Why are alcohol-free drinks so expensive? Some fake spirits cost over £25 a bottle!

<p>In this new series, our money and consumer editor considers the often perplexing reasons items cost what they do. As a new report suggests booze-free booze can cost 25% more than the alcoholic equivalent, what could possibly explain this?</p><p><strong>Why do some 0% alcohol drinks cost as much as booze? Some of the fake spirits in my local supermarket cost more than £25 a bottle!</strong></p><p>It doesn’t seem to make any sense, does it? Alcohol attracts tax and soft drinks do not, so why do some of the options on the no/low shelf have such big price tags? When browsing the drinks menu at a London venue recently, I saw a sparkling non-alcoholic wine costing £85 – enough to make me wonder if there’s a fake-champagne bubble.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/nov/06/price-of-everything-why-are-alcohol-free-drinks-so-expensive">Continue reading...</a>