Fill a glass with Belvoir Farm’s new lower calorie Botanical Soda infusions
If months of hot toddies and calorific cocktails have left tastebuds craving a refresh, look out for some new flavour creation with low calorie Botanical Sodas from Belvoir Farm. From the depths of the garden, right into the glass, Floral Fizz, Bitter Orange Spritz and Spicy Ginger Fizz (each 500ml, £2.25) are bringing something deliciously different to adult soft drinks and ‘low & no’, with three distinct flavour profiles to enjoy on their own, mixed with a favourite tipple or as a splash to elevate summer cocktails and mocktails.
Inspired by nature and bubbling with botanical character, the sophisticated trio of non-alcoholic, sparkling drinks also delivers a healthier hit of hydration with less than 4.5g of sugar and fewer than 20 calories per 100ml. They launch in Sainsbury’s and Booths on 22 February, with Ocado listing them after Easter.
Bridging the gap between soft drinks and mixers, the botanically-rich, hand-stirred infusions are blended with sparkling spring water to create layers of flavour that make the new ready-to-drink sodas the perfect replacement for alcohol without compromising taste or drinking experience – good for the six million Brits who don’t drink alcohol and one third actively reducing their intake1.
Belvoir Farm has also worked with the Chelsea Physic Garden2 to explore the process through which botanicals are used to create different thirst quenchers and the history of the plants that add the flavour to its three new and delicious drinks.
FLORAL FIZZ – created with Belvoir Farm’s signature elderflower infusion that they’ve been making at their family farm for almost 40 years and elevated with aromatic geranium and delicately perfumed floral hibiscus. Aronia juice gives Floral Fizz its soft, pale pink colour and the flavours are gently sweet, fresh and indulgently aromatic. PERFECT SERVE: An ideal non-alcoholic alternative to a floral G&T. Serve over ice and garnish with a sprig of fresh lavender. For an alcoholic version, add a shot of floral gin. For a more elevated serve add crushed hibiscus flowers and dried juniper berries?.
BITTER ORANGE SPRITZ – gently sweet but sharp Sicilian blood orange juice blended with crisp, pressed rhubarb juice, bitter gentian root and cinchona bark extracts to deliver an invigoratingly bitter and citrusy orange sparkling drink inspired by Mediterranean-style aperitifs. PERFECT SERVE: With its naturally cloudy appearance and notes of zesty, caramelised marmalade, this sophisticated, uplifting and indulgent thirst quencher is perfect to drink as a non-alcoholic alternative to an Aperol Spritz. For a super citrusy Bitter Orange Spritz Cocktail, add a shot of citrus vodka and serve over ice with a slice of blood orange. For a more elevated serve, pour into a tall glass and top with a splash of prosecco and shaving of fresh rhubarb?.
SPICY GINGER FIZZ – A step up from a classic ginger beer and inspired by Asian flavours, this vibrant, punchy and aromatic fresh root ginger infusion is blended with pressed ginger juice, a touch of lemon juice and zingy yuzu juice for a citrus twist, plus warming spice notes of Japanese Sancho peppercorn, Thai lime leaf and a touch of gentian root extract for a slightly bitter finish. Pale yellow in colour and opaque due to the presence of natural fruit juices, shake to wake its complex, vibrant character. PERFECT SERVE: A great non-alcoholic alternative to a Dark & Stormy.?? For an alcoholic version, add a shot of white rum and serve over ice in a tumbler with a twist of fresh lime. For a more elevated garnish, add some pink peppercorns and lime leaves.
Crafted with nature and only carefully selected ingredients, Belvoir Farm Botanical Sodas are vegan-friendly and contain absolutely no preservatives, flavourings, artificial colours or artificial sweeteners. In keeping with Belvoir Farm’s commitment to sustainability and minimising its impact on the planet, the range has been designed in new retro 500ml glass bottles that can be upcycled or fully recycled. The drinks will also be some of the first to be ‘bottled by sunshine’ after the installation of an array of solar panels across Belvoir Farm’s bottling hall that will generate up to one third of the company’s electricity needs, helping them towards their goal of achieving energy independence.
Belvoir Farm MD, Pev Manners, says: “Creating these recipes has been a really exciting and fascinating project for us to work on. It has been a great opportunity to look outside the ingredients we usually use to make a range of drinks that are quite different to other current drinks in the soft drinks and mixers category. We started with almost 20 different concept ideas and spent many hours in our kitchen exploring lots of different botanical combinations, inventing hundreds of recipes and making and tasting each one, before we were completely happy with the final three flavour profiles.”
1 6.1 million adults in GB don’t drink alcohol, and one third are reducing their alcohol intake (source: **CGA Mixed Drinks Report; Kantar Worldpanel Alcovision Data; him CSF Q1 2020)
2 Chelsea Physic Garden is a peaceful oasis in the heart of London. Founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London, the botanical garden is renowned for its collection of rare medicinal plants. The Garden has evolved throughout its history but today, it remains a place that cultivates both plants and ideas.
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