Are you tired of searching for something to drink when you’re not drinking? Not just something– something catered to adults: a sophisticated, nonalcoholic beverage that isn’t just a sugary soda or lazily thrown together juice blend? Well you are in luck– Seedlip distills nonalcoholic spirits that are the perfect solution for “what to drink when you’re not drinking.”
Seedlip was founded in 2015 by Ben Branson as the world’s first (and some may say the world’s favorite) distilled nonalcoholic spirit company. Named one of the 50 most influential people in food and drink by The Telegraph, Branson seems as if he was born to create this company. On his mother’s side his family has over 300 years of farming experience and on his father’s over 40 years of branding experience- Branson is truly a perfect cocktail of them both. With his deep roots in agriculture and design, he drew on his legacy, expertise, and knowledge he found in a 1651 book called The Art of Distillation and began to concoct the spirits that would eventually become Grove 42, Spice 94 and Garden 108.
Seedlip uses the highest quality of carefully sourced ingredients, uniquely curated to serve your palate in a new, albeit familiar way. Their spirits use a bespoke process of maceration, copper pot distillation, blending and filtration that takes six weeks from start to finish. Rather than trying to recreate nonalcoholic imitations, Branson instead uses the same techniques to explore different avenues of distillation. There are a lot of similarities in how alcoholic and nonalcoholic spirits are made, and Branson applies the traditional distilling techniques from the book to craft herbal-based spirits that are inherently non alcoholic.
All Seedlip spirits are designed to be enjoyed with a tonic or a soda as base. As their spirits contain no alcohol and sugar, a base is helpful to carry the complexity of the spirit and let all the flavors shine. Their flagship product Spice 94 is crafted with a number of flavors highlighting a blend of aromatic Jamaican allspice berry and cardamom, which are two of the world's most prized botanicals. With fresh citrus notes and a bitter finish, Spice 94 blends perfectly with a ginger ale or juice, or even mixed with a cold brew concentrate to make a gorgeous espresso martini. Contrastly there is Garden 108, a fresh blend of traditional garden herbs like rosemary and thyme paired with the unconventional yet refreshing combination of peas and hay. Garden 108 works perfectly in an apple juice based cocktail or with a fruity kombucha for a delicate, complex experience. Grove 42 rounds out the collection with a sophisticated and bright blend of Mediterranean orange, lemongrass and ginger to create a spirit with a beautiful dry finish. It is highlighted perfectly in a Cosmopolitan or in a Hot Toddy with an Assam tea.
By combining 17th century distilling techniques and 300 years of farming history, Branson managed to concoct a product that is an ode to the past while being inherently contemporary.
