Seedlip Grove 42 (Citrus) Non-Alcoholic

Seedlip is the creation of Ben Branson, who launched the brand in the UK in 2013 after growing frustrated with the lack of sophisticated non-alcoholic options at the bar. Branson combined his family's three centuries of farming heritage with inspiration from a 1651 text on herbal remedies to build a genuine distillation process for alcohol-free spirits, and the brand has grown into the leading name in the category, now selling three core expressions worldwide.

Grove 42 takes its number from 1542, the year the word "orange" is said to have first entered common use, and the recipe leans fully into that fruit. Blood orange, bitter orange, and mandarin form the citrus core, rounded out by ginger root, lemongrass, and lemon peel, with a final layer of Japanese sansho peppercorn for a cooling, tingling edge. As with the rest of the Seedlip range, each botanical is macerated for six weeks and distilled separately in copper pot stills before blending, and the finished spirit is made in the UK with no alcohol, sugar, or calories.

Bitter, pithy citrus dominates the nose, with orange and blood orange up front and a background of ginger adding depth beneath. On the palate, that same vibrant citrus carries through, balanced by lemongrass and a warming ginger spice, before the sansho peppercorn brings a distinctive, tingling prickle to the finish. It's smooth and zesty rather than sweet, with genuinely more complexity than a simple citrus cordial.