Keeping the spirit through dry-January: Alcohol-free spirits, wines and beers a new trend?
It’s only the second day of February, and many who swore off alcohol after the festive season or the year from hell that was 2020 have surely cracked their first bottle of beer, popped a cork on one of their favourite wines or had a dram of whiskey. I start my “dry January” around the 10th of the month and go to my birthday on February 12.
As an adult and someone who is not a fan of the fizzy drink, doing a dry month leaves me rather uninspired. There is only so much water, coffee, and tea that one can drink. This year though, I decided to dry something. It seems that social media advertising works well on me and I decided to fill my virtual shopping cart with non-alcoholic spirits and wines. Here’s what I tried and what I think. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it gives you an idea of what is out there.
I’m also a partner in The International Beer Bar in Zurich, and due to Corona, we’ve been shuttered since December 12, 2020. Based on last year’s Corona summer, I know that we need a concept for how to increase revenues and attract customers earlier in the day. I am toying with the idea of having a premium selection of alcohol-free spirits, wines, and beers.
Seedlip Distilled Non-Alcoholic Spirits (UK): Named after the baskets used to sow seeds — in case you were wondering what a seedlip is — this boutique distillery was founded by Ben Branson in 2014. In 2016, it was the first alcohol-free distillery to get backing from the Diageo-backed accelerator program, Distill Ventures. There are currently three flavours of alcohol-free spirits:
Spice 94 — As the name suggests, this spirit has spicy notes of cinnamon and cardamom with something arboreal thanks to the tree bark. There is also a citrusy note. Is it a spicy gin? No, it’s not, but with no alcohol and no sugar, it does add some gin-like nuances to your tonic.
Garden 108 — This one has the herbal and vegetal notes. On the nose, it’s green peas and cucumbers. According to the label there it also has distilled hay in it. While the Spice 94 needs to be blended, this one, I would argue could be consumed pure. With a dry tonic, a few peppercorns and a slice of cucumber, you have a nice replacement for your Hendricks.
Grove 42 — This is the one that I wanted to like the most. The label reads: “A sophisticated, warm, citrus blend using three varieties of Mediterranean Orange, Lemon peel, Ginger & Lemongrass distillates with the cool prickle of Japanese Sansho Peppercorn.” As a connoisseur of citrus flavours this sounds amazing. Alas, pure this spirit tastes like kitchen cleaner. That is to say, the smell is chemically and without the fresh zest or sweetness of citrus only the chemical essence remains. Mixed with a tonic though the flavours start to unfold and make for a more pleasant drink. The tonic should have a sweetness to enhance the citrus notes. All-in-all though, this is my least favourite.
Verdict: In general, these are interesting spirits. These are not meant to drink pure. The labels are beautiful and Ben offers many cocktail recipes on his website for those looking to make virgin drinks. My favourite is the Garden 108.
Online: https://www.seedlipdrinks.com/
Siegfried Wonderleaf (DE): This distillate is marketed as an alcohol-free “gin” by retailers but not Siegfried because it does not have the mandatory minimum 37.5% alcohol. What started as an April fools joke in 2016 turned into a real product in 2017. Distilled with 18 botanicals, this spirit is packed with cinnamon spice in the nose — more so than with the Seedlip. If you visit the Siegfried Gin site, they’ll tell you themselves it’s not meant to drink pure, but be a replacement for those looking for a bit of spice and aroma for their long drinks and wanting to avoid alcohol.
Verdict: It makes for a delightful faux-G&T and with so many gins out there, I think many people wouldn’t even notice that they weren’t drinking a regular gin and tonic. Based on the quality of this alcohol-free “gin,” I’m going to add the Siegfried Rheinland Dry Gin to my shopping list. I would recommend having a bottle of this on hand, also for the end of the night when you feel like one more G&T, but you know your tomorrow-self will not thank you for it.
Online: https://www.siegfriedgin.com/
Kolonne Null (DE): We’ve all seen the posters and signs that a meal without wine is called breakfast. Or that a meal without wine is like a day without sunshine. If you reach this stage, maybe it’s time to take stock and ask yourself if maybe there’s something else going on. Nonetheless, I’d classify myself as an oenophile. That’s why when I saw the advertising for Kolonne Null on Instagram, I thought, “hell, why not give this Berliner startup a chance?” So I ordered a tasting pack and an extra bottle of their Riesling. The company works with reputable German winemakers and de-alcoholizes their wines. They have approximately six different wines. In my pack I had the following:
Riesling (Georghof) 2019: This was by far the best wine that I tried from Kolonne Null. I’m glad I bought a second bottle and would buy more. The nose is brilliant with lots of the minerally notes you expect from a Mosel Riesling with apple and stone fruits. The acidity was also well-balanced.
The Rosé (Les Quatre Tours) 2019: The French wine among the collection. This was also very enjoyable with its apricot and flowery perfumed nose (thanks to the Muscat grapes). I can see this being a great wine for a light lunch or in the afternoon.
Burgunder-Cuvée (Weingut Poss) 2019: While they claim that this wine is balanced between flavours of pear and citrus zest, I found it lacklustre. There is pear on the nose but on the palate, it tastes more like a grape juice with a very short finish. It doesn’t hold up to the Riesling or the Rosé.
The Cuvée Rouge No. 01 (Weingut Fürst Hohenlohe Oehringen): This wine doesn’t have a vintage. While the other wines got me excited about working alcohol-free wines into my stash at home, this wine totally let me down. It tasted oxidized and dead. If you’ve ever stumbled across a cheap bottle of wine you put in your cellar seven years ago and thought, “I’m sure this is still fine,” only to discover it tasted like rusty water with dried flower petals, that is what this wine reminded me of.
Cuvée Blanc Prickelnd No. 01: This wine was good. A fruity replacement for a Crémant. To me it was very understated and I think that Kolonne Null should build on their strength with the quality of their Riesling and make a Riesling Sekt.
Verdict: Surprise and disappointment. On the whole, Kolonne Null is trying something very cool, and I see a move into more alcohol-free wines or due to the high alcohol in wines thanks to climate change wineries wanting to semi-de-alcoholize their wines. I can highly recommend the Riesling and Rosé. The Burgunder-Cuvée is not an affront to wine, but it is very simplistic when compared to the Riesling and Rosé. However, the Cuvée Rouge was rubbish, and I think it should not be sold. I think they need to find a French or Spanish producer of a very bold and fruit-forward red and try it again. Perhaps a nice Grenache or Syrah would be better suited to be de-alcoholized.
Online: https://kolonnenull.com/
Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Company (DK): Another example of social media selling. I saw this product advertised on Instagram by Premium Trade Swiss, their importer in Switzerland. On a rainy Saturday, I trudged through the city to pick up a bottle. At CHF 24/bottle, I was hoping for something special. I got the Blå, a blend of jasmine, white tea, and Darjeeling. The Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Company was founded in 2017 by award-winning sommelier Jacob Kocemba and Bo Sten Hansen as a way of making the perfect accompaniment for a specific dessert.
Verdict: The nose is magnificent with the different tea notes really shining. The bubbles create a fine Champagne-like mousse and the finish is long. It’s easy to understand how this could fit many desserts. We enjoyed it with Sushi, which also paired nicely. I highly recommend the sparkling tea and look forward to trying more.
Online: https://sparklingtea.co/
Beers: There are too many alcohol -free beers to name. In general, I don’t like them because they are too malty and sweet. In Switzerland, Brauerei Locher with their Appenzeller Leermond and their Senza brand for Coop is refreshing and palatable. The team at Lervig in Norway do several good alcohol-free beers as does Brewdog from Scotland. The brand I would like to try is Athletic Brewing from the US, because they have won in competitions against alcoholic beers.
After a month of tasting my way through many alcohol-free wines, spirits, and beers, I see this becoming a trend and I think bars, restaurants and cafés consider putting more of them on their menus after the pandemic. As we head into a world where we are more health-conscious this category of drink will get more attention. As a bar-owner, I have seen this in the demand for lower-alcohol beers (session IPAs and Pale Ales like Brewdog’s Dead Pony Club at 3.8% ABV).
All the above said I’m looking forward to opening a nice bottle of Pinot or sipping on a cold and frothy pint of Augustiner.
