Bittersweet Symphony
Non-alcoholic cocktails have come a long way. Gone are the days of sugary mocktails made mostly of juice and soda. Bartenders now craft thoughtful, satisfying adult beverages with non-alcoholic spirits, allowing everyone to enjoy sophisticated drinks like a Paper Plane, Cosmopolitan, or Espresso Martini.
"Spirit-forward" non-alcoholic cocktails like a Negroni, on the other hand, are more challenging. While non-alcoholic spirits have good flavor, they don't typically pack the same punch as alcohol. Without mixers, spirit-forward NA cocktails often lack the right texture and complexity to be truly satisfying.
So, how do you enjoy a Negroni without alcohol? The answer lies in bold and unique non-alcoholic spirits like Wilderton and Pathfinder. When these spirits are used in classic cocktail formats, they create a unique experience that prevents comparisons to their alcoholic counterparts and allows you to enjoy the drink for what it is.
The Bittersweet Symphony, a non-alcoholic Negroni riff, achieves this. It uses Wilderton's Earthen instead of gin, with flavors of white peppercorn, smoked tea, and rose petals. Their Bittersweet Aperitivo stands in for Campari, offering more herbal complexity. Pathfinder, an intensely flavored Amaro substitute, replaces sweet vermouth, adding weight and bitterness. Our Orange and New Orleans bitters tie it all together with tart fruit, citrus, and warm spice.
The result is a drink that is intensely bitter, herbaceous, floral, and spiced—far from the mocktails of the past. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but then again, neither is a Negroni.
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