At Cookies Cream, alcohol-free is not an afterthought. It is part of the experience – thoughtfully made, beautifully paired and every bit as considered as the wine.
We have always believed that a great pairing should do more than simply sit next to a dish. It should lift it, challenge it, sharpen it, soften it, surprise it. And for a long time now, that belief has extended far beyond wine.
As pioneers in vegetarian fine dining, we have spent years rethinking what a fine dining experience can look and feel like — including what ends up in the glass. Offering alcohol-free options was never about filling a gap. It was about creating something with the same depth, detail and sense of occasion as a great wine pairing.
That is why we offer a full alcohol-free pairing alongside our tasting menu: a considered sequence of homemade drinks and carefully sourced products from some of the most exciting alcohol-free producers across Europe.
Our house drinks are created by our bar team. Some pairings are made entirely in-house using fresh fruit and vegetable juices, teas, herbs and spices. Others come from producers we genuinely admire — people pushing the alcohol-free category forward with creativity, craft and a strong point of view. Together, they create a pairing journey that feels layered, elegant and completely at home in the world of fine dining.
Sam Doyle, head of bar, and his team work with juices, infusions, vinegars, herbs, spices and teas to build drinks with structure, freshness, bitterness, tannin and length. The things you want from a real pairing. Not something sweet and simple. Not something pretending to be wine. Something delicious in its own right.
A big part of that process is clarification. We use agar-agar, a natural gelling agent derived from red algae, to clarify our drinks. Once heated and activated, the agar binds to the solid particles in the liquid. We let it set, freeze it, then slowly defrost and strain it through cheesecloth. What comes out is a beautifully clear liquid with refined texture and clean flavour, while still holding all the depth of the original ingredients.
Technical, yes. But also intuitive. Every drink is designed around the dish it accompanies: its texture, temperature, acidity, sweetness, spice, umami.
Some pairings are bright and lifted, like green apple, pomegranate and sencha. Others move into deeper, savoury territory, with ingredients such as kohlrabi, parsnip and lapsang souchong.
Like our food, our drinks are shaped by a kitchen mindset. Flavour comes first, but waste matters too.
Where possible, we use leftovers and by-products from vegetables already on the menu – giving ingredients a second life in the pairing. Trimmings, skins, offcuts, surplus juices: all of it can become part of something beautiful when handled with care. It is a creative process, but also a responsible one, and it reflects the values that have long shaped Cookies Cream: curiosity, restraint and a deep respect for ingredients.
Alongside our own creations, we pour a curated selection of alcohol-free products from producers across Europe who are doing things properly.
These are drinks with identity – fermented, distilled, infused or brewed with real complexity and a strong sense of place. We look for flavour, balance and character. We look for people who care about quality as much as we do.
That might mean a fermented wild meadow drink from Norway, kombuchas from our friends at Bouche in Berlin, botanical alternatives from Bôtan Distillery in Antwerp, or structured alcohol-free wine alternatives from Gnista in Malmö, Villbrygg in Oslo and Arensbak in Copenhagen. We are also proud to work with The Mindful Drinking Club, who supply the alcohol-free products featured in our selection and have long championed a more exciting, thoughtful and inclusive culture around alcohol-free drinking.
There is still a tendency in fine dining to treat alcohol-free as secondary. We never have.
For years, we have been creating drinks with the depth, structure and elegance a tasting menu deserves – because what is in the glass should carry the same care as what is on the plate. And because real hospitality means every guest feels fully part of the experience.
Alongside our pairing, we also offer a wider selection of alcohol-free choices from exciting producers across Europe, whether you want the full journey or simply a great glass to start the evening.
At Cookies Cream, alcohol-free is not a side note. It is part of who we are.