What is Dry July?
Dry July holds such an iconic presence in today’s culture. For those of us who’ve never heard the term before, Dry July is a fundraising event that challenges people to stop drinking alcohol (or go “dry”) through the month of July in order to raise much-needed funds for people affected by cancer.
Dry July is hosted by the Dry July Foundation, with proceeds going towards charities such as Cancer Council, Leukaemia Foundation, McGrath Foundation and more. With other similar initiatives popping up like Go Sober For October and Dry January in the UK, more and more people worldwide are giving up the grog for a good cause.
To try and get as many people involved in Dry July as possible, the Dry July Foundation have implemented 2 different options for fundraisers this year.
1. Dry July - A completely dry month of July with zero alcohol consumption for participants.
2. Dry-ish July - Participants can choose whether to go 14 or 21 days dry throughout July.
With these new support options available, plus a massive range of delicious non-alcoholic beer, wines and mocktail recipes, there’s no excuse not to get amongst this awesome endeavour.
Dry July is also a great chance for us, as a nation, to improve our wellbeing by reducing our alcohol consumption. In just one month of sticking to non-alcoholic drinks, participants have seen the following benefits:
- Improvement in sleep quality
- Increased energy and wakefulness
- Enhanced performance at work
- Improvements in concentration
- Weight loss
- Decreased cholesterol
- Decreased blood glucose levels
- Decreased amount of liver fat
What Can I drink Instead of Alcohol?
Non-alcoholic drinks have come a very long way since the sugary-sweet supermarket options available in the past. These days, many non-alcoholic drinks taste just like their alcoholic counterparts.
Seedlip, the world’s first non-alcoholic spirit launched in Australia in 2017, Seedlip Garden 108, Grove 42 Spice 94 are all completely alcohol-free, but still pack the punch of a typical G&T.
In 2018, Heineken launched it’s 0.0% beer in Australia, following its huge international success and Lyre’s has an extensive range of non-alcoholic replicas including American Malt, Italian Spritz, Coffee Originale, Amaretti, Orange Sec and the best selling Dry London which is ideal for creating a wide range gin mocktails
There are many non-alcoholic drinks over the last few years that have flown under the radar. We’ve got non-alcoholic wines from historic wineries like Carl Jung, who has been removing alcohol from wine since the 60s.
The Budvar B:FREE, created by Budvar in Budweiser is actually known as the "original Budweiser" and is a non-alcoholic cult favourite
Inspired, but not sure where to start? I've put together a list of 7 delicious non-alcoholic drinks to enjoy for every occasion.
Top 7 non-alcoholic drinks for every occasion
1. The House Red: Newblood Shiraz
Created in Australia using Shiraz grapes, this vegan alcohol-free wine has been triple distilled and is one of the best non-alcoholic red wines available. It has a vibrant ruby-red shade and a rich, full body.
Keep several in your wine rack and a few in your fridge. This is your every day, very drinkable classic red wine, without the alcohol. Pair it with your favourite tomato-based dishes such as pizza and other Italian foods, or Arabian style cuisine. It is best served slightly chilled or at room temperature.
2. The Weekend Celebration: Wild Life Nude
Go wild with these bubbles with benefits! The Wild Life Nude is a dry sparkling wine premium sparkling wine that is low in sugar, low in calories, vegan and packed with skin loving antioxidant, vitamins and minerals.
3. Friday Afternoon Work Drinks: Heineken Zero
It’s Heineken, but not as we know it! With hints of fruity freshness and a soft body of malty goodness, this non-alcoholic beer is perfectly balanced with a very similar flavour to the alcoholic beverage of its namesake.
It looks like the full-strength version. It smells like the full-strength version. It tastes like the full-strength version. But with 0.0% alcohol and only 21 calories per 100ml.
4. The Dinner Party Wine Domaine de la Prade Chardonnay
This dry classic Chardonnay is carefully aged for a full year and ticks all the boxes for a smooth, French buttery white wine.
5. The Classic G&T Monday Distillery Classic G&T
Made in Australia the Monday Classic Non-Alcoholic G&T is a pre mixed, ready to drink classic gin mocktail. It is also sugar-free, lower in calories, vegan and preservative free.
6. Cocktail Hour: Espresso Martini
All you need to create the perfect non-alcoholic cocktail for coffee lovers is Lyre’s Coffee Originale and Lyre’s White Cane Spirit, plus a dash of fresh espresso and vanilla syrup.
Coffee Originale brings the rich, aromatic cup of coffee, while the White Cane Spirit provides a complimentary hint of oak and white rum. Marzipan, orange and coconutty flavours round out this drink making it an excellent Lyre's Espresso Martini Mocktail
7. The Sports Drink That’s Actually a Beer Erdinger Wheat Beer
A popular drink among German athletes, this non-alcoholic wheat beer is also a substitute for typical sports drinks, it naturally contains vitamin B12, Folic Acid and polyphenols.
What are your plans this Dry July? Are you excited to help out some seriously fantastic charities in the fight against cancer, and reap some great benefits while you’re at it?
