Botanical Goodness // Everleaf Drinks

Now don’t get me wrong I do love a really good glass of wine or a Campari or two at the weekend but sometimes I don’t want to have anything alcoholic.  The older I get the less my body likes having too much of the strong stuff too but I still want to feel like being part of the party but without the sore head the next day.

Gone are the days when you have to nurse a warm Britvic orange if you are the designated driver, or fancy a tipple mid week and the only choice is flat tonic.  You can have cocktail hour on Wednesday, have the fun of mixing your aperitif’s but wake up refreshed the next day.

I have been fascinated with the rise in non alcoholic spirits for a while but haven’t managed to try any yet until now.  I would like to introduce you to Everleaf Drinks, a complex and balanced non alcoholic aperitif made with all the depth, aroma and flavour of the natural world, blended perfectly with sustainably sourced botanicals.

The founder Paul’s background as a conservation biologist and spending most of his life surrounded by nature is the driving force behind Everleaf.  Through his conservation work he spent years observing the natural world and learning how best to interact with it.  Jump forward a few years Paul ran his own bar, understanding and listening to his customers, finding out the flavours that matter and work together, always at hand to suggest the perfect liquid for their mood.  As a bartender he was surrounded by some of the best spirits in the world.  He knew instinctively what made the fabulous and why but if some one asked for something non alcoholic the answer wasn’t as easy.  This got him thinking, how could he create a non alcoholic aperitif with all the depth and complexity of the finest drinks behind his bar?  He knew that nature would have the answer.

It took over a year of experimentation to develop Everleaf.  Research is plants, sustainable sourcing, dehydrating samples, macerating and extracting all took place to develop the perfect blend of complementary yet surprising flavours.  The next challenge was the texture, alcohol has a unique viscosity that is usually missing from its non alcoholic counterparts.  Again the answer came from nature both land and sea using plants such as acacia trees and seaweeds which is truly remarkable.

Listening has been a huge part in the success of Everleaf be it to the plant or the people, being committed to sustainable sourcing of their ingredients and supporting local communities makes these drinks rather special.

I’ve had the joy of sampling FOREST the original Everleaf aperitif and MOUNTAIN which is a new addition to the collection.  Each totally different from the other which makes choosing what tipple to have even more fun.  FOREST is a complex blend of 14 sustainably sourced botanicals carefully chosen to capture highlight the flavours including Saffron, Madagascan Vanilla and Orange Blossom. Crafted for spritz drinkers of which I am quite partial.  MOUNTAIN is a vibrant blend of 12 sustainably sourced botanicals, including Cherry Blossom, Rosehip and Strawberry.  Perfect  for pink gin lover.

Here are two very easy cocktails to try before the more adventurous ones that you can find here

The FOREST Spritz

• 1 part Everleaf FOREST
• 3 parts light tonic
• 1 wedge of orange

The MOUNTAIN Spritz

 

• with thanks the Everleaf Drinks for gifting FOREST & MOUNTAIN for the purpose of this post