What to Serve Guests Who Aren't Drinking at a Summer BBQ
Every summer gathering now includes someone who is not drinking. A friend who is driving, a colleague doing a month off, someone pregnant, someone who simply does not fancy it. And yet the standard offer of non alcoholic drinks for a BBQ is still a warm can of supermarket lemonade and an apologetic shrug. You can do better than that, and it takes less effort than you would think. Here is how to make the non-drinkers at your table feel like the best-catered people in the garden.
The problem with the usual offering
Think about what the drinkers get at a good barbecue: something cold, something considered, something that pairs with food that has been kissed by smoke and char. Now think about what the non-drinkers usually get: sugar, fizz and an afterthought.
The gap is not about alcohol. It is about complexity. Grilled food is rich, smoky, sweet and savoury all at once, and it wants a drink with enough character to stand up to it. Most soft drinks are one note. What you want is something with acidity, depth and a grown-up finish, served with the same care you would give a glass of wine.
The hero: a batch jug of JIN JIN for the table
This is the move that changes the whole afternoon. Instead of pouring one-off drinks all day, make a single beautiful jug before guests arrive and let it hold court on the table.
The JIN JIN Garden Jug (serves 8 to 10)
Fill a large jug or dispenser with plenty of ice. Add 200ml of JIN JIN, then top with about 1.5 litres of chilled sparkling water. Stir gently, then finish with whatever the garden or fruit bowl offers: ribbons of cucumber, a few slices of plum or dark berries, a couple of sprigs of thyme or mint. Done in three minutes.
What comes out is deep amber, gently sparkling and unlike anything your guests have had at a barbecue: plummy and prune-like up front, a cola and balsamic depth in the middle, a subtle tartness and an earthy, umami finish that loves smoke and char. It reads like a drink someone thought about, because it is. One 600ml bottle holds around 30 serves, so a single bottle covers the jug with plenty left for the rest of the summer.
One rule: keep it cold. JIN JIN is raw and unpasteurised, fermented in small batches for over six months, so it is always served chilled or over ice, never warmed.
Three more serves for non alcoholic drinks at a BBQ
Not everyone wants the same glass all afternoon, so here are three simple variations to offer alongside the jug.
The JIN JIN and Tonic. 20ml of JIN JIN in a tall glass over ice, topped with a good tonic. The quinine bitterness against the ferment's dark sweetness is the closest thing to a proper aperitif without alcohol. Give it a strip of orange zest.
The Long Sparkler. 20ml with sparkling water and a squeeze of fresh lime, in a wine glass. Clean, dry-leaning and endlessly drinkable next to burgers and halloumi.
The Smoky Pairing. For anything heavily charred or glazed, 20ml with still water and no garnish at all. It sounds austere, but with barbecue food the balsamic and sherry notes do the work on their own, the way a glass of amontillado might.
Hosting notes that make the difference
The details carry more weight than the recipes. Serve the non-alcoholic options in proper glassware, not plastic tumblers while the wine gets stemware. Put the jug in the middle of the table rather than off to the side by the squash. And introduce it the way you would introduce a wine: this is a fermented drink made from over 30 plants, aged for six months, served at Michelin-level restaurants. Watch how differently people treat their glass once they know that.
That last part is not showing off. It is hospitality. Guests who are not drinking spend a lot of summer parties feeling like an admin problem. Handing them something with three Great Taste Awards behind it tells them they were expected, and catered for, and that nobody has to make a thing of it.
Stock up before the coals go on
A proper barbecue season means more than one gathering, and the jug has a habit of emptying fast. Buy two bottles of JIN JIN and UK delivery is free, which neatly covers the jug, the tonics and every guest who says "go on then, one more".
Buy 2 bottles with free UK delivery and let the jug do the hosting.
