Last month we told you all the amazing health benefits of drinking alcohol-free botanical drinks. But today we are going to dive deeper into six popular botanicals used to add flavour and texture to alcohol-free spirits.

Whilst hundreds of different botanicals (dried or fresh plant parts) are used in the alcohol-free drinks industry, there are some that pop up more frequently. This is often because of the flavour they bring, the added health benefits or just the way that they add to the drinking experience.

1. Ashwagandha

The herb Ashwagadha is added to a whole range of alcohol-free drinks but is particularly popular in non-alcoholic spirits that aim to help people relax. That is because it is Ashwagandha is considered an adaptogen herb. This means that it helps maintain homeostasis (a healthy body balance) in times of emotional and physical stress. In essence, it helps the body respond in a calming way to stressors.

Ashwagandha is known to help support the immune system, especially after illness, to enhance stamina and to help relax the body. All of which help your overall long-term health and well-being.

Drinks such as Three Spirit Night Cap include Ashwagandha as an active ingredient to help create a calming, sleep-inducing feeling. This drink is intended to be a non-alcoholic nightcap after all. Sentia spirits use it to help induce a relaxed tipsy feeling from their Gaba Sentia Spirit.

2. Black Pepper

One of the most common botanicals in alcohol-free spirits is black pepper. That is because it helps provide a depth of flavour and a kick to any drink. It is often used in combination with chilli or ginger in order to add the slight burn or warming feeling that you would experience after drinking alcohol.

Black pepper is a powerhouse botanical providing a range of great health benefits. For starters, when you add black pepper to a drink (or food) it helps increase your nutrient uptake so you can get even more goodness out of each drink.

The flavour of black pepper comes mainly from piperine, which is a powerful antioxidant that helps reduce the chance of chronic illness. On top of that Black pepper boosts your white blood cell function helping you fight off illness quicker!

Nutritionally black pepper contains so many different vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A and E, calcium and potassium. It is a rich source of manganese, which is good for bone health, wound healing and metabolism.

You can find black pepper in so many different alcohol-free spirits such as Crossip Dandy Smoke and Gimber.

3. Citrus Fruits

Lime, lemon, orange, grapefruit, pomelo and more. The citrus fruit family are very popular botanicals used in alcohol-free spirits both for the flavours and the health benefits. Citrus fruits provide strong, fresh, sweet, sour and somehow also bitter flavours, which means they are very useful in providing a layer of flavour in any alcohol-free spirit.

On top of that citrus fruits provide a huge range of health benefits. Citrus fruits are rich in vitamins and minerals, most particularly vitamin C. In fact, one orange contains enough vitamin C for your daily intake.

Citrus fruits also contain powerful antioxidants, necessary to help neutralise free radicals in the body. This helps lower your risk of long-term health conditions.

The citrus family has anti-carcinogenic properties: they suppress cancer growth, block the formation of new cancers and help make carcinogens inactive. Citrus fruits are also anti-inflammatory and great for heart health.

You can find citrus fruits in alcohol-free spirits such as the Crossip Spiced Citrus drink, Atopia Spirits, Pentire Seaward, all the Bax Botanics drinks and many many more.

4. Juniper

Many people’s first association with Juniper is gin. That is because the Juniper berry is the botanical that gives gin such a distinct flavour. So it comes as no surprise, in a gin-loving world, that juniper is commonly used in alcohol-free gins and other alcohol-free spirits.

Juniper berries provide a pine and wood-flavoured taste, with a hint of citrus and spice. It is, above all, quite pungent, and very much the taste of gin!

But Juniper berries are more than just flavourful. They also provide a range of health benefits: they are high in vitamin C and in other minerals such as monoterpenes and others which provide anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-bacterial and antioxidant health benefits.

Juniper berries have also recently been found to have anti-diabetic properties in rats, and therefore potentially in humans. This means that they significantly reduce blood sugar levels and cholesterol.

You can find juniper in most alcohol-free gins such as New London gins, Atopia spirits, Maria and Craig’s alcohol-free CBD spirit and many more.

5. Lemon verbena

Lemon Verbena is used in a number of alcohol-free spirits due to its flavour profile. As a botanical, it provides a herbaceous, floral and bright flavour with a slight hint of sweetness and citrus. The citrus flavour is not nearly as strong as in other lemon herbs such as lemongrass, which helps it provide a delicious yet subtly flavour profile in alcohol-free spirits.

The plant also has a number of potential health benefits. Lemon Verbena contains compounds such as verbascoside, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This helps to protect your body from cell damage.

There is also some evidence that Lemon Verbena can actually help with sleep. It can help people fall asleep, sleep longer and avoid daytime sleepiness. There is also research to suggest that it could help reduce anxiety.

You can find Lemon Verbena in drinks such as Bax Botanics Verbena or Feragaia alcohol-free spirit.

6. Rose

Another popular botanical, particularly in sweeter alcohol-free spirits, is rose. You can use rose petals and rosehips, both of which provide a delicate and floral flavour. It is slightly perfumey, fruity and sweet. This is a great botanical to add depth of flavour because in itself it has quite a nuanced flavour profile that can provide the perfect balance to a more bitter or sour fruit such as raspberry or rhubarb.

Rose is also not without its health benefits. It has very strong anti-inflammatory properties that make it excellent to soothe irritation and also to keep the body balanced and reduce the chance of long-term health conditions.

Rose has powerful antiseptic properties making it useful in reducing infection within the body. The antioxidants in rose help reduce cell damage and oxidative stress, helping your long-term health and overall well-being.

Another reason Rose is commonly used in alcohol-free drinks is due to its strong antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties. Rose has been found to help calm the central nervous system and therefore helps add to the relaxing effect of some alcohol-free spirits.

You can find roses in a range of spirits from Atopia Spirits Hedgerow Berry and Everleaf Mountain to Lyre’s Pink Gin.  

Explore The Alcohol-Free Lifestyle With JOMO

If you are looking to discover the world of alcohol-free drinks then sign up for a JOMO subscription. Each JOMO subscription box contains a range of delicious alcohol-free goodies, including a full-sized alcohol-free spirit with all the ingredients to make a number of non-alcoholic cocktails. With our mindfully chosen selection and hand-curated box, you will get the chance to try some of the best alcohol-free drinks out there.