Southside Sips: Cherry Blossom Spritz

The advent of low and no-alcohol cocktails has found a permanent place on many a drinks menu, and in some less expected places, too.

This past July, Everleaf, the alcohol-free aperitif created by London bartender Paul Mathew, teamed up with Wölffer Estate Vineyard‘s non-alcoholic wine, Spring in a Bottle, for a little sip and stretch Saturday morning of yoga in the vines.

If you think about it, it’s kind of a momentous moment in booze-free sipping. This was no shrugging combo of soda water and fruit juice, but two thoughtful, delicious non-alcoholic products in their own right being combined like any other great cocktail.

And while a simple two-to-one ratio is so easy even an all-thumbs drinks maker can craft it, the result is thoughtful, thanks to the good ingredients in both.

For the Mountain version of Everleaf, the aromatics and gentle flavors of Japanese cherry blossom, tart rosehip and gently sweet strawberry combine oh-so beautifully with the organically grown combo of pinot noir, pinot meunier, Saint Laurent and dornfelder grapes, from which the alcohol is extracted after making the wine like, well… a wine.

It’s a refreshing combo that’s pretty well apropos for a morning spent among the fruits used for at least one of the products in the glass, but you don’t have to sign up for yoga in the vines to enjoy it.

Hit up the Wölffer wine stand for “Spring in a Bottle,” and nab a bottle of Everleaf from Boisson. Stretch, sip, repeat.