Nonalcoholic terms you should know

It's hard to ignore the rise of nonalcoholic drinks popping up at bars. But these days, the term 'nonalcoholic' is evolving, or diversifying, if you will. Gone are the days when 'nonalcoholic' at a bar simply meant just juices or soda or some mocktail.

These days, you may hear terms N/A, or nonalc, or spirit-free, and here are other terms that are redefining this whole category of beverages.

Alcohol-free:

A product that contains no detectable alcohol, which means it's 0.0% ABV. For example, water is alcohol-free. All alcohol-free drinks are nonalcoholic, but not all nonalcoholic drinks qualify as alcohol-free.

N/A, nonalcoholic, nonalc, spirit-free, zero-proof:

Sometimes interchangeable with nonalcoholic drinks, although most government regulations state that this label applies to drinks with under 0.5% ABV. Fermented beverages like

kombucha as well as fruit juices (apple, orange, grape), some soft drinks (like Coca-Cola or Fanta) contain low levels of alcohol produced naturally through fermentation or ripening and are generally not intoxicating. While they contain trace amounts of alcohol, they're usually not considered as alcohol legally.

ANA (Adult Nonalcoholic Beverage):

While N/A is technically 'non-alcohol', some experts argue that “ANA” fits better for nonalcoholic beverages served at bars. ANA stands for adult nonalcoholic beverage, specifying that it's meant to capture the market that could technically drink alcohol. For example, milk is N/A, but not an ANA drink. The flavors of ANA drinks tend to be more complex, akin to an alcoholic cocktail.

Analogue:

An analogue is a nonalcoholic version of an alcoholic counterpart. For example, a spirit-free bourbon is a bourbon analogue, because it has a clear alcoholic counterpart. It also refers to non-alcoholic versions of classic cocktails that aim to match the complexity of their alcoholic counterparts.

Do note that analogue can also be a version of something alcoholic; for example, many bartenders make analogues of Chartreuse using other types of alcohol and other ingredients. Basically, analogue means substitute.

Dealcoholization:

The process of removing alcohol (to typically <0.5% ABV) from a product that typically contains it (eg. whiskey, gin, etc) while retaining volatile flavor compounds. The two most common ways to do this are reverse osmosis—an elaborate filtering process that separates out the alcohol from the rest of the liquid—and vacuum distillation, during which the product is heated until the alcohol evaporates. A rare few producers create their spirit-free products with proprietary brewing methods that avoid the fermentation process, so no alcohol is produced in the first place.

Zebra striping:

Much like its name suggests, zebra striping is the practice of alternating between nonalcoholic (it could be water or a zero proof cocktail) and alcoholic drinks throughout an evening. It helps you reduce overall alcohol intake, stay hydrated, and avoid hangovers. This practice aligns with the growing "sober curious" movement, allowing people to enjoy social occasions without overindulging.

A similar practice is “bookending," where you start (first drink) and end (last drink) the evening with a nonalcoholic option, with alcoholic drinks in between.