I love a good gin, but I had never tried a non alcohol gin before. That was until I tried the new Botanical Garden Gins from multi-award winning Warner’s. I have tried many non alcohol versions of spirits, beers and other drinks in the past but we all know they don’t, in the main, pack that punch we need if we are for instance the designated driver and we still want a delicious tasting drink. I can assure you though that these drinks certainly do fill that space perfectly and after learning what I now know, it has been done with passion, determination and real natural sustainability.
Sustainability
I was lucky enough to be on a virtual tasting tour with Tom and Tina Warner and their team. Glasses and bottles at the ready I was blown away at how much goes into making sure that it is all done with real home grown ingredients to make sure you get a real flavour. For this non alcoholic gin range, 90% of all the ingredients and botanicals are grown on their very own farm. In all Warner’s gins, all ingredients are 100 per cent natural and nothing artificial is used at all. Which is quite an accomplishment in getting a good tasting zero alcohol spirit. Alcohol is what helps taste and preservation so you can imagine the processes that go to making this so good.
That, as you can imagine is a lot of work, but it is all passionately done to get it right. Millions of leaves to be picked by hand, hundreds of trees to be planted, but on the plus side you know that the ingredients are grown right on the farm at the distillery and the road mileage in getting them disappears.
Plus, it all needs pollinating so they have their own honeybee hives containing…. 1.2 million bees!
Juniper Double Dry
This was the one that blew me away. It is herbal, wonderfully aromatic and has a great zest to it. The adding of tonic water I was told enhances it and I would say they are absolutely right. To the nose and palate you really do feel the spices of cinnamon and cardamom together with a hint of lemon thyme. I personally enjoy this as is with tonic, ice and a slice of lemon.
If I am ever in need of a great drink at a time I cannot have alcohol, I will certainly seek this out. I can’t put my finger on any alcohol free drink that does what it is supposed to like this, honestly. Tastes great, to be enjoyed for real flavour.
Pink Berry
If you like your gins fruity and tangy then this Pink Berry 0% gin is the way to go. I normally find pink gins too sweet but this one was very pleasant indeed. Again, what Warner’s have done is carefully paired ingredients immaculately to get a great smell and taste. Raspberries, blackcurrant sage, but then chilli, ginger and Szechuan pepper. A delightful mix of ingredients.
For a non alcoholic cocktail this would be the go-to! I tried a version of their Pink Berry Sour cocktail and it was certainly packing a punch!
In a shaker or lidded container add
50ml Warner’s 0% Pink Berry
20ml lemon juice
10ml sugar syrup
1 raspberry
white of an egg if you want a nice froth.
Then shake it all up, garnish with say a sprig of mint and voila! A great sour summer cocktail.
Conclusion
Well I must say these drinks opened my eyes. Normally, if I can’t drink I avoid non alcoholic versions because of the synthetics, the blandness, the lack of taste. However what Warner’s have managed to do is take that as a challenge and produce something that tastes wonderful, is absolutely naturally produced that is made for someone to enjoy in every way.
Plus, being alcohol free you can drink as many as you wish!
Warner’s have the 0% Botanical Spirits as well as their whole range and story on their site. Cheers!
