2018 is the year of botanical spirits
This festival boasts an international line-up for botanical alcohol-free spirits that are looking to create an alternative cocktail ingredient or the same experience as a gin and tonic.
- Exotic or unusual ingredients used in these drinks include Cape floral fynbos, rooibos. Helichrysum italicum, lemon verbena, Inca berry, angelica root and Sea Kelp!
- Several are a co-production between couples, meaning that this segment of the market boasts 4 women founder (Silk Tree/Caleno/Ceder’s/Sea Arch)
- Many founders were inspired to create their drink because of a personal change in their drinking habits (Silk Tree/Berkshire Blend/Ceder’s)
CEDER’S (Sweden/South Africa)
CEDER’S is a distilled non-alcoholic alt-gin made with classic gin and exotic South African botanicals.
After what felt like a very long pregnancy in 2016, Swedish gin-lover Maria realised that there are very few options available if you want to enjoy a sophisticated, non-alcoholic, adult drink experience.
Early 2017, husband and wife, Craig (South African) and Maria (Swedish) discovered a magical valley nestled in the Cederberg Mountains in the Western Cape, South Africa.
The Valley, which they now co-own is home too many intriguing botanicals, including Rooibos and Buchu, used for thousands of years by indigenous people of South Africa. It inspired them to distil classic gin and exotic Cape botanicals, and then blend with ancient and pristine Swedish water.
This juxtaposition results in a distilled non-alcoholic alt-gin that allows you to escape and find harmony.
@ceders_altgin
Ingredients:
Original: Juniper and coriander combined with hints of geranium and Cape floral fynbos
Crisp: juniper and citrus combined with cucumber and chamomile.
Wild: juniper and ginger, combined with clove and rooibos.
Memento (Italy)
MeMento is a blend of distilled aromatic waters of the Mediterranean from Milan developed by Eugenio Muraro from ancient knowledge handed down in the Ricettario Fiorentino published in 1498 by the College of Physicians and Pharmacist
MeMento emerges from a selection of botanicals and herbs with beneficial properties, blended according to ancient traditions. It’s a sophisticated product for a multisensory impact: elegant on its own and a versatile base for drinks.
Made from organic ingredients, without alcohol, vegan, sugar and gluten free.
@mementodrink
Ingredients:
Rosemary, lemon verbena, Rose, Helichrysum italicum
Silk Tree (Ireland)
Andrew and Tracey decided their love affair with gin and tonic had run its course so they decided to take a break from alcohol to lead a more active and healthy lifestyle. While embarking on this journey they discovered they didn’t have to deprive ourselves and sit in the corner drinking water or sugary fizzy drinks all night. Or worst still, stay at home because they felt deprived. They embraced the alcohol-free beers but found there really wasn’t an alcohol-free gin that really hit the notes for them. This is when they decided to do a bit of blending and distilling at home, they invested in an air distiller and replaced evenings spent drinking wine in the kitchen to spending their time blending and distilling botanicals. One evening they came up with a formula that tasted so good they said we should bottle it and sell it. This is the seed from which Silk Tree was born.
The emblem for Silk Tree is the butterfly, this symbolises the social butterfly that wants to be out there socialising, having fun and meeting with friends
Ingredients:
Juniper, Orange, Lemon, Cinnamon, coriander
Sea Arch (Devon)
Made by Geoff and Sarah who run their own pub in Torquay. Sea Arch is inspired by the soul-restoring sea of the Southwest coast of England. So it probably comes as no surprise that they have captured a taste of the sea in our botanicals, to create a flavour that’s bright, fresh and full of life. It contains Sea Kelp (as well as junipers, cardamom and blood orange)
The brand is designed to show that Sea Arch can be enjoyed by various groups. For example those who have to or want to stay in control, eg sailing, driving a car or working. People who have health reasons for not drinking, eg pregnancy. People who socialise a lot but don’t want to drink alcohol all the time. Or of course those who have made a lifestyle choice not to drink at all.
“We recognise and are very happy to play a part in the growing mindful drinking movement #soberisthenewsexy.”
@sea_arch
Ingredients: Sea Kelp, juniper, cardamon, angelica root, cucumber, grapefruit, blood orange
Caleño (Bristol)
Elenor initially starting thinking about the alcohol-free space back in January 2017, as she was looking to cut back on her drinking after Christmas. “There was one particular night I remember going out to watch a Latin Funk band with some friends, and I’d offered to drive as I didn’t want to drink. My friends ordered some nice craft gins to enjoy, whilst I was left drinking a diet coke and then water… Not quite as exciting.”
From there, she started thinking about this problem, and about how there is so much choice in the alcoholic spirits world, but hardly anything in non-alcoholic.
A few months later she took a trip back to Colombia. Elenor spent a lot of time with family and travelled around the country, visiting Cali, Medellin, Bogota the coffee region and the coastal towns of Cartagena and Santa Marta. Whilst she was there she experienced the warm, happy and sunny nature of the Colombia people, who are relentlessly optimistic, open-minded and are always finding an excuse to celebrate/party!! It was then that it kind of dawned on her what the non-alcoholic sector was missing… It needed a massive injection of fun and excitement, and a brand that rejects that stereotype that “not drinking” is somehow not fun.
Caleño is inspired by Elenor’s Colombian roots – using Inca berry, coriander, juniper berry, cardamom green, citrus and spice, Sicilian lemon, peel & slice.
She would love to see Caleño in some super fun and dynamic places, whether that’s buzzing Latin restaurant/bars or even as a refreshment after an energetic dance workout. “I’d hope that the brand has really started to show people how to have fun with not drinking, and to have built a strong following of people who are drinking to the rhythm of our free-spirit beat!!”
Ingredients: Inca berry, coriander, juniper berry, cardamom green, citrus and spice, Sicilian lemon
Berkshire Blend (Berkshire)
Berkshire Blend started in Rex’s family kitchen after he had an illness which left him unable to drink alcohol. Frustrated with the sugary and unsophisticated soft drinks on offer he decided to make his own alternative
Rex’s principles are simple but his ambitions are big, to change the concept of what it means to be a non-alcoholic drinker. No more boring lime and sodas. No more tedious sparkling waters. No more questions why you aren’t drinking. Berkshire Blend is that sophisticated premium alternative.
Ingredients: A cucumber and citrus base with spice top notes
They donate 5% of their profits to Mind
Borrago (Berkshire)
Developed by Tom Tuke-Hastings and named after the borage – a bright blue edible flower. Its logo and its garnish (when in season)
Tom used to be a chef and write cookery books and run a food dot com. Having moved out of marketing, he wanted to connect again with food and drink. He used to party hard and even wrote a book on the art of the vodka jelly. Now, a bit older and live in the country with two small children, he still loves entertaining and partying, but alcohol plays a smaller part in this. He was not impressed with the options available and thought that I could do better and Borrago was born.
Tom has carefully selected six delicious botanicals (herbs and spices) which are individually steam distilled and processed to keep their unique properties. These are then blended and bottled to create a drink like no other. It has taken a long time to get this right, so we are keeping the secrets of how we do this and some of the ingredients close to our chest!
“Without bees, we would have no botanicals, so we are doing what we can to help save their habitat. We are giving away 80,000 borage seeds and have our own beehives.”
Ingredients: Top secret!
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