5 Functional Reasons Why Honey Makes…

Honey is a core ingredient in countless cocktails, from the classic Bee’s Knees and Gold Rush to the modern classic Penicillin and Honey Deuce. This beloved sweetness comes with an added benefit in non-alcoholic (N/A) beverages: it’s backed by Mother Nature herself. Honey gives N/A beverages the sweetness consumers crave from a source they trust.

However, sweetness is only part of the story when it comes to honey’s use in ready-to-drink N/A beverages. Honey is a functional powerhouse, enhancing aromatics, improving mouthfeel and adding complexity to N/A beverages. Here are the top five reasons product developers should formulate with honey, beyond its clean label appeal.

1. Honey Imparts Aromatic Complexity to N/A Beverages

Aromatics play an essential role in the overall drinking experience. There’s a romanticism in taking in the aromatics of a cocktail when it’s served at a bar or poured in a glass at home. With the alcohol removed, the aromatics of an RTD beverage often lose their complexity and become one-note.

Honey is a functional tool that provides complex aromatics due to its volatile organic compounds (VOCs). When a consumer sips a honey-sweetened N/A cocktail, they are receiving two signals:

• Taste Signal: Fructose/glucose detected on the tongue

• Aroma Signal: Floral/sweet volatiles detected in the nose

Honey’s aromatics were recently studied at Michigan State University, where researchers used a sensory panel to rate the sweetness of four honey varietals (clover, wildflower, alfalfa and orange blossom) compared to sucrose, both with and without nose clips to isolate taste from smell. The research found:

• Honey’s natural aromatics increased perceived sweetness by 23% to 43%, depending on the floral source.

• Because of this aromatic boost, the study concluded that 0.6 tablespoons of honey provides the same sweetness intensity as 1 full tablespoon of table sugar.

• This translates to a 21% reduction in calories and significant “added sugar” reduction without any loss in perceived sweetness.

This research proved that honey’s sweetness is a multisensory experience benefitting N/A beverages via complexity that often is absent when alcohol is removed.

2. Honey Improves Mouthfeel of N/A Beverages

In cocktails, alcohol adds the necessary weight and staying power that amplifies the drinking experience. When the alcohol is removed and the liquid canned, you create a pretty hefty formulation challenge. Thin drinks are a pain point many N/A product developers face.

Honey helps alleviate this challenge by naturally enhancing mouthfeel and adding body to N/A beverages. Its unique blend of sugars, acids and minerals boosts viscosity and adds a perceived body that makes an N/A beverage feel more complete.

3. Honey Delivers Flavor Complexity to N/A Beverages

One of the biggest challenges in developing sophisticated non-alcoholic beverages is replicating the complex flavor experience that alcohol naturally provides. When you remove it from the equation, drinks often feel flat or one-note.

This is where honey steps up and adds the needed flavor complexity in N/A beverages.

Honey’s natural acids, including gluconic acid, add a brightness to beverages and help elevate the flavor notes in a variety of botanicals. These acids help lift citrus and distinguish herbal flavors. Honey also delivers aromatic compounds that act as a built-in botanical layer.

These benefits come from one ingredient, allowing beverage formulators to streamline their ingredient decks with a clean label sensory powerhouse.

4. Honey Acts as a Natural Buffering Agent in N/A Beverages

Canned beverages often require high acidity for microbial stability and shelf-life extension. This often requires the addition of citric acid to a formula, which can lead to a sharp acidic bite. With a pH of 3.9, honey’s organic acids act as a natural buffering system to help stabilize the pH of a formulation while eliminating a sharp acidic flavor.

5. Honey Masks Off Flavors in N/A Beverages

As the popularity of N/A beverages grows, so does the list of functional ingredients used in these products. Adaptogens, vitamins, plant proteins, botanicals and even mushrooms have found a home in functional N/A beverages. These ingredients can impart bitter, metallic and hay-like off notes. Honey acts as a clean label flavor masker, using both its sweetness and aromatic complexity, to mask off notes.

The Time to Innovate with Honey is Now

The N/A beverage market is projected to continue its robust growth in 2026 and beyond. Consumers are making mindful choices to avoid alcohol. By integrating honey into N/A beverage formulations, N/A producers are delivering what their consumers want:

• Natural sweetness from a trusted source

• Complex, sophisticated flavors and aromatics

• A powerful health halo that resonates with mindful consumers

Transform your N/A lineup with honey, an ingredient that delivers sweetness, complex flavor, body and authenticity in every sip. Start a new formulation today by emailing [email protected] and learning more about the flavor and functional benefits of honey.