Review: Beckett’s Tonics and Non-Alcoholic Spirits

Beckett’s is a new brand of non-alcoholic spirits and RTD offerings, with a fairly vast collection of products available out of the gate. There’s not a whole lot of information about how these products are produced — and in truth none of them seem to go out of their way to recreate the bite and punch of an alcohol-laced offering. They’re all sweetened with various products, including sugar, stevia, and allulose, in various combinations, so check the labels if you are curious about the fine print.

We tasted everything the brand is currently offering, including seven RTDs (Beckett’s Tonics) and four NA spirits (Beckett’s ’27).

Thoughts follow.

Beckett’s Tonics Mystic Dove Paloma – Featuring black carrot juice(!) and both sugar and stevia, this is a credible recreation of a paloma, with a surprisingly cloudy construction that effectively evokes the pulpy appearance of fresh grapefruit juice. The palate features more lime than grapefruit, but both are present and well-represented, along with a curious terpene-like quality that adds a peppery punch to the drink. It’s unexpected but it works better than you might think — though if you told me this was a hemp-derived concoction, I would have totally believed it. A-

Beckett’s Tonics Flying Mule Moscow Mule – Nicely gingery but not overwhelming, this comes across a lot like a ginger beer, laced with lime and a slight terpene quality (though not nearly as much as the paloma offers). Imagine a slightly doctored bottle of Fever Tree Ginger Beer and you’re on the right path. To that end, I’d probably use this as a mixer rather than drink it on its own. A-

Beckett’s Tonics Juniper Fly Gin & Tonic – The nose has a big quinine punch, making for an instantly credible G&T, though the pop of juniper is rather understated. The palate sees the emergence of a layer of authentic lime juice and some more lemony citrus peel, while the finish introduces a bit of peppery spice and a slightly racy lime leaf quality. This isn’t a big gin and tonic experience, but it’s surprisingly real and one of the most cocktail-like experiences in the Beckett’s lineup. A-

Four margaritas, starting with the classic:

Beckett’s Tonics Stone Daisy Lime Margarita – Ample lime and a little salt give this a traditional margarita construction, with a fresh sweetness that feels authentic and never saccharine — it’s standard cane sugar, not agave, by the way. Things proceed uneventfully until the finish arrives, with is a bit vegetal at first, then more so as the drink gets some ice melted into it. A squeeze of lemon takes the finish in a different direction. Fine but not overly exciting. B

Beckett’s Tonics Stone Daisy Pineapple Margarita – Spicy at first blush, but with plenty of pineapple to temper any heat from building — namely presenting itself in the form of canned Dole pineapple juice. Lime makes a lesser impact, though it’s more noticeable with some time in glass. Brisk and buzzy, the heat on the back end feels alcohol-adjacent, at least, and while it comes across as a bit artificial tasting, it is nonetheless surprisingly approachable and easy to crush. I’d have another. A-

Beckett’s Tonics Stone Daisy Mango Margarita – Another solid flavored expression, similar to the pineapple margarita but with, of course, a sweeter and slightly earthier construction that really does evoke ripe mangoes. It gets just a touch cloying on the back end, but some spice clinging to the finish helps clean everything up and provide a well-rounded sipping experience. I had no trouble finishing off a can. A-

Beckett’s Tonics Stone Daisy Strawberry Margarita – A very different experience from the above trio, quite candylike and artificial, tasting a lot like a liquified version of those green-wrappered strawberry candies you get around Christmas, but don’t know the name of. Very sweet from start to finish, it isn’t until the conclusion that the beverage starts to take on a slight medicinal tone. C

RTDs are each $15 per four-pack of 12 oz cans

Beckett’s ’27 Non-Alcoholic Cinnamon Whiskey – Not the first N/A Fireball we’ve seen. This one plays the part fairly well, with a very strong nose that reeks of lots of ground cinnamon, tempered with a restrained bit of sugar. The cinnamon does the heavy lifting along with some gentle sweetness, until a finish of peppered breakfast cereal emerges, giving the spirit a gritty quality on the back of the throat. It’s actually less sweet than most cinnamon whiskeys on the market (and just 5 calories per serving), so those making cocktails with the stuff may need to futz with their recipe a bit to dial things in. B+

Beckett’s ’27 Non-Alcoholic Amaretto – Beautiful nose of marzipan and brown sugar here, making the product feel like it’s going to hit the palate as a very sweet liqueur. Not so, actually: The sugar is very much restrained, and the palate even comes across as a little on the thin side. On the tongue, the almond note remains the strongest, though it finds a complement in the form of a touch of Meyer lemon and a pinch of cinnamon. It’s simple but it all works well enough if you need a no-abv way to almondize your drink. A bit too watery for sipping solo, though. B+

Beckett’s ’27 Non-Alcoholic Coconut Rum – Overtones of sweetened, shredded coconut are immediate here: This smells and tastes just like a freshly opened bag of baking supplies, ready to be dumped into a German chocolate cake. It’s chewy and a little buttery, even, with lacings of vanilla to further amplify the dessert-like qualities. What’s missing is anything substantial in the way of the rum side of the equation, though this is not overly surprising given the lineup up to this point. While the vanilla in the mix at least hints at a spirit, there’s zero heat or bite. You could just as easily use this as a coconut syrup. B+

Beckett’s ’27 Non-Alcoholic Coffee Liqueur – Again this smells the part, offering a solid brewed coffee quality, though it comes off as distinctly sweetened by almond syrup, evoking an amaretto vibe. Same goes on the palate, which is again quite thin, but well-informed by marzipan and, again, some cinnamon. Ultimately, the flavor of the liqueur fades farther and farther from coffee as the finish approaches, eventually evoking something akin to weak tea. The weakest spirit of the bunch. B

Spirits are each $15 per 375ml bottle

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