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Free Spirits The Spirit of Gin
About Free Spirits The Spirit of Gin
Free Spirits The Spirit of Gin is a non-alcoholic Gin alternative produced by The Free Spirits Company. Founded by Milan Martin in 2019, Free Spirits aims to challenge the idea that alcohol is the star of a cocktail, and offer an alternative that gives people more control over their drinking experience. They call their production process a “Distillate Reconstruction”, which involves distilling their ingredients down into natural flavors and extracts, and using that to reconstruct the flavor profile of the spirit. They are also infused with vitamins B3 and B6 for mood enhancement.
This particular bottle of The Spirit of Gin is modeled after the flavor of dry, Plymouth-style Gin. Notable botanical flavors include juniper, lemon, lime, coriander, gentian, and cardamom. It is also advertised as vegan and gluten-free.
Bottle Specs
❖ ABV: 0%
❖ Distillery: The Free Spirits Company
❖ Aging: N/A
❖ Price Point: high price
Tasting Notes
Nose:
❖ lemon
❖lime citrus
❖ green juniper
❖ cardamon
❖ gentian
Palate:
❖ green botanicals
❖ citrus zest
My Tasting notes
I took a whiff of this non-alcoholic gin, and the scent was sweet, fresh, and lemony. It reminded me of the aroma of lemon posset.
I took a sip, and it was watery and spicy, with notes of bitter herb. I detected the spice notes mostly in the mouthfeel. Overall, the flavor was subtle and mellow. The botanicals did not taste very distinct.
Mocktail
Virgin French 75
Ingredients
- 1oz non-alcoholic gin
- 3/4oz lemon juice
- 1/2oz simple syrup
- 3oz sparkling grape juice
- garnish: lemon peel
Instructions
1. Add simple syrup, lemon juice, and non-alcoholic gin to a shaker with ice, and shake until chilled.
2. Strain the mixture into a champagne flute or similar glass
3. top off with 3oz of sparkling grape juice
4. Stir gently to combine, and garnish with a lemon peel
Inside of a mocktail, I was a little more impressed with this gin alternative. The herb flavors were pleasant, if a bit too subtle.
However, it did have a hard time balancing mixers compared to a real gin. For example, Free Spirits didn’t quite balance out the acidity of the lemon juice, which I did suffer for. The night before, I had burned my tongue on some hot tea, and that lemon juice sure did let me know it! The cocktail simply turned out too acidic without adjustments to a standard recipe.
This is despite the fact that the drink turned out very sweet, due to using grape juice instead of champagne. Free Spirits was doing basically no leg work to balance the tartness.
Bottom Line
RATING: 2/5
Overall, I felt that Free Spirits The Spirit of Gin was adequate, but a little lackluster. Flavor-wise, I didn’t feel that it added very much at all to a mocktail. It just seemed like it was a small step above being a filler, and it didn’t make me excited to drink it.
That said, it certainly is drinkable, and worked fine for making my guests mocktails at a recent family gathering. Everyone enjoyed their drink, despite commenting that they couldn’t taste the non-alcoholic gin. For the price point, though, I think I would shop around at other brands rather than purchase this again.
As always, drink responsibly.
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