Sober curious? Knightsbridge’s best alcohol-free sips

Harvey Nichols’ Foodmarket boasts a wealth of alcohol-free wine, beer and spirits, including its own quaffable alcohol-free sparkling chardonnay, Oddbird’s delicious sparkling and still wines, and Thomson & Scott’s superior selection of Noughty zero-per-cent wines. You can also find Sipsmith’s superlative FreeGlider juniper and citrus alcohol-free spirit to craft the closest thing you can come to a gin and tonic without the hangover, plus complex and tasty spirit alternatives, such as botanical-led Seedlip, nootropic- and adaptogen-filled Three Spirit, fruity Atopia, and tropical-inflected Caleño.

Head to Harrods Food Halls for refined alcohol-free wines, including Wild Idol’s sophisticated selection of sparkling expressions, and lauded French brand So Jennie’s celebration-ready luxury bubbles. Waitrose has a reliably impressive alcohol-free cellar, featuring zero-per-cent offerings from big name brands such as Gordon’s and Tanqueray, as well as interesting cocktail-ready rum, gin, tequila and whisky replacements from CleanCo, alcohol-free wines from Thomson & Scott, and Spain’s leading de-alcoholised wine brand, Torres Natureo.

Knightsbridge is home to an array of elevated bars, serving some of the most imaginative and delicious cocktails in London. Luckily for the teetotal, this extends to alcohol-free concoctions, too.

Bvlgari Hotel London serves a suitably salubrious selection of alcohol-free cocktails in both its plush lounge and in Nolita Social, the chic speakeasy-style bar nestled beneath Sette restaurant. Each has an element or note of infused tea. Jasmine, for instance, a deliciously virtuous take on a sour, is made from Seedlip Spice 94, jasmine tea, vanilla, lemon juice and egg white.

The Library Bar at The Lanesborough has a collection of sober twists on cocktail classics that are well suited to its clubby, traditional setting. Try ​​The Genuine & Tonic, a take on a G&T made from Seedlip Spice 94, Everleaf and The London Essence Co Tonic Water, or the refined Non Alcoholic Negroni made with Atopia Spiced Citrus, Aecorn Aromatic, Martini Vibrante non-alcoholic red vermouth, and finished with orange essence.

The newly opened Studio Frantzén on the top floor of Harrods is the first London restaurant from lauded and many Michelin-starred Swedish chef Björn Frantzén. The chic space includes two bars serving Nordic-inspired cocktails rich in Scandinavian and Asian ingredients. Try zero-proof Urskog, crafted from pine, rosemary, citrus and soda, or Norrlands Guld, a refreshing combination of cloudberry, meadowsweet, yuzu and alcohol-free lager. The restaurant also serves a number of signature tonics to enjoy with Seedlip or on their own, including ones infused with birch and spruce.

The Mandarin Oriental’s Mandarin Bar has a classy selection of mocktails, among them the exhilarating Mediterranean Spring, made from Everleaf Marine, sage and long pepper hydrosol, Sencha tea and tonic water, and the irresistible Tipsy Pineapple, crafted from Everleaf Forest, roasted pineapple shrub and soda, which would make the perfect pairing for the signature dessert of tipsy cake with spit roast pineapple at next-door Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.

From enlivening aperitifs, to twists on classics and next-generation mood-altering brews, Knightsbridge has something for every temporarily or permanently teetotal tippler out there – all served in suitably glamorous surrounds, proving sober never has to be boring again.

Jane Fulcher is contributing editor of drinkspiration website The Mixer