Everything at Dry Cellar adheres to the legal, FDA established definition of “non-alcoholic”, which is anything below 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). We have many wines & beers that are made traditionally and then dealcoholized down to anywhere below 0.5%. We have many other products that are closer to a true zero-proof, meaning that they were never made to be alcoholic—they were right around 0.0%-0.2% naturally.
For some perspective: many foods, particularly fruits, breads, and juices, hold some level of ABV just from the natural fermentation processes that occur in our natural world everyday. For example, a banana at a normal level of ripeness (yellow peel—but not yet brown) has about 0.2% ABV, and some breads actually come in above the non-alcoholic threshold of 0.5%. None of our products will “get you drunk” just like eating 30 bananas won’t “get you drunk” (please do not eat 30 bananas—you won’t get drunk, but you’ll regret it.)
While it is technically legal for those under 21 to consume non-alcoholic beer, wine, and spirits, the products in our store that directly mimic a traditionally alcoholic counterpart are intended for consumption by adults. We do have some sparkling teas, artisan sodas, seltzers, and other RTDs that may be suitable for younger adults, but for the sake of simplicity we ask that customers of the beer, wine, and spirits categories be of legal drinking age.
People under the age of 18 should be accompanied by a supervising adult in our store.
We cannot offer any medical advice regarding whether our beverages are suitable for your personal situation. If you are concerned about a particular ingredient, ABV, etc. and how it interacts with your personal situation, please consult your physician.
PREGNANCY While most standard NA wines, beers, and spirits are considered by medical professionals to be safe during a typical pregnancy, but some of our functional beverages may contain ingredients that are not advisable during pregnancy, or have not been studied during pregnancy. Please make sure that you are reading labels to ensure you are not purchasing a product that contains an ingredient you are avoiding during your pregnancy.
Ultimately, your health is up to you and your doctors. However, if you are avoiding a specific ingredient for any reason, please let us know (we don’t need to know why!), and we would be happy to assist you in finding products that do not contain that specific ingredient.
No. We are a retail store. Think of us like a liquor store without the booze. We will host tastings regularly so that our customers can sample products and get to know the vast array of NA options out there, but we do not serve drinks for on-premise consumption.
Customers of Dry Cellar and stores like ours come from all walks of life (and we love it!). If you consume alcohol, you will likely still find lots to be interested in at Dry Cellar. Those who are practicing mindfulness around their consumption of alcohol, are working on improving their health, are sober curious, are hosting a gathering, are on a fertility journey, are supporting a loved one who is cutting back, (etc. etc. etc.) find that having non-alcoholic alternatives available enhances their lived experience.
Looking to cut back, but not necessarily cut out? Our NA spirits can be cut with their alcoholic counterparts in any cocktail recipe to lower the ABV of that drink. Attending an all-day cookout/family reunion/wedding weekend, and don’t want to overdo it? Try alternating between NA beer/wine and alcoholic beer/wine throughout the day. Hosting a gathering (we’re looking at you—baby shower organizers!) where one or more guests would rather not imbibe? Offer them something that will still embrace the occasion without the pressure of alcohol.
We also carry a selection of mixers, bitters, garnishes, etc. that are all perfectly suitable to be used with traditional spirits as well as zero proof ones.
Many of our beverages are not designed to mimic an alcoholic counterpart. Even if you’re not looking to imitate your nightly martini or IPA, we believe you deserve the same level of complexity and care that go into those beverages. We’ve got plenty of botanical elixirs, seltzers, sodas, and ready-to-drink (RTD) canned drinks that will add some variety to your hydration arsenal.
Functional beverages refer to any of our spirits, etc. that contain botanicals, adaptogens, nootropics, etc. that are considered to have some nutritional benefit. This may be as simple as the natural anti-inflammatory effects of turmeric, or as complex as the amino acid L-theanine (naturally found in green tea) which has been shown to induce a calming effect without drowsiness.
These two categories have definitely become buzzwords, lately, and you’ll see them in many of our functional beverages. Here’s the easy way to remember which one’s which:
Adaptogens are plants that help you adapt and cope—they help reduce stress/anxiety/restlessness without inducing drowsiness. Some common ones include: ashwagandha, ginseng, cordyceps, schishandra.
Nootropics are plants that assist in maximizing cognitive functioning—improved memory, focus, mood, and creativity. Some common nootropics include: L-theanine, ginkgo biloba, lion’s mane, and caffeine.
Nope! Recreational marijuana is not legal in NH, so you will not find any of these products at Dry Cellar.
CBD is a bit more complicated. We do not currently carry any CBD products. The State of NH has deferred their stance on CBD as a dietary supplement (meaning that it is sold in a food or beverage form) over to the FDA. The FDA was tasked with regulating the sale of CBD as a dietary supplement, but it has not made any progress. Basically, it’s not legal yet because they haven’t figured out how to make sure everyone is doing it safely. Earlier this year, congress began pressing the FDA on this issue, and is working to force them to move forward with this project. Dry Cellar has expressed their support to State Representatives for furthering this initiative.
You will see CBD oils, salves, and supplements in health food stores, etc. but you won’t see CBD in “food form” in New Hampshire. Individual states have been allowed to determine their stance on this subject while the FDA sorts out how to regulate the safe sale of CBD as a dietary supplement. This is why you may see CBD beverages, gummies, etc. in stores in other nearby states, but not in NH.
We are closely monitoring the status of this issue, and we will bring in CBD (not THC) products once it is legally permitted in the state.
If you’d like to know more about this, we are happy to chat with you about it or direct you to resources to learn more. It is a complex issue that is difficult to condense into a brief FAQ, but we hope this helps sum it up.
We have a selection of spirits, botanicals, and aperitif that are available to taste during the week (Tue-Fri). Let us know a little about what you’re looking for, what you like/dislike for flavors, and we will be happy to suggest a few items that are available to taste. We’ll follow your feedback to make recommendations for products and how to use them.
During high volume hours (Sat. & Sun., holidays, throughout Dry January, etc.) we will have specific items that we are highlighting for sampling each day–these are often mentioned on our social media pages.
Occasionally we will host a weekend tasting event in partnership with a brand (this is typically where you will find opportunities to taste wine, in particular) which can be found on the Events page.
