Taste test: no and low alcohol summer drinks

Portrait Alex Lake

Black Lines shirley temple 750ml, £12, blacklinesdrinks.com
I love the orange colour. It’s sweet, with a bitter edge, the bubbles aren’t overwhelming and it wouldn’t dominate food. ★★★★

Pentire margarita 200ml, £15 for 4, pentiredrinks.com
Looks like a margarita. You could add a salt rim to this. The smell is quite earthy. A little bitter for me. Refreshing – I’m going back for another swig. ★★★

Savyll moscow mule 250ml, £9.99 for 4, savyll.co.uk
It smells almost tropical. The ginger gets the tastebuds going. I’d add a mint garnish. A crowd-pleaser for a sunny rooftop. ★★★

Joerg Geiger kimmel 375ml, £9.90, joerg-geiger.co.uk
I love that non-drinkers would have a bottle to pop. You could make a good spritz with this. If you lengthen that sweet apple flavour, it would sing. ★★★★

Marks and Spencer piña colada 250ml, £2, marksandspencer.com
Finding a good piña colada with alcohol can be tricky, so one without … The flavour is nostalgic, like milk bottle sweets. Might be better frozen. ★★

BEST BUY Tesco reduced calorie G&T 250ml, £3 for 4, tesco.com
This is maybe the best G&T dupe I’ve tried. It would be great for zebra striping – switching between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. ★★★★★

Aldi Greyson’s London dry and tonic 250ml, 69p, aldi.co.uk
This is another gin and tonic dupe, isn’t it? The smell is more appealing than the other one, but it doesn’t have the same oomph of flavour. I’d drink it, but nothing jumps out at me. ★★★

Waitrose summer mojito 750ml, £2.30, waitrose.com
Good, but tastes more like a soft drink than a mocktail. It isn’t overly sweet; you won’t get a headache if you drink loads. It’s very lemony. ★★

Belvoir Farm pink grapefruit paloma 750ml, £3.25, sainsburys.co.uk
The flavour is familiar. Whatever it is, there should be more of it. Pink grapefruit? I’m not getting that. When the colour is great, the flavour should pop. ★★

Gunner Saint ginger, bitters and lime 330ml, £12.99 for 6, originalgunner.com
That ginger is full on. I like bitters, but I can’t find the other flavour. It’s more like a regular drink than a cocktail. ★★★

Dot Dot virgin mojito 250ml, £3.80, delli.market
The bubbles taste like cordial when they burst. They could have had a hit of mint. It’ll appeal to the younger generation who love boba. ★

Brink negroni 150ml, £4.95, delli.market
Exciting. It’s got it all: colour, bitterness, a hint of sweetness, longevity. Add citrus peel and I’d feel included among drinkers. A perfect drink for sunset. Great job. ★★★★★

Crodino non-acoholic spritz 100ml, £11.50 for 10, souschef.co.uk
The colour looks like it would glow in the dark in a club. It smells and tastes like Irn-Bru. Pop it in a spritz glass with a straw and loads of ice. I’d enjoy it. Sweet, but a good first drink. ★★★

Non lemon marmalade and hibiscus wine alternative 750ml, £20, delli.market
I can smell tea. It’s refreshing – an elegant drink to have with a main meal. The bubbles are delicate. It’s lovely. ★★★★★

Sanbitter rosso 100ml, £11.25 for 10, souschef.co.uk
I’m a sucker for jewel colours. It’s giving fizzy blackcurrant, with a bitter edge. This would be great for lengthening a negroni or a Campari to make it less boozy. ★★★★

Hair and makeup Ashleigh Haines using Dyson; hair Sam McKnight, Elemis and Georgio Armani

Compiled by Hayley Myers; all products are blind tested.
Portia Freeman @portiaportiaaaa