Dry January: the French art of the alcohol-free apéritif

Born in the UK in 2013 and embraced in France since 2020, Dry January invites you to take a break from alcohol for the whole month. Many people start with one worry: losing the apéritif moment. Good news: that ritual never depended on alcohol. It's about a glass you take the time to pour, flavours that open the appetite, and the people around the table.

1. Keep the ritual, change the glass

A great apéritif starts with the gesture: a beautiful stemmed glass, ice, a twist of peel. Serve your alcohol-free drink in the same glass as usual, with the same care, and the moment stays the same.

2. Look for bitterness

What alcohol-free drinks most often lack is complexity. Alcohol brings body and length; without it, many drinks turn sweet and flat. The answer: the bitterness of botanicals. Gentian, quassia and citrus peels give a real apéritif its structure. It's the heart of FINOTE No. 1 L'Apéritif, our vermouth-style apéritif.

3. Bring on the bubbles

Fine bubbles bring freshness and a festive touch. A well-chilled alcohol-free spritz, served between 6 and 8 °C, naturally replaces the Friday-night glass of fizz. Our three spritz cover every mood: citrus and bitter (N°2), tangy and salty (N°3), fruity and spicy (N°4).

4. Think about pairings

Olives, tapenade, anchovies, fine charcuterie, aged cheeses: the apéritif classics work without alcohol too, as long as the drink has character. A bitter spritz calls for something salty; a spicy profile goes beautifully with grilled tapas.

5. Make a cocktail at home

A FINOCLASSICO (5 cl of No. 1 and 10 cl of premium tonic), a BOULEVARDINI with a 0.0% lager, or a FRENCH FINITI with alcohol-free sparkling wine take two minutes to make. Find all our recipes on our Cocktails page.

And after January?

During Dry January, many people realise they don't want to go back every evening. A good alcohol-free apéritif isn't a temporary substitute: it's one more option, for the evenings when you want a clear head without giving up on pleasure.

To start the month right: discover the FINOTE range, with 10% off 6 bottles or more.