Aegean Sky

Built for the spritz, and for anyone who has noticed that most non-alcoholic aperitifs are far too sweet to work in one. Six botanicals carry it: kumquat, blood orange, olive, rosehip, bergamot and rosemary, which is roughly as Mediterranean as a shopping list gets. Bitterness is the whole design. Blood orange and bergamot supply it, olive adds an earthy weight underneath, and rosemary keeps the finish herbal and dry. Salcombe Distilling Co steeps the botanicals in neutral grain spirit and water, distils the result under vacuum so the alcohol comes out without the aromatics being cooked, then stabilises the blend with kombucha. Build it over ice with light tonic or a non-alcoholic sparkling wine, and garnish with rosemary and an olive. 70cl at 0% ABV, no added sugar, about 45 calories a serve, and a Beverage Testing Institute gold medal from 2022 behind it.