Virtues – Quarantini Social Virgin
Well, if you come up with a gin recipe in record-time what is the next consequent step? Yes, exactly a non-alcoholic beverage which can be used like a regular spirit. This is why the guys (and girls) behind the Quarantini Social Dry Gin released the Virgin as their new product. Let us see how the non-alcoholic distillate keeps up in drinks.
To be honest, I am more than sceptical when it comes to the trend of non-alcoholic “gin”, “rum” and other “spirits”. I tried on of the first non-alcoholic somethings out there, and I was not impressed. The flavour was kind of watered down and somehow off. In my opinion, if you do not want or cannot consume alcohol, you are way better off with a non-alcoholic fruit secco or a premium juice. Nevertheless, obviously I had to give the Quarantini Social Virgin a try. The beverage consists of water, distillates, extracts, citric acid and potassium sorbate. The botanicals for the flavour are similar to the Quarantini Gin and include papaya, mint, bergamot, angelica root, orris root, juniper and coriander seeds.
Not meant for sipping neat
Since the Quarantini Social Virgin is only meant for mixing, I do not include tasting notes. On top of that, it is also a bit unfair to compare a non-alcoholic beverage with spirits. Of course, I did taste the Quarantini Virgin on its own and while it obviously is not as complex as a spirit, you can find some pleasant notes in it. While the papaya and bergamot only linger in the back, I tasted a clear peppermint note supported by some citrus notes. For a drink using the Quarantini I went for a non-alcoholic cocktail I had in mind for quite some time. While the result of course does not come close to a White Negroni, the drink definitely was inspired by it. Instead of vermouth I used Riesling grape juice and the bitter component came in the form of the San Bitter Dry.
4,5 cl Van Nahmen Riesling Juice
Stir – strain – chilled Highball glass with ice cubes;
Garnish: Dried Pink Grapefruit half;
Song: Blocparty – Virtues;
At first, San Bitter flavour dominates the drink. The Riesling juice has to work a bit to keep up, but it delivers an underlying sweetness and makes its way through after a while. Last but not least, especially the mint notes of the Quarantini Virgin shine through with a little temperature and dilution. All in all, this is a pleasant non-alcoholic cocktail when you are in the mood for some bitterness without any ABV.
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The Quarantini Social Virgin was provided by the SOCIAL DISTILLERY.
