When we think about Dry January or making any non-alcoholic cocktails, we usually think about the spirits or liqueurs that we use in drinks. But how often do you think about the bitters?

Coming in tiny little bottles, where you might only use a drop or two, it's easy to forget that bitters are technically alcohol. Most bitters commonly on the market sit around 35-45% ABV, and although you are only using a small amount, this can derail your non-alcoholic efforts.

So, understandably, non-alcoholic bitters brands are becoming more and more popular.

One such brand is the New Orleans-based El Guapo. also makes non-alcoholic mixers, syrups and RTDs. All-natural, with no-GMO ingredients, and female-led, the brand also makes non-alcoholic mixers, syrups and RTDs.

We talk to El Guapo founder Christa Cotton about creating non-alc bitters, incorporating flavours and what it means to straddle the world of cocktails and non-alc.

For years, the Whiskey industry (both with an ‘e’ and without) has been innovating and keeping consumers intrigued by using Single Barrel programs.

Now, Tequila distillery Partida, the original additive-free Tequila, has announced that Master Tequilero José Valdez has crafted 30 unique barrels of their award-winning and highly regarded añejo for a single-barrel programme of their own.

Each barrel will have unique tasting notes, making each one special and highly collectable for tequila aficionados.

To find out more, we talk to Valdez about barrels, barrel sections and what this new programme will mean for consumers

When you think about Aspen, your mind probably goes to beautiful snow-covered ski runs and the jet-set taking their winter holidays on the slopes.

And why not? Aspen has some of the best and most prestigious mountains for skiing and snowboarding in the world.

But what if your mind instead went to Vodka? This is what Aspen Vodka is hoping your mind will do.

With their use of pure ingredients and their deep appreciation for the mountain terroir, Aspen Vodka is looking to embody the essence of sustainability and luxury at one of the world's leading carbon-negative distilleries.

To find out more, we talk to Jerod Day, Aspen Vodka’s Director of Distilling Operations, about purity, sustainability, and creating a luxury Vodka in an overcrowded market.

Like so many of us, Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has a fondness for Tequila, but also, like many of us, he understands the advantages of imbibing less.

But finding a good non-alc Tequila is not as simple as it sounds. So Hamilton did the next logical thing - he created his own.

In an endeavour to honour the tradition and craft of real Tequila, he partnered with Casa Lumbre, an innovative Mexican spirit company and its distiller and co-owner Ivan Saldaña.

The two them crafted Almave, which is marketed as the first non-alcoholic blue agave-based spirit distilled in Jalisco Mexico.

The liquid has been designed to provide an alcohol-free alternative without compromising traditional tequila's authentic taste and cultural essence.

To find out more, we talk to the distiller and co-owner of Casa Lumbre about Blue Agave and retaining the taste of Blue Agave without fermentation.

What if you could capture the essence of a rugged Scottish island in a bottle? Join us as we journey to Islay, Scotland, with Adam Hannett, the head distiller at Bruichladdich Distillery, to explore the bold new expression of The Botanist gin—Distiller's Strength.

By increasing the alcohol content to 50%, this limited edition gin accentuates its juniper core while preserving the fine balance of 22 native botanicals. Hannett highlights the importance of exploration and innovation in cocktail creation, inspiring bartenders and gin enthusiasts to push the boundaries of their craft with Islay's finest.

Step into the enchanting world of Islay's botanicals with us as we uncover the nostalgic ties to plants and honor the legacy of master distiller Jim McEwan through the artistry involved in bottling Islay’s unique aromas and flavors.

This episode is not just a celebration of tradition but a testament to the endless possibilities of gin crafting, showcasing The Botanist's commitment to innovation and respect for the timeless beauty of Islay’s landscapes.

Whether you're a gin aficionado or new to the spirit, this conversation with Adam Hannett, Head Distiller at Bruichladdich Distillery, where the Botanist is made, promises a taste of something truly special.

To find out more go to thebotanist.com/

Or buy a bottle with our affiliate link

While we’d be hard-pressed to believe that cocktail syrups are the Elixir Vitae or ‘elixir of immortality,’ spoken about in ancient Alchemy, for lovers of tropical drinks, Falernum is not far off.

So it’s unsurprising that US Premium Cocktail Syrups brand, Liquid Alchemist has just launched their own Falernum, the most recent addition to their stable of flavours.

To find out more, we talk to a modern version of an alchemist, former bartender and Liquid Alchemy founder Randy Tarlow about flavour, tropical cocktails and the importance of Syrups to the balance of a good drink.

When people talk about Bourbon, they usually talk about the barrels - they go on about the char levels and whether there was any toasting.

After that, they might discuss the age and the time the liquid spent in those nicely charred barrels because, for most people, that time and those barrels denote the liquid's flavour.

Occasionally, the conversation may turn to the makeup of the mash bill, such as the percentage of corn, to rye, to barley, or wheat.

But very rarely do they ever talk about yeast.

That is until Pat Heist and Shane Baker started Wilderness Trail in 2012. Unlike most other Craft distilleries that started during that period, Wilderness Trail had a unique advantage in its founders.

It has two people who made a career out of supplying yeast strains and fermentation products to breweries and distilleries with their company FirmSolutions.

Over ten years after they lay down their first distillations, we talk to Heist about fermentation, wheated whiskey and whether yeast really is the key to Bourbon’s flavour

For more information, go to https://www.wildernesstraildistillery.com/

If you travel high into the French Alps between the cliffs of Vercors and the peaks of Écrins National Park, you might be surprised that besides some of the world’s most beautiful mountain terrain, there is also Whiskey.

Surrounded by the Trièves Mountains sits Les Hautes Glaces, the world’s oldest organic whisky farm & distillery, established in 2009 by Frédéric Revol.

Nestled in such beauty, it’s not surprising that the distillery aims to put terroir at the heart of the taste of all its liquids.

To find out more, we talk to Revol about grains, terroir and what it’s like to distil in the French Alps.