Mezcalita

Smoke is the hard thing to fake in a zero-proof drink, and this is Monday's attempt at it. Agave sweetness sits underneath, smoke and fresh berry come over the top, and the aroma reads herbal with citrus behind it. Peach, mandarin and Australian finger lime handle the fruit, with a mezcal flavour extract carrying the rest. Like everything the Australian brand makes, it is built from distilled botanicals and extracts blended into carbonated Australian spring water, then sweetened with stevia instead of sugar. That keeps it sugar free and gluten free with nothing artificial involved. It arrives ready to drink in bottles, sold by the four, eight or case of 24, so no mixing is required. Pour it over ice with a wedge of lime if you want the smoke to register more clearly. Honestly framed, it sits closer to a smoky fruit punch than to a sipping mezcal.