You may have noticed that I start the ball rolling in my Midweek Drink blogs by talking about how I love or loathe the weather - and today is another day.
Well, not much of the weather that I’ll be talking about; more of the upcoming season that is making itself known: Spring. The first signs of daffodils shooting up from the ground; garden vegetables preparing for the years harvest, the small white buds on a sleeping blossom tree that I pass every time I walk my dog, and an extra minute of sunlight added everyday thanks to the seasonal wobble of our green and blue jewel gliding through space.
On the subject of garden vegetables, I shall be talking about a non-alcoholic spirit that does, indeed, use vegetables and herbs to get its signature taste: Seedlip Garden 108.
A brief history of Seedlip
The journey of Seedlip began in 2013 by a young man called Ben Benson. When Ben went to a restaurant in London, he discovered that the choices of non-alcoholic drinks were too fruity and full of sugar; with this understanding, he only thought of one thing: to create his own non-alcoholic beverage without all the sugar.
To kickstart his idea, Ben looked to a book called ‘The Art of Distillation’ for guidance on how to use herbs and distillation to produce his very own alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink. With this new knowledge that Ben had gained, he began using the vegetables and herbs from his family’s farm that’s been with them for 300 years!
After his first successful creation, Seedlip Garden 108, Ben then began to make Seedlip Spice 94 the same way. From there, his products have sold in Selfridges, suave bars and restaurants and beyond the UK, and has a celebrity fanbase such as Jamie Oliver, Kate Moss and the Duke of York!
Three senses and a beverage
The name, Seedlip Garden 108, comes from how many days it takes for the peas to grow and to be hand-picked.
As any spirit, there is no colour to it. Clear as water. The aroma though is something else. Just picture a warm summers day in your back garden, with the smell of fresh cut grass stimulating the senses or the spearmint releasing that minty freshness as it bathes under the summer sun.
The taste itself is fantastic! You can really taste the peas and spearmint that has been handpicked from the farm, which gives it that organic and fresh taste.
Personally, I like to have a bit of a bite with my drink, so I tried it with Fever Tree Ginger Beer; it was to die for! So if you would like to give this non-alcoholic spirit a shot, but may not be a fan of ginger, then you can always check out our other tonics that may suit your palette…oh yeah, don’t forget about the ice!