Non and low alcohol drinks have been gaining in popularity for some time. I definitely see the point and the appeal even if I shrug at much of the hype around the trend. Also garnering lots of interest and attention at the moment is CBD oil (the calming and medically beneficial oil made from cannabis minus any “stoner” side effects or highs), something I find especially appealing and worthy of any trendiness yet to come.
Riding high on the “no and lo” wave is Seedlip, the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirit. Mixing up quality cocktails using Seedlip spirits alongside their own house brewed CBD oil is the team at Behind this Wall. A recent event at this cosy basement bar in Hackney presented an opportunity to sample a few showcase drinks made by BTW and featuring both Seedlip and CBD oil prominently.
Maybe I’m a little slow on the uptake, but the refreshingly laidback event was my first time to visit BTW. I loved the place, its inspired drinks menu, and the bar’s principles that eschew artificial additives, high fructose corn syrup and junk like that in preference to carefully sourced and house-made ingredients. Besides, who’d want to have any of that crap when you can drink cocktails featuring ingredients such as pecan-infused rum instead?
As for Seedlip, this wasn’t my initial taste but the first real chance to consider why distillation might be a better way to produce a flavoursome non-alcoholic drink than loading it up with sugars and chemicals or simply brewing it. Essentially, distilling and then burning off the alcohol allows for fuller and more intense flavour.
Two cocktails were served during the event:
- The Ginger Gear (the “no”), an aromatic and woody non-alcoholic mix of Seedlip Spice 94 (rich and allspice-y), CBD honey and ginger syrup, apple and cinnamon kombucha, apple wood smoke, and candied ginger; and
- The citrusy Fo’ Sizzle Dizzle Swizzle (the “lo”), with Seedlip Grove 42 (with a strong taste of blood orange), Akashi-Tai Honjozo Genshu Sake, CBD honey and ginger syrup, lime, Birds Weissbrand, bitters and kenaf leaf.
Maybe that Ginger Gear was a little yummier than the Fo’ Sizzle, but both wowed the palate.
Rather than groggy (as I might normally be after an elbow bending session at a bar), I left BTW feeling at ease and steady: a lovely way to end a night.
For more about Seedlip, go to seedlipdrinks.com.
Behind This Wall is located at 411 Mare Street, E8 1HY. Find out more at behindthiswall.com.
