Passing on the booze? No problem. With these sophisticated spirits, you won’t have to sacrifice taste, enjoyment or the flavour of top-quality natural ingredients.
It’s no surprise that the ‘No & Low alcohol’ movement is gaining momentum. If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past couple of years it’s that your health is your most important asset. Make a start by cutting out alcohol for July – giving your liver a break, lowering your blood pressure, losing weight, being clear-headed and being able to drive yourself home. What’s not to like?
What to drink when you’re not drinking
- Infused with botanicals and made without sugar or artificial ingredients, Seedlip has zero calories plus the copper pot distillation produces the same complex flavours as their alcoholic counterparts.
- Inspired by the Cape’s indigenous flora and culinary history, the aptly named Abstinence collection has three variants which each feature a hero ingredient that’s intrinsically South African. Cape Citrus combines a citrus base with delicate notes of buchu, pepper and fennel and the warm spice of cassia bark. The heavenly fragrance of Cape rose geranium is at the heart of the Cape Fynbos variant. A classic Italian-style bitters, The Abstinence Aperitif exudes rich flavours of citrus and natural botanicals.
- Meaning free in Zulu (in this case, free from alcohol and artificial ingredients), Mahala Botanical was the winner of the Low-No Alcohol Spirit Award at the prestigious Michelangelo International Spirit Awards in the same year it was launched. The brainchild of Danielle Schoeman, one of the Cape’s few female master distillers, it’s made with nine hand-sourced botanicals. Mahala is a complex spirit layered with aromas of spices and subtle florals with honeybush adding a soft sweetness.
Mixing with the best
To get the most from these sophisticated, alcohol-free spirits, you need to mix with the best. Fever-Tree works on the premise that if the mixer is three-quarters of the drink, it should be the very best. The extensive range of top-quality mixers is made with specially selected ingredients from around the world and is free from artificial flavourings and sweeteners.
If you’re celebrating a better, healthier you, then why not do it with a cocktail? Try these trendy cocktails that you can make at home.
Lemon spritz
50ml Abstinence Lemon Aperitif topped with soda water. Garnish with a fresh lemon peel.
Garden & tonic
50ml Seedlip Garden 108 topped with Indian tonic. Garnish with a lemon peel and fresh berries.
Cosmopolitan
50ml Seedlip Grove 42 topped with cranberry juice, lime juice and sugar syrup. Garnish with an orange disk.
Mahala mule
50ml Mahala Botanical topped with ginger beer and lime juice. Garnish with lime.
Epilogue & cola
50ml Abstinence Epilogue X topped with cola. Garnish with a lime slice.
Cape Fynbos & tonic
50ml Abstinence Cape Fynbos topped with Indian tonic. Garnish with a lemon peel and fresh berries.
Details: www.cutlerdrinks.co.za
