What do you drink if you don't 'drink'?

I don't drink wine etc as I dislike the taste. But I will have the odd Baileys or Cherry brandy. I did enjoy all fruit squashes, presses and juices. But since being diagnosed diabetic ( and reversing it) I now drink mostly water or fruit teas. Rhubarb being my favourite.
When we go out for a meal ,I do feel a bit hard done by , drinking water, and would love to find something more interesting

I found Blush Cider this summer, I am usually the driver so when I am out I often just ask for tap water with a slice of lemon.

The Blush Cider is very refreshing, not as heavy as Cider, and I prefer a Cornish Orchard one that I found at a farm shop, but now stocked by M&S.

I bought some supermarket own brand lime cordial to mix with the preparation they give you prior to a colonoscopy. Although the prep tasted awful, having tried the lime cordial later on its own, it was so awful I think it must have gone a long way to making drinking the prep worse! I agree; it has to be Roses or nothing.

Usually tonic with ice and lemon add gin now and again?

Fevertree tonic with ice and lemon or lime (I can pretend it's a G&T!) , DH likes J2O or San Pellegrino , otherwise Fizzy water.

I use the Bottle Green cordials (lots of lovely ones) - tiny splash in the bottom of a glass, then top up with fizzy water from the fridge.

I aslo enjoy fresh mint or ginger infused with hot water and left to cool

I thought I was allergic to sulphites in wine, but didn't always get the bad effects. An expert told me I was probably allergic to certain grapes as they have differing chemical make ups. I now avoid pinot grapes and don't suffer.
I am also allergic to artificial sweeteners so stick to fizzy water or tonic when out.

I love lime cordial (has to be Roses) with soda water.

Sainsburys do a really good alcohol free sparkling wine. I can't remember it's name but I will get back to you on it soon.

Sainsburyy stock a few now, ask their sommelier. This article is from 2009, so more on the market now, but here is:

dosage according to the style of wine and the cautiousness of the winemaker. Even so-called natural wines, made without any additions, can contain sulphur dioxide created by the yeasts during fermentation, but your friend is less likely to be allergic to these. The only widely available example is the 2008 So Organic Fairtade South African Cabernet Sauvignon, Western Cape (£4.99, 14%, Sainsbury's). Otherwise your friend's best bet is an organic specialist, such as Vintage Roots (vintageroots.co.uk), or a natural wine specialist, such as Les Caves de Pyrène (lescaves.co.uk) several of whose wines are made without sulphur.

A G&T???

Elderflower is great.

But you can also find bio/organic wines garanteed without sulphites too ;)

My post just vanished!!!!

I usually fall back on tonic water if we are out and I'm driving. I've tried non alcoholic beer and wine and they aren't worth the effort of getting the bottle open! Most people find this very strange but I can drink cold tea (no milk) all day long. I usually brew a pot of Earl Grey or redbush, not too strong, pour it into a large jug, add some ice cubes and then stick it in the fridge. As I say, not to everyone's taste!

Interesting Iam that we both found ginger a good substitute.

Kitty I did 100 days without alcohol this summer plus a dry September and slightly damp January, so as you can imagine I've explored this pretty carefully.

The conclusion I reached is, that there is no such substitute which doesn't contain sugars. All these cordials, even if they sound healthy like 'elderflower' or 'lemongrass' are still pretty sugary and water doesn't really hit the spot.

In the end I settled for a cordial I really liked (in my case an intense ginger one) and just had the one glass, quite dilute but not sufficent to to lose the taste. Sometimes I had it warm/hot, occasionally with slimline tonic for a kick but usually just with cold water. I stuck to just one glass so as not to overdo the sugars, and settled for a cup of tea about 9 o'clock.

This gradually became habitual replacing the two glasses of wine (and occasionally more) I used to drink. The knock on effect, now that I'm back on is I'm happy to settle for one glass with my meal and then that cup of tea later.

Best of luck.

I can't find any enthusiasm for alcohol free wines, don't like the taste. Other non alcoholic drinks seem full of sugar and additives. I like a glass of tonic with angestura bitters though one is enough. I do like ginger and mint so I'll infuse some ginger, let it cool and add ice and fresh mint - it's almost like having a drink . Let us know if you do find any enjoyable alternatives

Sparkling water ( ie fizzy) with elderflower cordial and ice. Put in a paper umbrella for real finesse and sophistication.

Does sparkling apple juice have the same ingredients as wine ? Served in a nice glass I can kid myself I'm drinking wine. My other go to is J2o orange and passion fruit.

You could try non alcoholic wines, I usually drink a Saint Clements when I'm out , bitter lemon and orange or just water when I'm at home.