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10 of the best non-alcoholic ‘spirits’ to try this summer
The non-alcoholic drinks market has been growing at a remarkable rate for some years now, kickstarted by the likes of Seedlip. Now, there are dozens of brands cornering the ‘what to drink when you’re not drinking’ market.
It’s a welcome change. Teetotallers, pregnant women, designated drivers – they have all suffered from a lack of imagination and (sometimes) poor quality by producers when it comes to ‘grown up’ non-alcoholic drinks. Thankfully, options have multiplied ten-fold over the past few years, and now there’s more choice than ever.
In the UK, the low- and no-alcohol sector is predicted to be valued by more than US$1.5bn in 2025, according to the IWSR Drinks Market Analysis’ No and Low Alcohol Strategic Study 2021.
This evolution has not only been about creating non-alcoholic imitations of beer, wine or spirits, but entirely new drinks options and innovations too that make you forget your beverage is lacking booze. No other category is doing this quite so quickly, or with as much imagination, as the spirits industry right now.
From non-alcohol spirit alternatives, gin and rum imitations to switchels and cocktail concentrates, not to mention the fast-growing world of non-alcoholic aperitif options.
So, there’s really no need to be glum if you can’t indulge in a boozy beverage, for whatever the reason. Try one of these alternatives instead.
Mother Root Ginger Switchel
A switchel is a drink made of water, vinegar, and a sweet substance such as molasses or maple syrup, often with spices or other flavouring. It’s thought to have originated in either the Caribbean or New England, and has a history dating back to the 17th Century. Today, the category is being reimagined for the modern day cocktail lover by several brands, including the London-based Mother Root. Its alcohol-free Ginger Switchel is packed with flavour, made from a blend of pressed ginger juice, organic apple cider vinegar, blossom honey and a kick of chilli for a warming finish. Try it as an aperitif over ice mixed with soda, garnished with rosemary or orange slice, or with tonic.
Botivo
Botivo is one of several smart non-alcoholic aperitif brands that launched in 2021, with slick branding and a wax-topped bottle reminiscent of a trendy wine brand. It was founded by Sam Paget-Steavenson, who prior to entering the world of no and low drinks founded The Rum Runner, a cocktail consultancy service and events business.
The inspiration for Botivo, a white aperitif, came from a ye olde method of producing ‘oxymel’ herbal tonics (oxy = acid / mel = honey), which due to their ingredients are afforded natural complexity and shelf-stability. Mirroring this method, Botivo is made by macerating botanicals (rosemary, thyme, gentian, wormwood and orange zest) for two months with raw apple cider vinegar and honey, resulting in a beverage with a depth of flavour with a degree of natural preservation. Serve over ice with sparkling water and a twist of orange.
Wilfred’s
Wilfred’s claims to have ‘reinvented the Spritz’ with its bittersweet apéritif made from a blend of rosemary, bitter orange, rhubarb and clove. Its snazzy art-deco bottle made its debut into the low and no space in 2021, and is perfect for anyone craving a non-alcoholic Aperol Spritz in the sunshine.
It was founded by Chris Wilfred Hughes who, fed up with the abundance of overly sweet non-alcoholic options out there, decided to make his own. After exhaustive experimentation with botanicals from across the world, he eventually settled on ingredients from his mother’s garden in London – freshly picked rosemary and the bitter oranges used to make homemade marmalade. Serve over ice with tonic.
Seedlip and Aecorn
The first on the scene when it launched its distilled spirit alternative in 2015, founded by entrepreneur Ben Branson. Diageo bought a minority stake in the company in 2016 through Distill Ventures, then increased its shareholding to a majority stake in 2019, giving the brand further global exposure. Seedlip laid the groundwork for many of the brands that would follow, and it is still one of the best known non-alcoholic alternatives having made good headway in securing listings across the on- and off-trade. It’s original trio of Seedlip Spice 94, Seedlip Garden 108, and Seedlip Grove 42 is made by blending a range of distillates made with natural botanicals.
Aecorn Apéritifs, Seedlip’s sister company, made its debut in 2019. Inspired by the “European apéritif tradition”, its range of non-alcoholic aperitifs are based on English herbal remedies from the 17th century. Each expression is produced from grapes and aromatised with herbs, roots and bitter botanicals. The range includes: Aecorn dry white (nettle, gentian, clary sage and chamomile with a herbal, bittersweet finish); Aecorn Bitter (grapefruit skin, bay and orange marmalade with lingering notes of quassia and honeycomb); and Aecorn Aromatic red (smoked cherrywood, vanilla, kola nut and chinotto, finishing with subtle notes of chocolate, raisin and oak).
Crossip
Crossip was founded in 2020 by former Dishoom bar development manager Carl Anthony Brown, who has 16 years in the biz under his belt and has appeared numerous times as a cocktail expert on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and ITV’s This Morning.
Crossip features three variants: Dandy Smoke, Fresh Citrus and Pure Hibiscus. All three contain a base of botanical ingredients that are macerated and blended and include eucalyptus, ginger, cayenne, gentian and vegetable glycerin, with additional botanicals to tweak each variant. Fresh citrus for example also includes clementine, grapefruit, mandarin, orange and lemon, and is pitched as perfect for a 0% Mojito, Cosmo or with Tonic. Dandy Smoke is said to be reminiscent of a Mezcal, made with lapsang, cinnamon, black pepper, orange, clove, nutmeg, smoke and peat essence. It’s a bit like a non-alcoholic Old Fashioned, or could used to make 0% sour cocktails or with cola and a squeeze of lime. Pure Hibiscus is more similar to a non-alcoholic Italian bitter aperitif.
Three Spirit
Created by “scientists and bartenders”, Three Spirit is a unique brand that’s leaning into demand for healthy plant-based food and beverages, “carefully extracting the active compounds from the highest grade, ethically sourced plants we can get our hands on”. Its range of non-alcoholic beverages are made from a combination of maceration, fermentation, distillation, reverse osmosis, freeze-drying and “ultrasonic extraction” to maximise the “functional potency of our drinks”. That includes exotic ingredients like Lions’ Mane mushroom, Guayusa, passionflower and ashwaganda – all extracted from plants and boasting impressive health properties derived from active plant “adaptogens and nootropics”.
Its trio of drinks includes the Livener, the Social Elixir and The Night Cap. What does that mean for flavour? The Livener is “energising, exotic and fiery”, with ingredients including English beet sugar, watermelon concentrate, pomegranate molasses and botanical extracts of hibiscus, guava leaf, schisandra berry, Siberian and Panax ginseng. The Social Elixir is made with agave nectar and botanical extracts of caraway seed, damiana leaf, lion’s mane mushroom, yerba mate, passion flower, tulsi, cacao bean, green tea and coconut vinegar. The Night Cap is made from maple syrup, Hüll Melon hops and botanical extracts of lemon balm, turmeric root, ashwagandha, white willow bark, vanilla, valerian, liquorice root and ginger.
Pentire
A taste of the Cornish sea air, Pentire was founded in 2019 by Alistair Frost, and is a non-alcoholic spirit brand made by distilling plants and botanicals native to its local coastline in north Cornwall.
It has two variants: Adrift and Seaward, with various botanicals distilled and blended to make their signature serves. Adrift is made with rock samphire, sage, lemon and Cornish sea salt. While Seaward uses botanicals including pink grapefruit, sea rosemary, woodruff, sea buckthorn and wild seaweed.
Lyre’s
A brilliantly diverse no-alcohol brand that dabbles in everything from NA whiskey and agave spirits to gin, rum and amaretti. It’s range is really quite extensive and there’s an alternative option for pretty much every major spirit out there, as well as cocktail sets for non-alcoholic versions of a Manhattan or Sazerac, for example. Imitation is key with Lyre’s, who work hard to ensure that their spirits “look, taste and sashay around the palate just like the original”.
The brand was founded by Australians Mark Livings and Carl Hartmann in 2019 and is headquartered in the UK, but has offices in Sydney, Australia, California, New York and Shanghai. According to Nielsen figures cited by the brand, global off-trade sales reached US$3.1bn across the low- and no-alcohol categories in the past year – up from US$291m the previous year. It’s now on track to reach a value of $1bn after just three years trading.
All of its spirits are made from a mix of natural flavours, extracts and distillates derived from fruits, botanicals, spices, nuts, seeds and other natural sources, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a more extensive range.
Tuscan Tree
Founded in 2021 by Carl Stephenson, Tuscan Tree is a non-alcoholic Aperitivo inspired by the orange orchards of Northwest Italy and the Italian culture of “Aperitivo Hour”. It’s a 0% distilled spirit infused with real blood orange juice and Italian sparkling wine, as well as a blend of non-alcoholic botanical distillates. It’s made using a traditional copper pot still to produce individual distillates, which have the alcohol removed before blending and bottling. Botanicals include cardamon, pimento, cinnamon bark oil, and rhubarb root. Works great in a spritz served with soda or tonic water.
This year it expanded its range to include Tuscan Tree “Fiore di Sambuco Aperitivo” – Cloudy Elderflower – made with real elderflower blossom and a selection of botanicals.
High Point
Another Cornish export, High Point launched in 2021 with an innovative take on the aperitif / digestif category. It produces a Ruby Apéritif made by infusing and fermenting natural ingredients, largely from the Cornish countryside, including tea leaves, hibiscus, lavender, wormwood, pink peppercorn, orange zest and grapefruit. It also produces a non-alcoholic Amber Digestif, made with lapsang, ginger, clove, vanilla, cacao nibs, gentian root and oak. The result is a drink with notes of smoke and spice, vanilla and “log-fired toffee”, designed to be serves over ice and topped up with ginger ale.
Any alcohol produced during fermentation is biologically removed, with each batch taking around a month to produce. Its unique use of fermentation comes from its background in brewing, with its founder, Eddie Lofthouse, also responsible for Cornwall’s Harbour Brewing.
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