Tasting notes

Not drinking? New non-alcoholic bitters make for cool mocktails

How alcohol-free cocktails got cool

WHEN BEN BRANSON launched Seedlip in 2014, he filled a gap in the market for grown-up soft drinks with a non-alcoholic ‘spirit’ that was as sophisticated as gin but delivered flavour (from cardamom, citrus peel and allspice berries) without the hangover. The first 1,000 bottles to appear on the Seedlip website sold out in under an hour. Cocktails for those who ‘want a drink but aren’t drinking’ can now be made with many more booze-free whitespirit bases (Ceder’s came out in 2017; Stryyk Not Gin a year later), but what about the ‘modifiers’ – the bitter additions for serves like negronis and martinis – that are traditionally alcoholic? Branson, again, had the answer and last month Aecorn Aperitifs hit the shelves. Seedlip’s sister brand, imagined by Branson and delivered by Claire Warner, offers a trio – Dry, Bitter and Aromatic – of seriously chic bone-dry drinks to sip before dinner or splash into a ‘Nogroni’. They’re made using verjus – the early pressing of English-grown pinot noir, meunier and chardonnay grapes before they are fermented for wine – and blended with botanicals.

A splash of sparkling or soda water – or Fever-tree Mediterranean Tonic for the saline Dry version, with its cucumber notes – makes them appeal even to this bitter refusenik, and they are ideal to have with roasted nuts, olives or cured meat. ‘Texture and structure are our focus,’ says Warner, ‘elements usually lost in non-alcoholic drinks.’ Saccharine pre-dinner soft drinks are officially out, for where Aecorn (and Branson) leads, others will surely follow. aecornaperitifs.com

Grove Spritz — 25ml Aecorn Bitter — 25ml Seedlip Grove Build over ice in a wine glass and add soda to top up. Finish with a twist of grapefruit zest and a green olive. Martino — 40ml Aecorn Dry — 40ml Seedlip Garden Stir with ice then strain into a coupe or martini glass. Squeeze a twist of lemon over and serve with an olive. Aecorn Spritz — 50ml Aecorn Dry Pour over ice in a wine glass and top up with tonic or soda water. Garnish with a lemon wedge.