What Are Functional Non-Alcoholic Drinks? Ingredients, Picks and How to Choose
What functional non-alcoholic drinks are, the main ingredients, picks by the feeling you want, and how to choose one.
Functional non-alcoholic drinks are alcohol-free drinks made with an ingredient added for how it’s meant to make you feel, not just for taste: kava to relax, caffeine-bearing plants for a lift, L-theanine or adaptogens such as ashwagandha for calm, lion’s mane for focus, and hemp extract in some. They come as spirits, canned cocktails, sparkling wine alternatives and even beer. Here’s what’s in them, picks by the feeling you want, and how to choose.
- STARTFunctional non-alcoholic drinks: where to start · you are here
- INGRED.Adaptogen drinks explained
- FEELBuzz drinks without alcohol
- BRANDThree Spirit’s three elixirs compared
Picks by the feeling you want
The main functional ingredients
| Ingredient | Used for |
|---|---|
| Kava | Relaxing |
| Guayusa, mate, tea | A lift |
| L-theanine | Calm focus |
| Ashwagandha, rhodiola, reishi | Stress, balance |
| Lion’s mane | Focus |
| Hemp (CBD) | Mellowing out |
| Damiana | A social mood |
“Used for” is what brands make them for. How much you notice depends on the amount in the drink and on you; our guides to adaptogen drinks and buzz drinks go through the research ingredient by ingredient.
The formats
Spirits and elixirs
Pour and mix like a spirit: Aplós Ease (L-theanine, lion’s mane), Three Spirit Social Elixir (damiana, lion’s mane, yerba mate) and Little Saints’ gin, whiskey and mezcal styles.
Canned cocktails
Ready to drink: Leilo’s kava cocktails, Little Saints Paloma and the rest of its range with reishi, and Curious Elixirs’ numbered cocktails.
Wine and beer alternatives
Three Spirit Blurred Vines Spark, a sparkling rosé-style drink with guayusa and tea, and Curious Elixirs #0 Lion’s Mane Lager, with 400 mg of lion’s mane a can.
How to choose one
Pick the feeling
Relax, lift, calm or social: start from the effect, then the format.
Read the amounts
A label that names each ingredient and how much, like Curious Elixirs’ 125 mg of ashwagandha, tells you more than “calm blend”.
Start with one
Have one serving on its own and give it an hour.
Treat it like a drink
One or two, for the taste and the ritual.
Shop by what matters to you
Common questions
What are functional non-alcoholic drinks?
Alcohol-free drinks made with an added ingredient meant to change how you feel, such as kava, caffeine-bearing plants, L-theanine, adaptogens like ashwagandha, lion's mane or hemp extract.
Which functional drink helps you relax?
Kava drinks, such as Leilo's canned cocktails, are the ones people most often describe as relaxing. Don't combine kava with alcohol or sedatives.
Are functional drinks safe?
For most adults in normal amounts, but check first if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, take medication or have liver concerns. Kava and CBD can interact with medicines.
Do functional drinks contain alcohol?
The ones we carry are labeled 0.0% or 0%. They get their effect from the added ingredient, not from alcohol.
