Dry January is bigger than it’s ever been this year, with 6.5 million UK adults planning to go alcohol-free for the whole of this month. That’s up by a whopping 2.6 million on the number who took part this time last year, demonstrating a huge growth in the number of people recognising that they want to improve their relationship with alcohol.
In fact, recent research from Alcohol Change UK, the charity behind Dry January, suggested that more than a quarter of people in the UK who drink alcohol said they would like to cut down in 2021.
Now, as we head into our third national lockdown, it’s even more important to look after ourselves and take better care of our physical and mental health, which for many people means cutting back on their alcohol consumption.
But is lockdown a good time to give up alcohol?
Having already experienced months of disruption, social distancing and challenging restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, you might be wondering if this is really the right time to embark on giving up alcohol.
The answer, of course, is YES! There’s never an ideal time to do something that’s out of our comfort zone, but the benefits to be had when we take care of ourselves properly are vast – from feeling better all round to thinking more clearly and sleeping more soundly. Plus, with 6.5 million other people doing Dry January too, there’s a huge amount of support and resources available to keep you on track.
Here are a few ideas from us at Sea Arch Drinks to help you stay on the wagon, even if it’s only for a month!
Indulgence is the key to success
First and foremost, the key to success with Dry January is in indulgence, but indulgence of a different kind. Treat yourself to delicious non-alcoholic drinks that really don’t feel like a compromise. Think of it not as denial but as an exploration, a special treat, a new experience. There’s so much out there to try and you’re sure to find some new favourites along the way that you’ll keep coming back to long after Dry January has finished.
Needless to say, our Sea Arch Coastal Juniper blend is a great place to start! Bursting with seaside botanicals, it is a crisp, complex, full-flavoured alternative to gin. Sea Arch is made using many of the classic gin botanicals including juniper, cardamom, coriander and blood orange, alongside sea kelp and samphire, both of which are local to us here on the Devon coast. This combination is not only delicious and refreshing but also reminiscent of uplifting, breezy days by the coast – providing a much-needed sense of escape as we find ourselves locked down again!
Don’t just take our word for it…
Of course we’d say it’s wonderful, you might be thinking, but don’t just take our word for it – have a look at some of the fabulous online reviews that Sea Arch has recently received from top drinks writers and in leading publications.
Writing in The Times this week, for instance, Jane MacQuitty described Sea Arch Coastal Juniper as “the best gin substitute I have tasted, with an extraordinary depth of flavour”, while both The Independent and Decanter magazine have listed it in their recommendations for the top spirits to try this Dry January.
Mix it up this Dry January
Another good tip to help you stick with your commitment to giving up the booze this month is to experiment with different mixers and recipe ideas. Introduce a bit more fun and flavour into your Dry January drinks by creating some bespoke non-alcoholic cocktails, or try out some of the cocktail recipes on this website. A classic Sea & T, for instance, has all the deliciousness of a G&T with none of the alcohol, while a smooth, creamy Sea Arch Sour really does taste like indulgence.
On the other hand, if time is of the essence, why not try our new ready to drink (RTD) Sea & T cans, pre-mixed with premium tonic, so you can simply snap it open and enjoy. Made with our Sea Arch Coastal Juniper blend as the base, the Sea & T RTD is a double measure of Sea Arch spirit mixed with a lightly sparkling Indian tonic, and the Rose Sea & T is blended with a delicate rose and raspberry infused tonic. They really are delicious, and if you don’t know which you like the sound of best, why not order a mixed case and try them both?
Ring the changes in 2021
More than ever this year, Dry January needs to be about treating ourselves kindly – caring for our emotional and physical health by doing something proactive and positive to improve our lifestyle, and thoroughly spoiling ourselves in the process! We’ve all had enough of denial and restriction over recent months. Now it’s time to do Dry January in style!
Evolution not Revolution
Referring to some of these spirits as non-alcoholic gins helps people to relate to them in a way they find familiar. Using recognisable flavours and traditional extraction techniques supports this. Enlisting skilled mixologists to present non-alcoholic drinks and cocktails with a real sense of theatre adds to their authenticity and means they can be enjoyed at any occasion where alcoholic drinks are served.
Some may look at this as a revolution, but to others it is an evolution. A natural progression, fitting for today’s awareness of the harmful effects of alcohol and interest in health and well-being.
Gin is one of the broadest categories of spirits, represented by products of various origins, styles, and flavour profiles. It can therefore be concluded that non-alcoholic gin is a welcome and valid addition to the category, fulfilling the imbiber’s increasing demand for choice and innovation.
FAQs
How is a non-alcoholic gin distilled?
A non-alcoholic gin can be distilled in much the same way as an alcoholic gin. However, some of the cheap inferior products just soak the botanicals in water and strain which gives a watery, thin product. At Sea Arch our non-alcoholic gin is made using traditional copper pot and steam distillation techniques. Each of our ingredients is individually distilled; the process involves, maceration, heating and condensing to capture the very best from each of our eleven carefully selected botanicals. The result is a full flavoured, refreshing non-alcoholic gin that has real bite and complexity.
What can you drink in dry January?
The number of alcohol-free drinks to try throughout Dry January is endless! From fresh juices, smoothies, cordials, to must-have mocktails and simply infusing water with sliced citrus fruits – you might even find yourself indulging yourself in some newfound non-alcoholic spirits by the time your month-long detox has drawn to a close! That’s why Dry January is the perfect time to introduce some fun new flavours to your palette such as our iconic Sea Arch Coastal Juniper blend used as the base of our classic Sea & T. Bursting with seaside botanicals from the Devon coast; there’s no doubt it will rid any temptation to hop off the bandwagon!
what is dry january?
Dry January is a campaign is a campaign run by Alcohol Change UK where people opt alcohol-free after the Christmas festivities to kickstart the New Year on a healthy, more refreshed and brighter note for the year ahead. With that said, Dry January has got increasingly popular over the past year with a record of 6.5 million UK adults planning to go alcohol-free for the whole of this month!
Is Dry January good for you?
Since drinking alcohol can often leave you feeling over-tired and dehydrated, Dry January is the perfect time to take a step back and re-establish your relationship with alcohol to take better care of your physical and mental happiness for the rest of the year with much healthier drinking habits. There are many proven benefits when going alcohol-free, such as seeing an increase in your mood, reducing high blood pressure and let’s not forget kickstarting any New Year weight loss goals you might have! At Sea Arch, we’ve created a non-alcoholic vegan spirit full of flavour that is calorie-free, so when mixed with low-calorie tonic water, you can expect to enjoy an all-natural botanical non-alcoholic gin which contains only up to 15 calories per glass. But that’s not all; we’ve got our ready to drink Sea & T cans, pre-mixed with premium tonic, so you can enjoy sipping on an alcohol free spirit whenever you’re on the go.
What are some dry January mocktail recipes?
If you require a mix-up from your usual Dry January mocktail, we’ve got you sorted. Although there are many well-known mocktails to choose from, such as the iconic Shirley Temple to other non-alcoholic cocktails formed from popular alcoholic cocktails, including a Mojito, Negroni and Cosmopolitan. At Sea Arch, we’ve formed a range of our own mocktail recipes for you to choose from that are infused with our very own Coastal Juniper spirit. Our Bees and Seas is a deliciously sweet and sour libation created with our Coastal Juniper, mixed with cloudy apple juice, honey syrup, apple vinegar and soda which can be enjoyed served in any glass of your choice and garnished with sliced apple.
How to stay on track during Dry January?
Even if your goal isn’t to go totally sober, but to drink less, there are many steps you can do to make the process a whole lot easier. For example, monitoring your drinking behaviours by journaling how much booze you consumer each week and replacing your go-to alcoholic fix with a delicious non-alcoholic alternative. At Sea Arch, not only is our Coastal Juniper Spirit, Sea & T and Rose & T cans non-alcoholic and sugar-free, they have all the deliciousness you would expect from an alcohol spirit as well as being made up of all-natural botanicals, including hand-harvested sugar kelp and samphire, juniper, blood orange, cardamon coriander, grapefruit, lemon and sage.