The Best No-Low Alcohol To Drink and Gift for Christmas

With Lockdown 2 moving seamlessly into Christmas, the period of extended drinking just got a whole lot bigger! We find that having a stash of genuinely delicious, no and low alcohol drinks in the fridge make it much easier to take breaks and have nights off from the booze, while still feeling like you’re treating yourself. Here are the no and low drinks we’ve fallen in love with this year. 

Caleño Dark & Spicy

Fresh to the market is Caleño’s new baby: Dark & Spicy! We adored the original, with its infusions of inca berry and juniper - a perfect gin alternative perhaps, though very much of its own style. This new version does the same for lovers of dark rum. Think of riper, tropical notes of pineapple with a kick of ginger, vanilla pod and a twist of lime. They’ve nailed it!

Size: 50cl
Gifting: Various delicious gift bundles available
Find here: Bottle £18

Small Beer

The Small Beer Brew Co. are going strength to strength with their low alcohol beers that are good for you (being under 3% and isotonic) and good for the planet. Given what could end up being a marathon of drinking over the next two months, wouldn't it be good to have a stash of these lower alcohol beers in the fridge? 

ABV: Under 2.8%
Gifting: For a limited time from now until 20th Dec, they are also offering a 6-month gift subscription, complete with brilliant videos and a gift pouch for under the tree!
Find here

OTO CBD Drinks

Meaning 'sound' in Japanese, OTO feel they represent ‘the space between sound and silence’. These are subtly flavoured soft drinks that promote focus, relaxation and balance throughout the day and into the night. Each drink contains 25mg CBD, which is proven to promote balance within the body, which ultimately keeps our bodies functioning properly and helps us get more sleep. 

ABV: 0%
Gifting: Discovery 3 packs available along with lots of other gorgeous CBD products
Find here: Currently on offer at £8.25 for 3 (usually £11)

Saicho Tea

Saicho is a brand new sparkling cold-brewed tea brand that comes in a range of three sparkling teas; Jasmine, Darjeeling and Hojicha. Made sparkling with a hint of sweetness, this has more of a distinctive tea flavour than Fortnum’s sparkling tea below and is a great sparkling wine alternative for fine tea lovers. 

ABV: 0%
Gifting: Luxury gifting box and selection boxes available.
Find here: £7.99

Mooze low alcohol low calorie Gin - 12% ABV

A great concept from founder Mel Sims, this is a much lower alcohol (and therefore calorie) gin than the usual suspects of around 40% ABV. It does a great job at keeping the mouthfeel, crispness and botanical flavour of a full proof gin too and is a perfect way to be a little more mindful about your consumption. It’s also vegan, sugar and sweetener free so all in all, that’s 36 calories for a double Mooze & Tonic compared to 154 for a regular double G&T plus less of a hangover. Win-win.

Size: 70cl Mooze alt gin
ABV: 12%
Gift idea: Can be sent to your recipient without pricing.
Find here: £24

Fortnum’s Sparkling Tea

We talked about how much we loved Fornum’s sparkling rosé tea here and in our podcast, so it was great to get to try the white! Certified organic and a blend of eight teas, this version is subtle, fragrant and elegant with both tropical notes and more darjeeling-like tea flavours. Totally refreshing! It’s worth noting that this sparkling tea contains 150mg of caffeine per litre.

ABV: 0%
Size: 75cl
Find here: £16.95 

Gibsons Goodology CBD Drinks

Gibson’s Goodology is an exciting new entry in the wellness market with their palate-pleasing drink with superior CBD quality. Created by award-winning, London-based mixologist Oskar Kinberg and renowned tea expert Stefan Gieschke, these drinks are already making waves on the CBD scene with their original flavours: Shiso Tea and Blueberry, Green Tea and Passionfruit and Jasmine Tea and Rhubarb.

ABV: 0%
Gifting: Available in packs of 3 and packs of 6.
Find here: £14.99 for 3

Aecorn Aromatic

The three Aecorn drinks could be described as aperitifs and are made with wine grapes (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay). They are more silky and full-bodied than wine and you can drink them neat, chilled or with a splash of sparkling water as a spritzer. The most wine-like (and my favourite) is the ‘aromatic’, which is warm, woody and smoky. They also have a ‘bitter’, which reminds us of Campari and a ‘dry’, which is more for Sauvignon Blanc or Gin lovers.

ABV: 0%
Size: 50cl
Find here: £19.99

Three Spirit

There is no category to put these in, but I love them. Three styles of plant-based alternatives to alcohol with a different attitude, that, as they say ‘celebrates what you put into a drink, rather than what you take out.’ Using plants traditionally used in potions and ceremonies around the world, these are non-alcoholic drinks 'with benefits’ such as the addition of ashwagandha to relax in Nightcap or guayusa, guava leaf and green tea in Livener. It’s alchemy, it’s different and it’s delicious. You’ll want to keep the bottles too as they’re so pretty!

ABV: 0%
Gifting: Triple bottle gift packs available.
Find here: £24.99

Lucky Saint Beer

This is a bubbly beer that actually tastes like a fully fledged, flavoursome full-alcohol beer. In a slow and meticulous process, Lucky Saint delicately extracts the fermentable sugars from the mash as temperatures increase and leave it unfiltered to keep all the flavour and complexity. The beer is then distilled in a vacuum, which avoids the burnt and oxidised flavours many other non alcoholic beers have. I tested it with a bunch of beer drinkers and we all thought it was the best ‘ non-alcoholic’ beer we’ve tried (0.5% is considered to be alcohol-free). Now available on draught too.

ABV: 0.5%
Gifting: Find it in boxes of 4 or 48. 
Find here: £25 for 12 x 300ml

Brancott Estate Flight - Low Alcohol Sauvignon Blanc

Sitting at an ABV of 9% as opposed to 13 - 13.5%, this wine is lighter on the alcohol and therefore lighter on the calories that other Sauvignon Blancs. Made with grapes that are harvested earlier than usual before all their sugars develop, it is crisp, lean and clean but still packs the flavour punch you would expect from Sauvignon. Try it with goats cheese, salads and smoked salmon.

ABV: 9%
Find at most supermarkets for £7. Here’s Sainsburys.

Bax Botanics - Alcohol-free spirits

New to the market, this sustainable, Yorkshire-based company distills plants along with other botanicals to create an aromatic, clear non-spirit with lots of flavour that can simply be served with ice and a slice. We love the herbaceous verbena and the quirky sea buckthorn which has a fresh rosemary and orange citrus vibe. Lovely packaging too and apparently, it’s made with waste sugar cane!

ABV: 0%
Size: 70cl
Find them here and here.

Looking for more Christmas wine and spirits inspiration? Then take a look at these guides: wine, gin, vodka.

5 Reasons to Love Small Beer

Words by Helena Nicklin

** NEWS **

Small Beer are offering 6 month subscription packs for the festive season. Running from December until May, you’ll get a gift pack to put under the tree, followed by a 6 pack of their beers each month together with a brilliant tasting video. Finally, in May, you can pick your favourite and get a 5L keg of the good stuff! You can buy the subscription until the 20th Dec only, so get on it!

In the unassuming back streets of Bermondsey, South East London, an industrial estate is home to a tiny company that’s making big waves across the London drinks scene and beyond. It’s called the Small Beer Brew Co. These guys have found a much-needed niche in the brewing industry and are absolutely nailing it with their premium products and quirky packaging. Here are four reasons why you need to get to know Small Beer even if you don’t really drink beer. Yet…

1)    Low ABV, High Flavour

“We wanted to create something with world class taste, but a sociable ABV.” Felix James, co-founder.

Small Beer founders Felix James and James Grundy created their own beer brand from scratch after searching in vain for truly delicious, well-made beer under 3% ABV (they would snatch precious minutes from their busy jobs to catch up with a beer before getting back to an afternoon of work). Everything they found was either too strong or too thin, with that cardboard, boggy flavour that gives away a low or no alcohol beer. There was literally no one making what they wanted: refreshing, aromatic, flavoursome beers well under 3% ABV that tasted like they were 5%. There was still work to be done in the afternoon; they didn’t want to reek of booze after a couple of pints after work; they wanted to remember - and enjoy - evening events without feeling like they were missing out on the epicurean, sociable side. So, they quit their jobs at a well-known distillery where they had met and began building their brand. Small Beer Brew Co. now produces four labels representing key beer styles, all of them aromatic and rich in flavour with an unctuous mouthfeel that belies the low alcohol level:

Lager (2.1%): Pale yellow, floral, crisp and citrussy. A classic pilsner style.

Steam (2.7%): Amber in colour, dark fruited and hoppy with notes of liquorice.

Session Pale (2.5%): Vibrant ‘session’ pale ale with tropical, pineapple notes but a super-dry finish. New!

Dark Lager (1%): Dark, malty and mocha. Incredible flavour and texture for a 1% beer.

2) Small Beer is good for you!

Ok granted, we have to be careful what we say here. Everything in moderation and all that, but did you know that under 3% ABV, beer is hydrating rather than dehydrating? Above this level it becomes a diuretic. Lower alcohol also means fewer calories, which is another huge bonus. An equivalent serving of standard lager, for example, is around 180 – 200 calories. The Small Beer lager has only 79 calories and the dark larger, despite its mocha richness, has only 49.

As if we didn’t love it enough already, Felix goes on to explain to us that Small Beer is also isotonic and is packed full of minerals such as selenium, which is great for skin hair and nails. If you think about it, it’s little wonder that back in the 17-1800’s, ‘small beer’ was drunk instead of water as sanitation was so bad, water could make you sick. By the middle ages, they had realised that fermented drinks were less likely to make you ill, so everyone drank it, including children. Made to around 1% ABV at this time, it was also incredibly cheap. This is where the expression ‘small beer’ came from, meaning that something isn’t particularly important.

3) It’s authentic, small scale - and they know how to party!

Created by two friends with a simple, good idea for a product they saw the world needed, Small Beer’s home is in London, near the city and near the founders’ family and friends. It’s a modern, high quality take on a centuries-old English staple, it’s unique, looks great and it serves a fantastic purpose. Despite only having been trading for 18 months the capital has taken Small Beer to its heart and you can already see Small Beer in bottle shops, butchers and cheesemongers etc. as well as on draft in pubs around London (especially the South East, where James hand-delivers samples and personally talks through the range).

4) Did we mention that it’s all vegan?

Nuff said. Stop by for a quick tour of the brewery and a drink. If you’re lucky, there will also be an amazing pop up there, or a music or comedy gig. Felix and James have even hosted weddings on site!

5) Small Beer is sustainably made.

Last year, they became London’s first B Corp Certified sustainable brewery. Whoop! B Corps™ are leaders of a global movement of people using business as a force for good™. Well done everyone!

Seriously, check them out. The three of us just got back into beer.

You can find all their details here

New No and Low Drinks for November

Sober October may be past but with lockdown and the festive season coming up, many of us are vowing to take it a little easier on the booze this time. Here are some great, new products that feel like a treat and in some cases, can actually do you good. 

SPIRITS ALTERNATIVES

Caleño Dark & Spicy

Fresh to the market is Caleño’s new baby: Dark & Spicy! We adored the original, with its infusions of inca berry and juniper - a perfect gin alternative perhaps, though very much of its own style. This new version does the same for lovers of dark rum. Think of riper, tropical notes of pineapple with a kick of ginger, vanilla pod and a twist of lime. They’ve nailed it!

Find it for £18 for 50cl at calendodrinks.com (with discounts for multiple bottle buys!) 

Warner’s Juniper Double Dry Gin - 0% ABV

Hats off to Warner’s for being the first English gin brand to bring out its own 0% ABV versions. Using 100% natural botanicals and 90% of their ingredients being sourced from their farm in Northamptonshire, its herbaceous and powerful with a kick or warm spice on the finish. Also try their Pink Berry version, which is packed full of red fruit and spice. 

Find it at 31Dover.com for £17.95 for 50cl

BUBBLES

Fortnum’s Sparkling Tea - 0.0% ABV

We talked about how much we loved Fornum’s sparkling rosé tea here and in our podcast, so it was great to get to try the white! Certified organic and a blend of eight teas, this version is subtle, fragrant and elegant with both tropical notes and more darjeeling-like tea flavours. Totally refreshing! It’s worth noting that this sparkling tea contains 150mg of caffeine per litre.

Find it at Fortnumandmason.com for £16.95

Good One, Craft Hard Soda - 4 % ABV

Hot on the trails of the hard seltzer trend, Good One is an English hard soda company with three, genuinely good flavours that taste natural, where so many others feel synthetic. Its sleek, vibrant, matte packaging makes it feel like a step up from a regular soda too. We particularly loved the raspberry, lime and basil but the cloudy grapefruit and thyme and the lime and cucumber are darn good too. Gluten free, vegan, lo carb and low calorie, there’s a lot to love about these.

Find mixed packs of 12 for £33 at haveagoodone.co.uk

BEER

Small Beer  - under 2.8% ABV

The Small Beer Brew Co. are going strength to strength with their low alcohol beers that are good for you (being under 3% and isotonic) and good for the planet. Given what could end up being a marathon of drinking over the next two months, wouldn't it be good to have a stash of these lower alcohol beers in the fridge? For a limited time from now until 20th Dec, they are also offering a 6-month gift subscription, compete with brilliant videos and a gift poach for under the tree!

Find the beers and the subscription pack at theoriginalsmallbeer.com

Would You Try Beer Brewed from Mushrooms?

Words by Sara Lawrence

There’s a new fungi in town who’s truly the life of the party. Brought to you by The Fungitional Brew Company, Fungtn is their debut line of a trio of 0.5% ABV beers sure to impress. If you’re someone who wants to enjoy a unique beer without the alcohol side effects or has gluten sensitivities, then look no further. The Fungtn line is also vegan, so it’s a very inclusive drink!

How to brew a mushroom beer

For centuries, medicinal mushrooms have been on the culinary and medical scene. Known as myco adaptogens, this specific class of mushrooms are well known for their health benefits, including assisting the body’s adaptations to stressors and supporting the immune and endocrine systems. The next challenge for this wondrous fungus to conquer is the beer industry.

During its conception, Fungtn creator Zoey Henderson discovered that the natural starchiness of the mushroom complimented the body of typically brewed beers. This allowed her to remove a great deal of the alcohol content without sacrificing the mouthfeel and flavor of a normal, alcoholic beer. So there you have it, alcohol-free, mushroom brewed beer.

Meet the medicinal Fungtn trio

Lion’s Mane

Bold and fierce, the Lion’s Mane IPA features elements of the Lion’s Mane mushroom. The resulting beer has a lot of depth with many earthy properties that enhance the IPA profile. You’ll pick up subtle notes of hay and caramel evened out by the bitterness of the Lion’s Mane.

Chaga Lager 

Dark and mysterious, the ominous Chaga Lager boasts a strong body coupled with chocolate undertones and toasted malt. Though a heavier beer, this European-style lager is still crisp and refreshing.

Reishi Citra

Cheery and fruity, the bright Reishi Citra is an exceptionally juicy beer that balances the bitter Reishi mushrooms with enlightening tropical fruit and pineapple notes. The lightest of the bunch, but Reishi Citra packs a serious flavor punch. 

Prices for these start at £18 for a case of six.

To learn about the health benefits of each beer and to shop, visit here.

Like this? Don’t forget to check out Jubel: The Exciting New Fruit Beer.

6 Marvellously Modern, New Beers

Words by Helena Nicklin

To celebrate International Beer & Pizza Day on the 9th October (yes, it is a thing!) we’ve rounded up some delicious new beers with great stories to tell.

Hiver Honey Blonde Beer - 4.5% abv

Inspired by founder and superwoman Hannah Rhodes’ admiration for London’s beekeepers, this easy-drinking, refreshing British blonde beer is brewed using three types of honey and unpasteurised to maintain its elegant, floral notes and subtle hints of heather, honey and baking bread. It’s silky smooth and flavoursome without being too sweet or bitter; the perfect all-rounder beer that’s easy to love and quite possibly a game-changer for those who might more usually reach for a white wine. Also try their Hiver Honey Ale: a more hoppy, brown ale with a tasty roasted malt flavour. 10% of all profits got to pollinator charities and urban space projects too! 

Find them at Waitrose for £2.50 or hiverbeers.com

Crumbs Bloomin’ Amber - 4.8% abv

Crumbs is brewing with a big heart, using leftover artisan bread from their friends at the Chalk Hills Bakery in Reigate. They currently produce four very different beers, each based on the three styles of bread they are passed and one with coffee grains too. We love the Bloomin’ Amber, a light beer based on a vienna style but with an extra kick from ale yeast. Also try their Sourdough Pale, which is light and hoppy and their Rye coffee porter for something dark and brooding with powerful notes of mocha. 

Find them at Waitrose for £2.65 or Crumbsbrewing.co.uk

Fabal Lager - 4% abv

Another brilliant, British beer, named in homage to generations of craftspeople, or ‘fabals’, from the people who brought us Hiver above. This is a fantastic, premium lager that’s crisp and dry with a delicate fruitiness to the malt and fine bubbles, which make it reminiscent of sparkling wine. In a UK first, some of Fabal’s barely has been steamed and rolled rather than roasted, which helps keep its refreshing style. There’s something old school and wholesome about it. Highly recommended. Vegan. 

Find it at hiverbeers.com for £2.50

Bellfield Craft Lager - 5.2% abv

Bellfield is a small, independent brewery in Edinburgh who quite simply, want to ‘make beer that everyone will enjoy’. Their craft lager, made with both home grown and imported hops, has  a little more weight than some of their others, with a comforting weight and texture and flavours of crushed malted milk biscuits. Also try their Czech style Bohemian pilsner and their a floral and hoppy, American IPA style, Lawless Village IPA.

Find them at BellfieldBrewery.com for £1.95 

Ardbeg ‘The Shortie’ Smoky Porter - 6.2% abv

Staying in Scotland, we had to mention the recently released Ardbeg ‘The Shortie’ Smoky Porter from Islay. Not for the faint-hearted, this treacly, flavoursome, smoke bomb is a must-try for Ardbeg whisky fans. Named after the distillery dog and mascot ‘Shortie’, it’s malty and dark with classic Ardbeg notes of iodine and peat. If that wasn’t tempting enough, it’s a collaboration with Brewgooder to raise funds to create clean drinking water in Malawi. (You can donate here brewgooder.com/gathering).

Find it at masterofmalt.com for £3.50

…And for International Beer and Pizza Day!

Show Me The Honey!

Chicago Town, the frozen pizza company, is celebrating the launch of its brand new Stuffed Crust Takeaway Sweet Honey BBQ Salami pizza by launching a beer inspired by the same flavours: tomato sauce, sweet honey BBQ sauce,mozzarella, red cheddar, salami and red onions  Made in partnership with craft brewery SEVEN BRO7HERS Brewing co. the ‘Show Me The Honey’ beer blends savoury and sweeter flavours, focusing on a perfumed honey note on the finish. Find the pizza at mosts supermarkets including ASDA, Ocado and Tesco for £4.50. Guilty pleasure!

Find the beer at SevenBro7ers for £3.50

Like this? Why not try Jubel: the exciting new fruit beer, or Would You Invest in Vagina Beer?

Follow us on Instagram @TheThreeDrinkers or Twitter @The3Drinkers

Follow Helena on both @HelenaSips

Ardbeg make a beer! All for a good cause.

Words by Colin Hampden-White

Ardbeg has announced its first ever beer called “The Shortie Porter”. The name comes from the Ardbeg Jack Russel mascot: “Shortie”. All profits created in partnership with Brewgooder, a social enterprise, will go to clean water projects in Malawi.

This was all the idea of Alan McIntyre, the Global Senior Brand Manager of Ardbeg and his flatmate Alan Mahon, who is the founder of Brewgooder. The beer was originally scheduled for release on World Water Day on the 22nd of March, but because of the Coronavirus pandemic that was postponed. The beer will now be available from the 13th of August from Ardbeg.com and specialist retailers.  

Dr Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks commented: “We all dig Ardbeg, and no more so than Shortie. So for this life-saving, well-digging clean water brew, it was only fitting that our canine mascot should represent Islay. As with most porters, this beer is smooth and creamy. However, our malt has helped make it distinctly smoky – the way we imagine an Ardbeg beer is meant to taste!” 

The beer isn’t as smoky as one might expect, and certainly not as smoky as the whiskies the distillery is so famous for creating. The smoke is incredibly well-balanced, allowing bitter chocolate, espresso coffee and a little black treacle sweetness to come through. It is a refreshing yet complex beer.

Ardbeg joined forces with Williams Bros. Brewing Co to create the beer. The Shortie Porter was made using the peated malt that makes 10 year old Ardbeg, giving the beer its smoky character.  

Mickey Heads, Ardbeg Distillery Manager, said: “Not only is this a hugely important cause – that we’re delighted to be a part of – but The Shortie Smoky Porter is of course a first for the Distillery. Helping brew a beer may seem like unchartered territory for Ardbeg, but as any whiskyphile worth their malt will tell you, beer and whisky share the same DNA. Just like brewers, we ferment our malt. The only difference being, we hold on to the hops. We hope that Ardbeggians and craft beer lovers alike will enjoy this extra special limited edition.”

The Shortie Porter will be a limited edition and only available to the UK market. Depending on how much has been made, and they haven’t told us, I suggest you will need to be quick off the mark to order some, especially if it goes as quickly as other limited releases from Ardbeg. 

Alan Mahon, founder of Brewgooder, commented: "This collaboration is particularly special for me. To create an incredible beer that helps empower people's lives is one thing, to do it with one of the world's best whisky brands is another, but to bring it to life with my best friend: there are few things I have been prouder of in my life. I look forward to working with the team at Ardbeg to turn the profits from this beer into life-saving clean water wells for those who need them."

As it was originally planned for March, and at 6.2%, I thought the beer might be at odds with the summer months, especially with the heatwave we are currently experiencing. But I found myself surprised at how versatile and fresh it is. Even though it is a dark beer, it is crisp and lively and much of this is down to the smoke bringing all the flavours together. It’s a beer for all seasons with a great charitable reason to buy it.

The Shortie Smoky Porter will be available to purchase exclusively in the UK from Ardbeg.com, and from selected retailers, from 13 August – priced at £14 for a four pack. 

If you love smoky whisky, and in particular Ardbeg, look at the smokiness rankings we gave their annual releases. See which one was the winner here! 

The World's First Beer Made From Mustard

Say what?! Oskar Blues Brewery has decided to create a limited-release beer, created from French’s Classic Yellow Mustard. No, I’m not having you on. Earlier this year we saw Aunt Bessie’s try their hand at a Sunday Roast Brown ale made from Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes, so it would seem the oddities really are just beginning.

This special brew was created ahead of ‘National Mustard Day’ (yes, it would seem there really is a day for everything now, apart from a National Aidy Day… one can only dream). 

For those living in the UK I have good news and bad news. To get your hands on the ready-made stuff, you have to be in the USA and it currently goes for $19.99 per six-pack. BUT, they have also released the recipe, so those further afield can brew it up for themselves in their garage.

But what does it taste like? Tangy lemon and lime apparently with tropical undertones. They tried to bring out the staple notes people associated with the mustard itself in this wheat beer. The company has been around for over 115 years and has created a bunch of innovative products over the years including their mustard ice cream last year which went down a treat.

So, there you go, if you want to venture into the unknown , grab a pack or make your own. Personally, I think it would work rather well with a hot dog….

Find yours here

Drinker Discoveries: 5 New Products For Your Next Socially Distanced Gathering

A The Three Drinkers, we love all things drinky, be they wine, beer or spirits-related, no and low drinks, bitters or even gadgets and lifestyle products. Here’s a selection of some things that have delighted us recently and tickled our tastebuds. This week’s list curated by Helena Nicklin. Find her @Winebird (Insta) @TheWinebird (Twitter).

Russell’s Hand Sanitiser

The team at Copper Rivet Distillery in Kent are some of the unsung heroes of the Covid-19 pandemic, switching production of their spirits to alcohol for hand sanitiser that will kill viruses as well as bacteria. The result here is Russell’s Hand Sanitiser, which at 70% alcohol is powerful enough to kill the nasties but the addition of Jojoba oil and vitamin E mean your hands stay soft while you use it. The beauty is you can get it in handbag sized 60ml bottles, 500ml bottles and even 5 litre bottles for businesses. I got the 5 pack of 60ml bottles: one each for the family. Find them here and while you’re at it, stick a bottle of their brilliant, premium gin, vodka or whisky into your trolly to support them. They deserve it. 

Instagram: @copperrivetdistillery

Mead: Loxwood Mead

Mead is back. Who knew? This fermented, honey-based drink was popular with Henry VIII and his medieval buddies but evidence of mead has been found in China from 7000 BC! At Loxwood Meadworks, they are reimagining mead for a modern era. This ‘honey wine’ uses 100% honey rather than grapes and you drink it chilled in just the same way. Crisp and floral with a delicate, honey flavour and just a hint of natural sweetness, this is a delightfully different drink and perfect for summer. Find it for £15 here.

Instagram: @loxwoodmeadworks

Vodka: Pure Vodka Lite

This brand new British vodka has just hit the market. Their aim was to be the ‘good guys’ in the spirits market with this uber clean and crisp vodka distilled from organic wheat and cut to just  20% (rather than the usual 40%). We tested it and you would never guess it was lighter in alcohol. A great choice for more mindful drinking. They have regular vodka too. Find it for £30 here. 

Instagram: @pure_WM

Beer: Duette Beer

Is it a beer? Is it champagne? No, it’s Duette! Created by House of Après, this sparkling brut beer was produced using champagne and Kölsch lager yeast. The result is a richly flavoured beer with the fine bubbles and complexity of champagne with the freshness and hoppiness of a pilsner and brewed to 11.5% like a sparkling wine. Totally unique, produced sustainably, unfiltered, unpasteurized and made for sharing. Find it for £14.99 for 75cl or £8.99 for 35.7cl here.

Instagram: @duettebeer

Bitters: Bitter Union Aromatic

Bitter Union has a fantastic range of flavours for their bitters, which are all produced in England in micro batches using natural ingredients and no added sugar. There are five flavours currently and I love the Aromatic, with its complex, warming notes of cherry and cinnamon. Splash some into tonic (it’s also great with lemonade) for a more interesting no - alcohol thirst quencher, but it also really rounds off whisky or rum cocktails such as a Dark & Stormy or an Old Fashioned. Find them all here for £12.95 each for 100ml along with some cocktail recipes. 

Instagram: @bitterunion

Like these? See out last Drinker Discovery post as well as our guides to underrated Irish drinks, Mindful Drinking and the best Scottish gins to explore.

Want us to consider your product? Email sophie@thethreedrinkers.com