tasted a selection to see if GABA could be the future of happy hour . . .
TRY A CHILLED RED
Sentia (Gold, Red & Black), 500ml, £32, sentiaspirits.com
The brainchild of Professor Nutt, Sentia now offers three ‘spirits’, each using a unique blend of extracts to give a different effect. Gold offers a gentle lift and tastes citrusy, spicy and slightly tropical. Red gives me more of a low-key, chilled vibe with a red berry note, and Black is great for focus and party energy with a brooding smokiness and black pepper bite. They’re designed to be mixed with tonic or fizzy water but I prefer my favourite, Red, chilled over ice. 4/5
BUZZ WITH A BITTER KICK
Three Spirit Social Elixir, 500ml, £25.99, threespirit drinks.com
Three Spirit was one of the first functional drinks brands and Social Elixir is its signature, mood-enhancing product.
Like Sentia, it is not trying to mimic any specific kind of booze. Instead, it gives a pleasant, floaty, buzzy feeling and tastes seriously herbaceous. It definitely woke me up but I found it too bitter. Drink over ice or lengthen with ginger ale or a Mediterranean-style tonic. 2/5
BREW BEATS REAL THING
Impossibrew, 440ml, from £2.49, impossibrew.co.uk
Impossibrew has become a bestselling brand thanks to its fresh-tasting, GABA- enhancing, alcohol-free lagers and ales that taste like the real thing. I love these because they really do taste like real, light beers.
The effects were less obvious than other GABA drinks but I felt virtuous and it stopped me reaching for a ‘real’ one. Its limited edition rhubarb flavour is a staple in my house. 4/5
MELT AWAY STRESS
ON Beer, 330ml, £3 on-beer.com
ON Beer worked with James Jacoby, previously part of the Sentia team, to create this flavourful beer packed with natural extracts such as maca, ginseng, damiana and guarana to lower stress, ease anxiety and give a gentle lift.
You’ll like this if you’re a fan of tangy lager and yeasty kombucha and want an ice-cold bevvie on a hot afternoon. After a bottle, I feel a sense of ease rather than an energetic buzz. 5/5
SIP HOORAY FOR OOLONG
GABA Oolong Organic Tea, 100g, £12.50, teamtea.co.uk
For something a bit different, have a cup of tea. Oolong has some naturally occurring GABA in it, but this one is specially processed (fermented then dried in a nitrogen-rich environment) to make the GABA content up to 25 times higher. There is caffeine too, so watch out if you’re drinking it in the evening. It’s earthy, spicy and dry like cacao – just like normal, loose-leaf Oolong. Best brewed for two minutes and tasted with or without milk.
The effect of this one is more about what it stops you feeling – it noticeably soothes anxiety – rather than what it makes you feel. I am a big fan of that. 3/5