The alcohol-free drinks industry has exploded over the past few years but it’s the rise of so-called ‘functional drinks’ that’s really turning heads. Rather than sipping a poor imitation of your favourite tipple, which may well have been packed with sugar and additives to make up for the missing booze, functional drinks are often not trying to imitate other drinks and can actually makes you feel something.
What are they and how do they work?
Functional drinks use various substances, including adaptogens, nootropics and more rarely, GABA-led formulations, designed to take the edge off while keeping the senses awake. Adaptogens are plant-based ingredients, often drawn from roots, herbs and mushrooms. These help the body adapt to stress and find balance, working gently over time rather than delivering a quick hit. Nootropics are compounds that support mental clarity, focus and cognitive ease. Some occur naturally in foods and plants such as green tea, lion’s mane mushroom or bacopa, while others are lab-derived versions of naturally occurring substances, typically used at subtle, non-stimulating levels. GABA, a naturally occurring neurotransmitter, plays a key role in calming the nervous system too when used in drinks technology. While only a handful of brands work directly with GABA pathways, many aim for a similar, softer sense of unwinding through more indirect means such as adaptogens and nootropics.
A bit more on GABA (as it’s SO interesting!)
Short for Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, GABA is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter that helps regulate our nervous system, keeping us calm, relaxed and focussed. If our brains don’t have enough of it, we feel anxious and depressed, with any mental health issues such as intrusive thoughts left to run wild! And here’s the kicker – drinking alcohol actually inhibits GABA’s functionality, which is why we so often feel horribly anxious after having one too many. We enjoy that initial buzz so much that we chase it with more alcohol but that’s where things go wrong and this essential, peace-giving neurotransmitter becomes depleted.
Today, ‘GABA technology’ is being used with some drinks to boost our GABA levels and promote that two-drink, chilled out feeling without the booze – and the man who pioneered this in drinks is Professor David Nutt, a psychopharmacologist from Imperial College London. He first proved that alcohol works by stimulating the brain’s GABA system back in 1980 while working on his PhD. Fast forward to the early 2000s and he and his team at GABALabs introduced the idea of creating a safer, synthetic alternative that works with the body’s GABA system, leading to the creation of Sentia, the first GABA-forward drinks brand.
Try these functional drinks:
Sentia, from £32 sentiaspirits.com
The brainchild of Professor Nutt, the market-leading GABA brand Sentia now offers several products: Gold gives you a wonderful lift and is citrusy and spicy. Red gives you that low key, chilled vibe with herbaceous and bittersweet red berry notes and Black’s great for focus and party energy with its brooding smokiness and black pepper bite. Dilute them with a large chunk of ice or with a splash of Indian tonic. New to the range is Gabyr Pale Ale and Cask, which is a whisky alternative (0.5% ABV) with double the GABA levels of the others. There are lots of Dry January offers on the website too so make the most of them!
Three Spirit ‘Social’ 500ml, £25.99 threespiritdrinks.com
‘Mood Makers’ Three Spirit was one of the very first functional drinks brands around. Using a blend of botanicals, adaptogens and mild nootropic-style ingredients rather than going big on GABA technology, Three Spirit is not trying to mimic any specific kind of booze. Instead, their botanical elixirs either give you a heady, floaty feeling or a chilled out, sleepy vibe, depending on what you’re after. I love Social as it tastes seriously herbaceous with a bitter, cacao nibs-like kick. Drink it chilled over ice or lengthen with ginger ale or a mediterranean tonic.
Smiling Wolf, 700ml, £32 smilingwolf.com
Functional drinks brand Smiling Wolf have an excellent range of non-alcoholic, adaptogen-led, botanical drinks designed to support balance and unwind gently. Made in styles you’ll know and love, they describe their Dry London as ‘a wolf in gin's clothing' for example and this is for abstaining Gin lovers who love a classic, juniper heavy spirit. It has a wonderful concentration of botanical flavour and all the mouthfeel you could want from a ‘real’, booze-forward spirit. It definitely feels like there’s something chill-buzzy happening too. Also try their Aperitivo (like Aperol), Spiced (like rum), Agave (like tequila) and Crystal (like vodka).
Impossibrew, 440ml, from £2.09 each impossibrew.co.uk
Impossibrew’s ‘life hack beers’ as they call them, have quickly become bestsellers thanks to their fresh tasting, GABA-enhancing, alcohol-free tipples that taste like the real thing. They also release interesting limited edition flavours occasionally such as rhubarb and currently have a great range, including an Amber, a triple hopped IPA and ‘Milkshake lager’. They fact they’re also low calorie, vegan and gluten free is the cherry on the cake for this booze-free beer brand with benefits.
ON Beer, 330ml, £3 on-beer.com
ON Beer worked with James Jacoby who was previously part of the Sentia team to create this smart tasting beer, packed with plant power. You’ll like this if you’re a fan of tangy, richly flavoured lager and yeasty kombucha and there’s definitely a smooth buzz happening after a bottle or two. A really lovely drop that is much fresher and cleaner than simpler non-alc beer brands but be aware that it contains guarana, which could keep you awake if drunk very close to bed time!
GABA Sencha Green Organic Tea, 100g, £12.50 teamtea.co.uk
For something a bit different, have a cup of tea! Most tea does actually have some GABA naturally occurring but at low levels. When it’s processed differently however, such as this Sencha in its nitrogen rich environment, the levels are much higher than normal tea – by twenty five times in this case! There is some caffeine though, so watch out for that. This one is very green tasting with umami notes of seaweed and spinach. I like it without milk but it works well with it.
Remedy Red Berry Kombucha, 330ml, from £1.28 remedydrinks.co.uk
Kombucha is the original functional drink, likely originating in China around 220 BCE where it was called “the tea of immortality”. While this fermented tea won't make you immortal, it does absolutely deliver a gentle functional buzz. The magic happens through the SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), often called "the mother," which transforms sweet tea into a tangy, slightly fizzy probiotic powerhouse. The fermentation process creates beneficial acids and live cultures that support gut health, which in turn influences mood and mental clarity. Your gut is your second brain, after all. Look for raw, unpasteurized versions to get the full probiotic benefits and watch out for sugar levels, as some commercial brands can be surprisingly sweet.
G-Spot Natural Soft Drinks, 250ml, £2.50 thisisgspot.com
The brainchild of actor Gillian Anderson, these are grown up, natural soft drinks boosted with nootropics and adaptogens that offer a properly fresh alternative to high-sugar, caffeinated drinks. Each has a different function and flavour profile, from SOOTHE with sage, thyme and juniper, magnesium and zinc to AROUSE with passionfruit, pineapple and a fiery kick of habanero pepper. All are delicious and feel complex enough to sip slowly like you would a glass of wine. Gorgeous.
Have you tried functional drinks yet? What’s your go to if so?