Just before Christmas, JOMO had the honour of being featured on ITV’s Love Your Weekend With Alan Titchmarsh. And what a feature it was!

Drinks expert Aleesha Hansel took us step-by-step through the alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks to enjoy on Christmas day, letting special guests Anne Reid and Sir Cameron Halifax taste-test the drinks alongside Alan Titchmarsh. She was particularly excited by the idea of the JOMO subscription box.

So what was the set up? Well, everyone sat cozily around a little wooden bar. Lined up on the bar was a whole range of drinks, including some from the JOMO Christmas box. They were even wearing the little knitted Christmas hats hand knitted by JOMO founder Gemma Mills’ amazing mum and grandma for the JOMO Christmas box.

There were two non-alcoholic drinks featured in this episode:

Jings Sparkling Tea

First was Jing’s sparkling tea. Aleesha Hansel suggests this as an alcohol-free beverage to enjoy in the morning, explaining that the tanins in tea, when infused with water, help give it the same dryness as red wine. Whilst Alan Titchmarsh enjoyed this drink, it has to be said that the other two were less keen. However, we agree with Aleesha that this is a great drink for Christmas morning! 

Sentia Gaba Spiced Berry

But the real star of the show on the alcohol-free side was the JOMO inspired drink made from two items in the JOMO Christmas box: Sentia Gaba Spiced Berry mixed with the Twelve Below Rhubarb and Ginger Tonic.

Expert Aleesha explained a little bit about Sentia Gaba spirits. These were created by Professor David Nutt, one of the world’s foremost experts on alcohol with 40 years of experience.

Sentia Gaba spirits are the result of years of research to create a non-alcoholic drink that still gives you the positive effects of alcohol. Sentia Gaba spirits activate the GABA neurotransmitter in your brain that help you feel like you are in the “two-drinks sweet spot”. Which, lets be real, is the nicest point of drinking.

The flavour used in the Christmas JOMO box is the Spiced Berry Sentia, which is the perfect Christmassy flavour.

Mixed with the spirit was the Twelve Below Rhubarb and Ginger Tonic. This is made by a British company and inspired by the British countryside, more particularly the rolling hills of the Chilterns. 

What makes this company special is that they create tonics that are low in sugar, but not filled with artificial sweeteners. This makes these the perfect drink for people who need to reduce their sugar or are conscious about their health.

Paired together all the guests of the show agreed that the drink had an interesting and unusual flavour, and they were very excited about the potential of experiencing the two drink sweet spot. Everyone agreed that the spirits had great potential in other drinks like a Negroni or Martini too!  

"JOMO is Fantastic"

It was amazing to see an alcohol and wine expert, such as Aleesha, really embracing and clearly excited about alcohol-free drinks. After all, what is not to love about being able to drink something, feel great and still be allowed to drive home.

Aleesha was very enthusiastic about the JOMO subscription box saying:

“The box that it comes in comes you get little snacks, you get other drinks and you get this booklet about how to, I think its just fantastic”.

So what do you actually get in a JOMO subscription box?

Well, the box contains a range of mindfully selected drinks. Each box has: 

• One full sized alcohol-free spirit (such as the Sentia GABA spirit)

• Thoughtfully chosen mixers and garnishes to match the spirit

• Snacks to pair with your alcohol-free cocktail

• A selection of ready to drink beverages

• A magazine filled with everything you need to know about the treats in you box, interviews, and alcohol-free cocktail suggestions.

If you want to find the joy in missing out, a JOMO subscription is the perfect way to dive head first into the exciting world of alcohol-free spirits.

To check out the full episode of Love Your Weekend With Alan Titchmarsh and see what everyone says about JOMO then check out season 4 episode 37. Thank you so much to ITV, Alan Titchmarsh and Aleesha Hansel for giving us the chance to introduce more people to the joy of missing out!