Sans Alcool Tasting

Highball Cocktails

Bonjour!
I hope all of you had a nice Christmas. Ours was lovely, with plenty of great food, great wine, movies and lots of precious family time. It’s hard to believe that we’re getting ready to round off another year, and what a year it’s been. Hopefully, we’re all looking forward to good things in 2024.

A few weeks back, I started a series called ‘Sans Alcool’ in which I’m highlighting a selection of non-alcoholic beverages. Not because I’m taking part in Dry January, but because after working on an article about the on-premise scene in Amsterdam for a UK drinks magazine, I discovered that buzz-free beverages are soaring in popularity. I spoke with bartenders, sommeliers and beerologists who all told me the same – roughly 20% of their sales these days are coming from non-alcoholic drinks.

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This led me to the idea of sampling a range of drinks – from wines to spirits – and introducing them here before including a selection of the best in my May food and drinks column for Reader’s Digest. 

So far, I’ve introduced Noughty and Leitz non-alcoholic wines. In this post, I’d like to tell you about Highball Cocktails, which features a collection of six booze-free versions of popular mixes in 250ml glass bottles. Founded at the end of 2019 by husband and wife duo, Kate and Red Johnson, the brand emerged at a time that wasn’t exactly conducive to starting a new business – the global pandemic was just around the corner. Nevertheless, their website became a huge success. The unexpected surge in online orders allowed them to establish direct relationships with customers, turning what could have been a setback into a remarkable opportunity.

The convergence of their backgrounds (Red’s father is wine writer Hugh Johnson and Kate worked in marketing), coupled with a shared passion for reinventing the drinks industry, led to Highball Cocktails. Today, they export to over ten countries worldwide. Made in small batches in the UK, with only natural ingredients and less than half the calories of standard cocktails, Highball caters to those who are mindful of their dietary choices. The cocktails are also gluten-free and suitable for vegans.

I have tried the entire range (on their own, not paired with food as in the case of the wines) and will report back with in-depth reviews after my column is published.

Notes:

• In the coming weeks, I’ll be trying more non-alcoholic beverages and introducing them here (without reviews). 

• All beverages will be featured on my Instagram Story ‘Sans Alcool’.

Discount on paid subscriptions
As we approach 2024, I’m excited about the potential for more growth and have numerous interesting ideas in the pipeline. To show my gratitude for your support, I’m offering a special 10% discount rate for new paid subscriptions in the year ahead. I hope you will take advantage of this offer and help me keep this newsletter going strong.

Thank you for being a part of The French Life community, and I look forward to growing together and creating an even more vibrant experience in the coming year.