I am a huge fan of cocktails, whether mixing our own, delivered to the door or while out at a bar (back when nights out were a thing!). Whilst my partner and I do drink alcohol, we also enjoy non-alcoholic cocktails sometimes too, and are always keen to explore ways to get that cocktail experience without such frequent alcohol consumption. Fortunately, we have recently discovered a fantastic drinks company called Three Spirit; turning our cocktail evenings into a positively healthy experience!
About Three Spirit
Three Spirit produce drinks that are plant-based alternatives to alcohol. Created by a combination of bartenders, herbalists, plant-scientists, hedonists and artists; Three Spirit are looking to create happy and healthy ways to socialise that aren’t dependent on alcohol, or feel like a compromise in any way. They are brilliantly eco and ethical too; the business operates with zero-plastic recyclable packaging, and is 100% vegan, with strong animal and environmental friendly policies.
Three Spirit Drinks Review: Making Our Own Non-Alcoholic Cocktails
We have been lucky enough to be sent a delicious set of Three Spirit drinks to review. The pack came with all three bottles from Three Spirit; Social Elixir, Liviner and Nightcap.
The bottles are especially well presented. An extra interesting touch was that the bottles themselves all have an alchemy vibe; this is unsurprising as it is part of the brand (and a reminder of the natural ingredients making up the products) but I feel as though the bottles wouldn’t look out of place on the set of a wizard’s shack in a fantasy epic. There is a certain allure to that, and on this level alone, the drinks are sure to be entertaining conversation starters for many. They are very sophisticated too though and would also make a great gift.
The packaging they arrived in was minimal yet the bottles were very secure. It was eco-friendly recyclable materials too.
Livener
The Livener is intended to be a ‘pick-me-up’ sort of drink; the initial burst of energy before (or at the start) of a party. It features many invigorating ingredients such as guayusa, guava leaf, a variety of berries and ginger. This drink has a high (natural) caffeine level.
Like all of Three Spirit’s drinks reviewed, the Livener is the perfect base to an alcohol-free cocktail. Some of their suggests include:
• Livener Daiquiri (Livener, lime juice, demerara sugar)
• Soft P*rn* Martini (Livener, passionfruit juice, pomegranate juice, passionfruit)
• Electric Cosmopolitan (Livener, cranberry juice, lime juice and an optional dash of vodka for a low alcohol version).
On initially pouring the drink, my partner and I noted that the colour seems to have been largely defined by the berries, and the smell by the ginger. We tried it on its own at first and found the taste enjoyable, but it was a little strong. The ginger, enhanced by other ingredients, gives the drink a sense of heat.
When adding other ingredients is when the Livener was really given room to shine. Initially, we added lemonade, which successfully allowed us to find the perfect point of intensity for us, and we also found that adding this to the drink helped the other ingredients better express themselves. For example, the berry taste became much more apparent (we felt).
Next, we added tropical fruit juice. This we discovered especially complemented the Livener and again, brought out more of the individual flavours. As the drinks quickly disappeared we added some lemonade to top it up as well. All of these ingredients worked wonderfully together.
I am delighted with the Livener as a base for non-alcoholic cocktails; it is a very versatile drink and it became quickly apparent (that much like vodka or rum for example) that the drink you add to it can do a lot to harden or soften the edge. The Livener is incredibly versatile.
In regards to the energy kick, this largely depends on the strength (or quantity) of the drink. Those who already drink a lot of caffeine may require a bit more than those who don’t.
Social Elixir
The Social Elixir is intended to be a social companion and mood elevator. Its ingredients include lion’s mane mushroom, yerba mate, damiana, green tea and cacao.
Putting aside the delicious taste and other great ingredients for a moment; the lion’s mane mushroom alone here makes this a very desirable drink in your repertoire of healthy beverages. Lion’s mane (hericium erinaceus) is an extremely potent medicinal mushroom with numerous proven health benefits. Among them, it is known to fight dementia, boost the immune system, reduce the risk of heart disease, protect against ulcers and reduce the effects of anxiety and depression. Numerous studies have even shown that it has properties that are effective at fighting cancer also.
Three Spirit has a large variety of proposed ingredients to go alongside the Social Elixir. A few of their non-alcoholic cocktails recipes that stand out are:
• Light and Stormy (Social Elixir and ginger ale/ginger beer)
• Herbal Stimulant (Social Elixir, espresso strength coffee, maple syrup and dark rum if wanting an alcoholic version)
• Social Summer Camp (Social Elixir, lemon juice and lemonade)
• Social Sling (Social Elixir, pineapple juice, beetroot juice, lime and lemonade)
On pouring, the Social Elixir has a darker and earthier colour than the Livener. We found the smell pleasant too. The base drink had tinges of sweetness but for the most part, the taste was actually quite bitter.
As before, we first mixed with lemonade. The extra sweetness immediately shifted the flavour into something else new entirely. The bitterness felt like a complementing factor to the sweetness and it became very easy to drink.
We moved on to pineapple juice shortly after, and then pineapple juice with lemonade once that was gone. Again, it greatly changed the flavour; it became incredibly complex with more of the ingredients coming out. At the same time delicious.
Following pineapple, we tried mixing with tropical juice. Once more, we then added lemonade to the juice too. We found all of these combinations were fantastic additions to the social elixir resulting in tasty non-alcoholic cocktails.
Finally, we tried ginger ale. This wouldn’t have been our first choice usually to be honest, but Three Spirit recommended this and we were curious; we enjoy experimenting and were very keen to give it a go. I’m both surprised (and excited) to say that this is also a delightful addition that brings out a plethora of new flavours from the drink. Even if you aren’t a fan of ginger, I’d urge you to give this one a try.
I should add that we also tried this one with some raspberry vodka too. With the lemonade, tropical juice and pineapple juice. Like all our other cocktails and mixers, this too worked really well. Of course, you can control if you want a high or low alcohol version by how much you add.
I was impressed at the versatility and adaptability of the Livener and am even more so with the Social Elixir. It is an amazingly flexible drink. Every mixer adds to the mystery. On top of all this though, it also has some spectacular health benefits.
Nightcap
As the name suggests, Nightcap is intended as the finisher to your evening and its intended effect is to help the drinker relax and unwind. Ingredients include: valerian root, lemon balm, liquorice root, turmeric, various peppers and maple syrup.
Of the various Three Spirit products, this is the one they most recommended taking neat. In fact, the very first suggestion given contains no mixer at all. That’s not to say that it doesn’t work with other ingredients; it definitely does. We love it mixed with lemonade.
The Nightcap has a pepperiness to it, that adds to the overall intensity. This helps to keep pace and drink in the same way you would a whisky; light, gentle sips. This is perfect too, because after half an hour or so, the doziness definitely kicks in.
Check out all the Three Spirit recipes here.
Final Thoughts About Three Spirit and Our Non-Alcoholic Cocktails
To say I am impressed is a massive understatement. The Three Spirits range is a incredibly unique selection of drinks that are both versatile and fun. They taste delicious as an alternative to alcohol, or work well with it. They would make wonderful presents for the drinking enthusiast, or teetotal alike. Brilliant for non-alcoholic cocktails!
Shop here: Three Spirit drinks
*Disclosure: I was sent the products to review and paid for my time. All thoughts and opinions are my own
I love your selection. great
Good selection, be good to try these now were in January
I love non-alcoholic beers so really tempted to try these spirits.
I like the sound of these! They sound very refreshing and something I would like to try.
I love the selection!