Grown-up Non Alcoholics

Sylvie Woods
25th Nov 2018

Grove 42 by Seedlip is a botanical element of flavour designed to add non-alcoholic complexity to your beverage on a night out - say, a glass of tonic or soda. ‘Aromatic Spice 94’ was the debut spirit by Seedlip, alleged to have had an explosive reception in Selfridges in late 2015. The herbal alternative to alcohol has built quite a name in Europe as a ‘grown up’ drink for when you’re not drinking.

Grove 42, the newest addition to the Seedlip family, was launched at a singularly sober luncheon in Bondi on Tuesday. A ‘Grove 42 Seedlip Spritz’ was the cocktail of the day, but it didn’t hold a candle to the a simple Grove 42 and tonic.

The product could be described as a herbal tea, but icy, and indeed perhaps more complex. There is a bite, and flavour is defined, but there is a calmness to the experience of consumption - the drink washes over you. Selecting a Seedlip spirit on a dry night out is far less caloric than having juice or lemonade, but the product is luxurious and, although free of alcohol, is not inexpensive. Describing itself as a ‘nature company’, and purporting an attachment to John French’s 1651 book ‘The Art of Distillation’, Seedlip has been brilliantly marketed to appear strategic rather than superior to sobriety.

A non-alcoholic spirit may not be the biggest ‘bang for your buck’ product, but unquestionably it is a solution to the extortionate, syrupy, tutti frutti mocktail of your average quiet night out.