Seedlip Grove 42 & Lemongrass Tonic

Seedlip is one of the more established brands of non-alcoholic spirits owned by drinks mega-corp Diageo (Guiness, Smirnoff, Baileys etc). Go to any decent supermarket and there'll likely be a bottle of Seedlip ‘Garden 108’, ‘Grove 42’ or ‘Spice 94’ proudly representing in the NoLo section. Like most other non-alcoholic alternatives Seedlip spirits tend to divide opinion. This usually has little to do with the drink itself and more to do with whether a "spirit" drink can in fact be alcohol free. Ignoring this sensitive subject and accepting that Seedlip Grove 42 is not an alcoholic spirit, when it's blended with earthy lemongrass tonic you have a different proposition altogether. A mature, sparkling soft-drink.

So here we have Seedlip Grove 42 — a citrus-heavy, unsweetened botanical spirit — ready-mixed (1 part to 3) with Seedlip's specially formulated lemongrass tonic. Ginger matches the mix of Mediterranean blood orange, lemon and mandarin coming coming from the spirit, whilst the herby backdrop of lemongrass gives way to a dry, quinine finish. A pleasantly piquant afternote lingers, courtesy of Japanese sancho peppercorn.

For those not sold on the premise of a non-alcoholic spirit, how about a summery, interesting (without being novel) soft drink? It's eminently drinkable and really very good. What's not to like.