You'll know you're playing with fire if you see either capsaicin or Capsicum (not to be confused with bell pepper, which goes by the same name in some countries).Ĭapsaicin is powerful stuff- a concentrate of it is the main ingredient in pepper spray!- but it can be reined in by mixing it with other ingredients. Read the list of ingredients on the label. Non-alc spirit makers harness capsaicin's fire to give zero-proof cocktails a gentle burn on the way down that mimics an alcoholic drink. That burn comes from capsaicin, and it's what gives chili peppers their heat. Mixed with lime juice, simple syrup, and a pinch of salt, on the other hand, the combination yields all the flavors of the refreshing cocktail you know and love. On its own, Ritual Tequila tastes mostly like green bell peppers and freshly cut wood, with the burn of a straight jalapeño. While most are made for general cocktail use, there are even some, like Ritual Zero Proof Tequila, that were designed for a single, specific cocktail (in this case, the Margarita). It takes more raw material to extract aroma compounds infused in water rather than alcohol.īecause of the higher concentrations of these flavor elements, non-alcoholic spirits, especially those that are impressions of existing alcoholic spirits like gin, rum, or tequila, can taste strange, unbalanced, or just plain wrong. This is why premium non-alcoholic spirits aren't necessarily cheaper than alcoholic ones. To solve this problem, non-alcoholic spirit makers usually dial up the flavor elements we identify with "adult" beverages-the bitters, botanicals, herbs, spices- so they don't get drowned out by other ingredients in a cocktail. When mixed with water, however, aroma compounds don't diffuse as readily as they do in alcohol. That's why the first sip of whiskey might burn your nose, but the next one doesn't the alcohol has already started to evaporate. Alcohol is also highly volatile, which helps diffuse aroma compounds even faster. When we detect salty, sour, sweet, bitter, or umami, we're experiencing flavors our tongues can detect, but when we "taste" lemon peel, juniper, gentian root, and cucumber in gin, it's our nose doing the work of sensing aroma compounds.Īroma compounds are made up of highly volatile molecules, which means they are quick to evaporate out of liquids and into the air (and our noses). Why? Because most of our experience of taste isn't a taste at all, but scent. Because water evaporates at a much higher temperature than alcohol, we experience the flavor of non-alcoholic spirit in a completely different way. The results of these formulations, whether compound or distillation, are water-based liquids. Why don't straight non-alcoholic spirits taste the same as alcohol? Some non-alcoholic spirits, like Gnista, use both compounding and distillation to achieve their complex and interesting flavors, and most distillers will add preservatives or texturizers after the distillation process. First, the spirit maker distills a product with alcohol, like whiskey, then boils the alcohol out in a second round round of distillation. Distillations can be made entirely without alcohol, or they can be double distilled. For body and richness, producers might also use ingredients like glycerin or cellulose gum to mimic the mouthfeel of traditional spirits.ĭistillations are a more complicated process, involving boiling liquids, causing some of the water to evaporate, which concentrates the flavor in the remaining liquid. A compound is just a blend of extracts, sweeteners, juices, and any other flavor additives with water. Non-alcoholic spirits generally fall into two camps: compounds and distillations. Think of them like spices: they taste great mixed into recipes, but, as anyone who has tried the cinnamon challenge will tell you, they can be too intense on their own. Non-alc spirits don't taste like the high-test stuff because they're formulated to be used in cocktails. Not because the makers of non-alcoholic spirits failed to make their products taste accurate straight out of the bottle, but because that wasn't their intention. At all.ĭon't get discouraged! We're here to help you understand what non-alcoholic spirits are, how they are made, and, most importantly, the best way to enjoy them.Įxpecting a neat non-alcoholic bourbon to taste like a pour of 20-year Pappy Van Winkle is a recipe for disappointment. Excited and impatient, maybe you took a slug right out of the bottle, only to find what was described as non-alcoholic gin or tequila didn't taste how you thought it would. Your package has arrived, you've opened the box, and you finally have your highly anticipated bottle of non-alcoholic spirits in your hands.
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