Three of London’s finest non-alcoholic drinks.

Claridge’s Bar in London serves one of the finest cocktails I have ever had. It seems to fizz in the glass and dance a little jig on my tongue. Tart and structured, I could drink two more. It isn’t merely its flavour that marks it out. This cocktail is all cucumber and lime, rather than vodka, gin, or even vermouth. It’s made with a non-alcoholic spirit called Seedlip, which was launched in 2015 and tastes sort of like gin. It is this that has wrought a cocktail revolution in the capital.

Seedlip is the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirit. It’s based on non-boozy remedies from The Art Of Distillation, a book written in 1651. The fragrant multilayered notes mimic the delicate qualities of finer spirits, which has led to a wide variety of mocktails. And it seems there’s a growing market for these sober tinctures. “Three years after we launched, we sold 500,000 bottles in a year in 20 different markets,” says Seedlip founder Mr Ben Branson. And at £27.99 for a 70cl bottle that contains zero per cent alcohol, and no excise duties, it’s very profitable, too. Drinks giant Diageo, which owns brands such as Smirnoff and Tanquerey, bought a 20 per cent stake in the company in 2016. 

What’s the impetus for the mocktail’s popularity? Campaigns such as Dry January and Macmillan Cancer Support’s Go Sober For October raise awareness of the benefits and joys of moderation, if not sobriety. Since 2005 more than 3 million people have cut back substantially on their weekly alcohol intake, according to the Office for National Statistics. And the number of people who are abstaining completely has risen from 18 to 20 per cent. Perhaps Sir PG Wodehouse’s famous dictum, that “alcohol is a misunderstood vitamin”, is finally fading from the scene.

It’s not just health benefits that are driving the trend for booze-free drinking. What’s on offer is getting much better. The word mocktail was coined in the 1970s and, along with mock turtle soup and mock chicken, is cursed with sounding like it’s a poor imitation of the real thing. Cocktail maestro Mr Salvatore Calabrese from The Donovan Bar at Brown’s Hotel hates the term. “This is the summer of mocktails,” he says. “But great drinks are not to be mocked.” Instead, he suggests calling them virgin cocktails. And who are we to argue? He is a man of considered knowledge and even wrote a book on the subject in 2004. “I have always believed that a non-alcoholic cocktail can be just as sophisticated and interesting as a regular cocktail if the ingredients are chosen well,” he says.

Seedlip, higher-quality essences, non-alcoholic bitters and the like are helping to improve mocktails across the board. Where in the past your best non-alcoholic beverage was a Beck’s Blue or a no-rum mojito, now there are even no-booze martinis. The Relaxed Martini at Kerridge’s Bar & Grill at the Corinthia Hotel uses two blends of Seedlip, and Dishoom sells not one, but two non-alcoholic martinis. For the first time recently, The American Bar at The Savoy made one of its non-alcoholic drinks its “cocktail of the moment” and it sold well. “Everyone is going non-alcoholic,” says Savoy barman Mr Dominic Whisson. “It’s no longer limited to pregnant ladies and designated drivers. Bartenders are putting back the excitement into non-alcoholic drinks and that’s awesome.”

Across town at The London Edition on Berners Street, Mr Andy Shannon has just launched a new cocktail menu in the Lobby Bar based on the locations of various Edition hotels around the world. The Los Angeles-inspired Health Tax is offered with or without alcohol. “I think guests want to go out and not have to drink alcohol,” he says. “The flavours coming from modern cocktail bars are designed for a more grown-up palate. Just because you’re not drinking doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy interesting flavours.”

With that in mind, here are three of the most interesting virgin cocktails to try at home.

By The American Bar at The Savoy

50ml Seedlip Garden 50ml coconut water 30ml Verjuice 20ml pineapple syrup 5 drops non-alcoholic absinthe tincture 5 drops non-alcoholic tonka bean tincture

Stir and strain all the ingredients over a block of ice in a highball glass. Garnish with edamame.

By The Donovan Bar at Brown’s Hotel

15ml lavender essence 15ml lemon juice 1 tsp violet colour (optional) 125ml coconut water

Shake. Serve in an Old Fashioned glass over crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of lavender, an edible flower and a wedge of dry lemon (optional).

By The London Edition

100ml matcha tea 15ml lemon juice 10ml agave Pinch of salt 3 cucumbers, peeled, deseeded and muddled

If you don’t have a muddler, cut the cucumber into chunks and put in a sturdy glass. Press and twist a few times with the end of a wooden spoon (or use a mortar and pestle) until they release liquid and a cucumbery aroma. Add to the other ingredients and shake. Serve in a long glass over ice.

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