Does Germany conjure up a mental image of people in lederhosen waving around beer steins? It sort of does for me. I know, it’s a total cliché, and I should know better, since my forebears came from Germany…oh, wait, they were brewers.

Anyway, I was thrilled to get the lowdown about ways to visit Germany sober from my tourism contacts in Southwest Germany.

Germany recognizes a need

Southwest Germany is home to two wine producing regions. The region is Germany’s second largest beer producer, and has thousands of distilleries.

But Gen Z is cutting back on booze, even in Germany. Many German alcohol producers are looking for ways to entice this market by making delicious drinks without the alcohol.

Here are a five of Southwest Germany’s top producers of non-alcoholic drinks. They all also produce traditional drinks, so if you decide to order anything, be sure to pick the right one.

Böser Kater

This is the first drink I’d try. “Böser Kater” means angry cat and refers to a hangover. But the cat dedication goes beyond the cute label. The distillery supports cat protection projects with every purchase.

Böser Kater is a juniper berry-based gin alternative produced by the Schleihauf family, who run a fruit distillery between Heidelberg and Stuttgart.

BOAR Distillery

The BOAR Distillery in the Black Forest produces the world’s leading gin. BOAR ZERO is the alcohol-free version. The Black Forest farm producing this gin alternative combines its own spring water with 19 botanicals to make an organic NA spirit. In its first month of production, the zero variant sold as much as the real stuff!

Heimat-Distillers

The Heimat Distillers from Schwaigern offer a rum alternative. Instead of alcohol as a flavor carrier, they use chili to create the sharpness associated with a stiff drink.

Geiger

The meadow orchards of the Swabian Alb have supplied Jörg Geiger’s distillates, sparkling wines, and ciders for 20 years. But for Geiger’s new “PriSeccos,” he experiments with alcohol-free combos of meadow fruit, green tea, celery, and oak leaves.

Alfred Schladerer distillery

Black Forest raspberries and natural herbal extracts combine in Vincent, a non-alcoholic aperitif from the Alfred Schladerer distillery. This place has been distilling for 175 years!

Want to see Germany sober? No problem with all these interesting drinks to try.