December 10, 2025

It's About Thyme

Name: It's About Thyme (Non-Alcoholic)
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 3 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 2 sprigs of thyme; 1 ½ oz Giffard Aperitif Sirop; 1 oz Roots Sweet Vermouth; ¾ oz lemon juice; ½ oz simple syrup; 3 dashes ATB Orange Bitters

Aperitif · Aperitivo · Bitter · Bittersweet Liqueur · Campari · Citrus · Giffard · Herbal · Lemon · Orange Cardamom Bitters · Original · Rich · Roots Divino · Simple syrup · Sour · Sweet Vermouth · Tart · Thyme

This cocktail is an herbaceous, bittersweet twist on a classic Campari Sour. We’ve made ours with non-alcoholic spirits, but you can use full-strength Campari and sweet vermouth, or a mix of regular and NA spirits for a super low-ABV drink. Giffard Aperitif Sirop provides the bold bitter orange backbone, Roots Sweet Vermouth adds nuance and herbal depth, and a few dashes of our Orange Cardamom bitters amplify the citrus and spice.

What makes this drink really sing is the thyme. Muddling fresh thyme into the base releases savory, aromatic oils that play beautifully with the bitter aperitifs, transforming this into a non-alcoholic sour that’s layered, complex, and deliciously drinkable. It’s tart, bittersweet, and herbal—perfect for anyone craving a sophisticated zero-proof cocktail at home that feels like it came straight off a craft bar menu.

This recipe was perfected using Giffard Aperitif and Roots Sweet Vermouth, but feel free to substitute your favorite NA or full-strength spirits.

It's About Thyme (Non-Alcoholic)

Rated 5.0 stars by 2 users

Servings

Cook Time

3 minutes

Calories

120

Herbaceous non-alcoholic sour with bitter orange, sweet vermouth, and fresh thyme.

Image of It's About Thyme (Non-Alcoholic)

Ingredients

2 sprigs of thyme
1 ½ oz Giffard Aperitif Sirop
1 oz Roots Sweet Vermouth
¾ oz lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
3 dashes ATB Orange Bitters

View Cart (0) Checkout

Directions

In a shaker, muddle the leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme with lemon, simple syrup, and bitters.
Add spirits and ice, then shake hard for 6–8 seconds.
Fine strain into a frozen coupe glass and garnish with fresh thyme.

Recipe Note

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Sours translate especially well into non-alcoholic cocktails because acidity provides the structure that NA spirits sometimes lack. In this drink we’ve layered in additional structure through bitterness: Giffard Aperitif delivers a bold, bitter orange backbone, while Roots Sweet Vermouth adds an herbal complexity and gentle sweetness for balance. Thyme does the rest, adding savory aromatics that ground the drink and keep it firmly in proper, adult cocktail territory—not a fruity mocktail.

ABOUT NON-ALCOHOLIC APERITIFS

Aperitifs balance citrus, bitterness, and sweetness, which is why they work so well in non-alcoholic cocktails—they naturally add structure that slows your sipping, and are balanced with sugar, which adds texture and body. Giffard Aperitif is our top pick for a straight Campari alternative because it delivers the closest match to Campari’s intensity and grip, but there are plenty of excellent options in a range of bittersweet flavor profiles (we like Wilfred’s, Ghia, and Lyre’s Italian Spritz).

WHAT IS NON-ALCOHOLIC VERMOUTH?

Roots Divino makes one of the most compelling non-alcoholic vermouth alternatives available, crafted in Greece using wine as its base—just like traditional vermouth. The wine is gently dealcoholized, then infused with Mediterranean botanicals such as wormwood, rosemary, gentian, and bitter orange. The result is an herbal, bittersweet, wine-forward profile that brings depth to zero-proof cocktails. It works equally as well in a Negroni as in a sour—or simply mixed with sparkling wine or tonic.

USING BITTERS IN NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

Cocktail bitters provide depth and balance, rounding out sweet and sour flavors while adding bite. Since All The Bitter is completely 0% ABV (unlike traditional bitters, which are around 45% alcohol), you can use as much as you like to dial in flavor without affecting the ABV of your drink.

Want something easy?

Not every night requires a complicated cocktail. Our favorite easy drink is bitters & soda—refreshing, balanced, and good for your gut. Just add a few dashes of our non-alcoholic bitters to sparkling water, with lemon or lime if you're feeling fancy.

MAKE BITTERS & SODA

Account