Non-Alcoholic Drinks to Relax With in the Evening
The evening glass is often about the ritual. Here is how to keep the ritual and skip the alcohol, with honest notes on what the research does and does not show.
For many people the evening drink was never about the alcohol. It was the signal that the day was over: the glass, the pour, the first sip on the couch. If you are cutting back, the question is how to keep that signal. This guide covers non-alcoholic drinks to relax with, what each has going for it, and where the claims get ahead of the evidence.
Good non-alcoholic drinks to relax with include warm tea, mocktails, caffeine-free botanical sodas, kava drinks and kanna drinks. The ritual does much of the work. Research on the botanical ingredients is limited, and none of these drinks treats stress, anxiety or sleep problems. Check labels for caffeine and medication interactions [1][3][5].
Why does an evening drink feel relaxing?
Part of it is routine. A drink at the same time, in the same glass, marks a boundary between work and rest, and that cue works whatever is in the glass. That is our observation, not a finding from a study we are citing, so take it as a practical note rather than science.
What is science: the CDC says drinking less is better for your health than drinking more, and that you can lower your health risks by drinking less or choosing not to drink [6]. If the goal is to cut back, replacing the drink and keeping the ritual is an easy place to start. A drink containing zero alcohol cannot cause alcohol's effects; in the US, "non-alcoholic" on a label can mean less than 0.5% alcohol by volume, so look for 0.0% or "alcohol-free" if you want none [9]. If you are worried about your drinking, SAMHSA's National Helpline is free, confidential and open 24/7 at 1-800-662-4357 [7].
What warm drinks work for winding down?
Tea is the low-risk default, and it is cheap. Chamomile is the best-known evening tea, so here is what the evidence says.
NCCIH describes chamomile as likely safe in the amounts found in teas, but says there is very little information on its effect on insomnia and that studies on anxiety are preliminary [1]. Possible side effects include nausea, dizziness and allergic reactions, particularly in people allergic to related plants such as ragweed, and interactions with warfarin and some other medicines have been reported [1]. So chamomile is fine as a pleasant drink; it is not a clinically proven sleep aid.
Other options need no research at all: decaf coffee, rooibos, golden-milk style drinks, or hot water with lemon and ginger. Pick what you like. A warm drink also lasts longer than a cold one, which helps if you want something to hold for an hour.
Can a mocktail do the job?
Yes, if you build it like a real drink. Bitter, sour and fizzy elements make a drink feel adult and slow you down to sip it.
- Bitter and bubbly: soda water, a few dashes of alcohol-free bitters (most traditional bitters contain alcohol), a wedge of grapefruit or orange.
- Sour and herbal: muddled mint or rosemary, lime juice, a small amount of simple syrup, soda water.
- Spiced and warm: hot apple cider with cinnamon, or a ginger and honey infusion.
Control the sugar by making them yourself. Ready-to-drink options in cans are fine; just read the label. For more ideas on ordering when you are out, see sober curious drinks.
What about botanical and functional drinks?
They can be a nice change from tea, but the evidence for the ingredients is uneven and the amounts in a can are often small.
Ashwagandha shows how mixed it can be. NCCIH says ashwagandha has been studied for sleep and stress outcomes, with results that vary by preparation, that evidence on anxiety is unclear, that it may be safe in the short term (up to 3 months), and that rare cases of liver injury have been linked to ashwagandha supplements; it should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding [5]. L-theanine and other single ingredients are covered in our kanna vs L-theanine and kanna vs ashwagandha posts. The takeaway is the same: read labels, look for amounts in milligrams, and ask a pharmacist if you take medication.
Where do kava and kanna drinks fit in?
They are the two plant-based options that come up most for people replacing a wind-down drink, and both come with cautions.
Kava is a traditional South Pacific beverage, served at kava bars in the US. NCCIH says various kava products have been linked to rare cases of liver injury, some serious or fatal, and that kava should not be used with alcohol or other sedating substances [3]. Our kanna vs kava page compares the two in detail.
Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum) is a South African succulent. In a 2020 pair of studies with 20 healthy volunteers, a single 25 mg dose of a standardized extract was associated with lower self-reported anxiety before a simulated public-speaking task in one study and showed no treatment effect in the other [2]. That is a small, short experiment, not evidence that a drink will relax you or help with anxiety. WebMD lists possible interactions with SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, tricyclics, triptans and St. John's wort, and says there are no pregnancy or breastfeeding data [8]. Any of those medicines, or pregnancy, is a reason to talk to a doctor first. The full picture is in is kanna safe.
Do not combine either with alcohol. We found no published human studies of kanna with alcohol, both are psychoactive, and we recommend not combining them. See can you mix kanna and alcohol.
If you want to compare kanna drinks, our ranking lists kanna per can, price and ingredients. Disclosure: this site is published by Psilly Goose, whose Silly can (35 mg kanna, caffeine-free, 40 calories) appears on it at our ranking.
Should you watch caffeine and sugar in evening drinks?
Yes. A drink meant to wind you down shouldn't keep you up.
The FDA says about 400 mg of caffeine a day is an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most healthy adults, roughly two to three 12 oz cups of coffee, and lists insomnia and sleep disruption among signs of too much [4]. Sensitivity varies. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, the FDA suggests asking your health care provider whether to limit caffeine [4]. Many botanical sodas are caffeine-free, but not all, so check. For sugar, compare calories on the label; some functional sodas are low-sugar and others are not.
How do you build a simple wind-down routine?
Treat it as a small experiment and change one thing at a time.
- Keep the time and the glass. Same hour, same glass, same spot.
- Start with the lowest-risk drink. Tea or a mocktail first. Add a functional drink later if you want to try one.
- Read every label. Caffeine, sugar, and the amount of any botanical.
- Run new botanicals past a professional if you take medication or are pregnant.
- Notice what actually helps. If a drink does nothing for you, it is fine to drop it.
For the full menu of options, including non-alcoholic beer and spirits, see the best alcohol alternatives.
This page is general information, not medical advice. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. None of the drinks discussed is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. If you are concerned about your drinking, call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
References
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Chamomile. nccih.nih.gov
- Reay J, et al. Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin) ameliorates experimentally induced anxiety in healthy volunteers. Hum Psychopharmacol 2020;35(6):1-7. PubMed
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Kava. nccih.nih.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine Is Too Much? fda.gov
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Ashwagandha. nccih.nih.gov
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol Use and Your Health. cdc.gov
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. National Helpline. samhsa.gov
- WebMD. Sceletium: Uses, side effects, interactions. webmd.com
- Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Malt Beverage Alcohol Content labeling (non-alcoholic: "contains less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume"; "alcohol free" only for beverages containing no alcohol). ttb.gov
Frequently asked questions
What can I drink to relax instead of alcohol?
Common choices are warm tea, a mocktail, a botanical soda, or a functional drink such as a kava or kanna beverage. Much of the relaxing effect of an evening drink comes from the ritual, which any of these can keep. No drink on this list is a treatment for anything.
Does chamomile tea help you relax?
NCCIH says chamomile is likely safe in the amounts found in teas, but that there is very little information on its effect on insomnia, and the anxiety research is preliminary [1]. It is a pleasant, low-risk evening drink, not a proven remedy.
Is kanna a relaxing drink?
Small trials of Sceletium tortuosum extract in healthy volunteers measured outcomes such as anxiety scores before a stress task [2], but results were mixed and the studies were small. Kanna drinks are not a treatment for stress or anxiety. See what the research found.
Can I mix a relaxing botanical drink with alcohol?
We recommend against it. Kava should not be combined with alcohol or sedating substances [3], and we found no published human studies of kanna with alcohol. Choose one or the other.
Should I avoid caffeine in the evening?
The FDA says about 400 mg a day is not generally associated with negative effects for most adults, and lists sleep disruption among signs of too much caffeine [4]. If you find caffeine keeps you up, choose caffeine-free options after midday.