The best non-alcoholic pairings for Sunday roast
Australians are rewriting the rules of the long lunch, swapping the customary glass of red for thoughtful zero-proof alternatives that hold their own against rich, slow-cooked meats. From Brunswick cafés pouring house-made shrubs to Perth bars stocking alcohol-free sparkling on tap, the appetite for sophisticated drinks without the alcohol has moved firmly into the mainstream. At The Wheelhouse beside the Falkirk Wheel, the same shift is reshaping how guests approach the traditional Sunday roast, with plates of crispy potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and grass-fed beef now matched to drinks that refresh rather than overpower. Guests keen to plan ahead can browse the full offering on the Wheelhouse Falkirk website.
The Sunday roast has always been a flexible format, and that flexibility makes it the perfect canvas for experimentation. Whether you are driving, parenting, observing a dry month, or simply curious, pairing the meal with something other than wine or beer opens up a new way to enjoy the ritual. The following guide walks through the styles of drink that work beautifully alongside roast beef, roast chicken, roast lamb and the vegetarian option, with Australian brands and habits woven in throughout.
The rise of mindful drinking down under
Across Australia, the non-alcoholic beverage category has been one of the fastest-growing segments in hospitality. Industry reports suggest the no-and-low sector has expanded by more than twenty per cent year-on-year, with Gen Z and younger millennials driving much of the demand. In Melbourne and Sydney, dedicated sober bars now sit alongside established pubs, and even suburban bottle shops in Brisbane and Adelaide devote entire shelves to alcohol-free craft beer, dealcoholised wine and botanical spirits.
Australia's legal drinking age sits at eighteen, but that has not stopped a generation of twenty-somethings from exploring adult social rituals without the hangover. The country's Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) framework has also nudged venues towards offering credible zero-proof options, since staff are trained to ensure alternatives are available for designated drivers and anyone who prefers not to drink. Sunday lunch is a particular flashpoint: the long, lazy meal that traditionally asked for a bottle of shiraz is increasingly being paired with cold-pressed mixers, house sodas and small-batch kombucha instead.
Sparkling alternatives that cut through the fat
A roast is a rich meal, and richness calls for bubbles, acidity and a clean finish. Sparkling water with a twist of citrus or a splash of elderflower cordial does the job admirably, but Australian shelves now offer more interesting choices. StrangeLove, a Melbourne-based mixer brand, produces lo-fi sodas in flavours like bitter lemon, ginger and passionfruit that pair naturally with the rendered fat on a slice of roast beef. Their bottles turn up at brunch tables from Fitzroy to Fremantle and have become a quiet staple of the sober-curious movement in venues that used to pour only wine.
Kombucha is another contender, particularly the drier, less sweet styles brewed in the Yarra Valley and Adelaide Hills. The gentle tannin and lively carbonation slice through horseradish cream and gravy in much the same way a chilled pinot would, without the alcohol content. For guests who want something celebratory, a non-alcoholic sparkling made by Australian producers offers the visual theatre of a Sunday gathering without compromising the driver's licence afterwards, which matters in a country with long distances between towns.
Tea, coffee and the Australian way
Few cultures treat coffee as seriously as Australia does, and a flat white or long black can hold their own next to a roast in surprising ways. The roast's caramelised edges echo the bittersweet notes of a well-pulled espresso, while the milk in a flat white softens the meeting point between salty crackling and bitter char. At The Wheelhouse, finishing a plate of roast pork with apple sauce alongside a small pot of strong filter coffee is a combination that feels distinctly Antipodean, even if the meat was carved in Scotland.
Tea is the more traditional companion, and Australia's love affair with chai has produced several local tea houses that roast their own blends. A smoky lapsang souchong or a peppery masala chai will stand up to roast lamb, while a delicate first-flush Darjeeling lifts the lighter notes of a chicken roast. For something indulgent, ask the team about pairing the Champagne afternoon tea experience with a pot of rare single-origin tea, which mirrors the celebratory feel of fizz without a drop of alcohol in sight.
Zero-proof cocktails and shrubs
The modern mocktail has come a long way from orange juice and bitter lemon. Today's zero-proof cocktails rely on the same building blocks as their alcoholic cousins: acid, sugar, bitterness and aromatics. Shrubs, which are vinegar-based syrups aged with fruit, are particularly popular in Australian cafés that lean into fermentation. A blackberry and thyme shrub topped with sparkling water is a sophisticated partner for roast duck or a nut-loaf vegetarian option, the vinegar brightening every mouthful and cutting through the richness of the plate.
Lyre's, an Australian-founded non-alcoholic spirit company, has been pivotal in this space. Its range of dry London spirit, amaretti and dark cane imitation spirits allows bartenders to construct full-strength cocktails that read as alcoholic without the ethanol. Guests who order an Espresso Martini mocktail at The Wheelhouse will find it still carries the crema, the kick and the glassware, just without the next-morning regret. Seedlip, although British, is frequently stocked alongside Lyre's in Australian venues and offers a garden-pea-and-hay profile that pairs beautifully with herb-crusted roasts.
Non-alcoholic beers and wines worth pouring
Australia has produced some of the world's most interesting alcohol-free beers. Heaps Normal, brewed in Sydney, runs at less than 0.5 per cent ABV and tastes remarkably close to a sessionable pale ale, with enough hop bite to refresh the palate between bites of roast beef. Other local names worth seeking out include the range of alcohol-free lagers now appearing on tap at suburban pubs from Parramatta to Penrith, where weekend roasts are a Saturday institution.
Dealcoholised wine is a more delicate category, partly because Australian labelling laws require any beverage under 1.15 per cent ABV to be clearly marked as low alcohol or non-alcoholic, and partly because the vacuum extraction process can flatten a wine's personality. That said, brands from the Barossa and Margaret River are catching up, and a chilled non-alcoholic rosé can be a lovely counterpoint to a Sunday roast, particularly when the weather in the southern hemisphere is heading towards winter and guests want something lighter than a full red. Look for bottles that list grape variety and vintage, the same markers you would expect on a conventional label.
Pairing drinks with specific dishes
The final piece of the puzzle is matching the drink to the meat on the plate. Roast beef, with its iron-rich jus and crisp fat, calls for tannin, bubbles or bitter citrus: try a StrangeLove bitter lemon over ice, or a glass of alcohol-free sparkling from a Yarra Valley producer. Roast chicken, leaner and often dressed with lemon and thyme, pairs with floral drinks such as chamomile-infused sparkling water or a delicate Darjeeling, while the herbal notes echo the stuffing.
Roast lamb, especially when served with mint sauce or a rosemary rub, has the strength to handle bolder non-alcoholic choices: a masala chai, a smoky lapsang souchong, or even a coffee-forward mocktail built with Lyre's coffee spirit and a dash of cocoa bitters. For the vegetarian roast, where the star is often a stuffed squash or a nut wellington, look for acidity and texture: a dry kombucha, a shrub-topped soda or a pot of jasmine green tea will lift the earthy sweetness of the vegetables without overwhelming them.
Gather the family, book a table beside the rotating boat lift and let the team at The Wheelhouse guide you through a Sunday roast paired entirely without alcohol. Sign up for the latest offers through our loyalty programme, reserve a spot, and discover how satisfying a sober Sunday can be.