We tried Everleaf’s non-alcoholic drinks to see if they could replace the real deal

Just add a mixer and ice for an authentic spirit drinking experience

There’s three different blends to try (iStock/ The Independent)

Delicious alcohol-free drinks aren’t always easy to find, particularly if you fancy some fizz or seek a similar spirits option.

Non-alcoholic drinks are a happily hangover-free beverage and the number of fake booze offerings has multiplied in recent years, but here at IndyBest we’re always keen to seek out the top product buys.

Award-winning brand Everleaf specialises in alcohol-free aperitifs, and the trio of beautiful bottles stocked feature sea, forest, and mountain designs.

We’ve previously sampled Everleaf forest (£19, Everleafdrinks.com) in our best alcohol-free spirits guide and considering our reviewer wrote, “it tastes out of this world on the rocks,” we fancied trying the rest of the range.

We sampled all three Everleaf flavours over several weeks of testing, adding them to tonic water as suggested. Our tester wanted to see how refreshing the drinks were, and how good they are as an alcohol-free alternative to spirits. Here’s what we thought of each blend, the individual bottles and their price point.

Read on for our tried and tested take on the Everleaf collection pack, containing three non-alcoholic aperitif options.

Everleaf collection pack, £54: Everleaf.com

(Everleaf)

Design

This Everleaf collection pack includes all three aperitif flavours with a multi-buy price saving, which means we had plenty of options for evening drinks and cocktail hour. Although, given the non-alcoholic nature of these spirits, we did sip them all during the daytime too.

The 50cl glass Everleaf bottles feature matching illustrations, in pink, yellow and blue, with differing gold, rose gold and silver screw lid tops. All the labels have a wavy, slightly scalloped edge, and the font and branding are impressively chic, as drinks bottles go. We were immediately impressed by how stylish they looked on our table, and we’re picturing extra aesthetic elevation if added to a drinks trolley or glass cabinet.

In keeping with the names, each are inspired by places, and mountain is labelled as vibrant and aromatic, forest as complex and bittersweet, while marine is said to be crisp and refreshing. We also found handy mixing instructions on the reverse, outlining measurement ratios with tonic, fruit slices and ice. Our tester thought this was a particularly nice touch.

Taste

First up, we sampled forest (£19, Everleafdrinks.com), a honey-coloured liquid with saffron, orange blossom and vetiver notes. As instructed on the bottle, our tester mixed one part Everleaf with three parts light tonic, and added orange slices and ice. The smooth blend includes fourteen sustainably sourced botanical ingredients with earthy, warm notes to remind you of a woodland.

We instantly picked up on these notes, and our tester compared the drink to a non-alcoholic aperol spritz, because of the bitter, herbal blend complete with fruity orange flavours. Interestingly, forest was actually created with spritz drinkers in mind. On the alcohol-free front, we were surprised to find a sniff conjured up a heady almost boozy effect.

Mountain (£19, Everleafdrinks.com) is pink, and has twelve aromatic sustainably sourced ingredients, including strawberry, juniper and cherry blossom. Our tester could pick up on the piney notes, when mixing this liquid with strawberries and ice and we tasted a tanginess that was both refreshing and thirst-quenching. The scent was slightly less strong than forest, and would suit those who favour lightly floral flavours and like pink gin.

Finally, we tried marine (£19, Everleafdrinks.com), a crisp drink reminding us of summer seaside holidays. As the name suggests, this bottle was inspired by the sea and includes sixteen sustainably sourced botanical ingredients including sea buckthorn and fresh kelp. This is the clearest liquid of them all, and tastes extremely refreshing paired with lime and ice, as an alternative to gin.

Although it’s very difficult to choose, marine was probably our favourite flavour of all. We also tried out our own combination and added ginger beer, which brought a bit of spiciness to the crisp marine botanical flavours.

We think it’s worth knowing that each Everleaf flavour has a similar viscosity to an alcoholic spirit and if like us, you’ve tried tons of alternatives, you’ll know this is no mean feat.

While we tried this trio to sample all flavours, you can also buy a three-bottle collection of the same Everleaf blend for the same £54 price, or choose two bottles with a pack of tonic for £38.

The verdict: Everleaf collection pack

We really rated the stylish aesthetic of this non-alcoholic Everleaf collection pack, showcasing decorative labels and metallic bottle tops. The liquid viscosity did remind us of an alcoholic aperitif, and our tester found each version was bursting with individual flavour. We enjoyed mixing them with tonic and fruit for an authentic drinks experience minus the hangover, and they were refreshing to sip too.

Plus, for alcohol-free drinks that taste and look pretty special, the under £20 price point per bottle seems reasonable for a treat tipple.

Buy now £54, Everleaf.com

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