Sommeliers Choice Awards 2024 Winners
The Free Spirits Company, LLC
Category: Non Alcoholic Drinks Supplier
Country: United States
Date:04/01/2021
The good spirit of great cocktails. Non-Alcoholic Spirits. The good spirit of great cocktails. Free Spirits offer complex, crafted non-alcoholic alternatives to traditional spirits. Don't drink fewer cocktails. Drink less alcohol. The Free Spirits Company introduces a new way to enjoy cocktails, giving the drinker complete control over how much - if any - alcohol is used in their construction.
Inspired by the world’s great spirits, including Bourbon, Gin, and Tequila, each one of the Free Spirits is crafted to be a complex, nuanced, non-alcoholic alternative to its boozy cousin. Not only are these spirit alternatives crafted to be bold, delicious and non-alcoholic, they are also each infused with B Vitamins and Amino Acids to help elevate the drinker’s mood, energy and experience. By replacing the traditional spirit 1:1 with Free Spirits, drinkers can now enjoy non-alcoholic versions of their favorite cocktails with all the flavor they would expect and none of the effects of alcohol. If alcohol is still in the plan, Free Spirits allows for new-found control to ‘dial-up’ or ‘dial-down’ a cocktail - all the way from ‘non-alcoholic’ to ‘just a touch of booze’ to ‘half and half’ and beyond, without sacrificing taste. Free Spirits puts the drinker’s alcohol consumption in their hands.
The Free Spirit Company uses a process called Distillate Reconstruction wherein they source natural ingredients like American White Oak, European Juniper, and Mexican Blue Agave then distill and extract the essential oils and flavors. Those distillates are recombined in ways that honor the nose, taste, and mouthfeel of traditional spirits while skipping the fermentation process. For that little something extra, each one of the Free Spirits is infused with vitamins B3 and B6 along with naturally uplifting amino acids like taurine.
Free Spirits founder Milan Martin launched the brand with the idea that your cocktail, like your experience, should be under your control. “There’s something magical about great cocktails. Their ingredients come from all over the world. Their varieties are endless, and they’re bold, beautiful and delicious. I guess I just don’t believe that alcohol needs to be the star player in every cocktail for it to be great.” Martin, a 20+ year veteran of the advertising business knows a thing or two about the outsized role that alcohol plays in the business and personal lives of so many. “In a strange way, alcohol became the ‘go-to’ in my life,” says Martin. “Clients upset? Drinks. Couldn’t crack the ‘big idea’? Drinks. Kids finally asleep? Drinks. I look back at each time I drank too many, and it wasn’t necessarily the alcohol I was after. I wanted a great cocktail, something complex and delicious made just for me. I wanted the night to keep going, but I can’t say I ever really craved alcohol. That’s why we founded The Free Spirits Company.” Younger generations are establishing a ‘new normal’ when it comes to alcohol consumption. Millennials and Generation Z are consuming 20%-30% less alcohol and devoting more time to being alcohol-free than any other generation before them, and others have begun to follow suit. With Free Spirits, the ceremony and socialization of cocktails can remain without compromising taste or well-being. Located on the Pacific Ocean, among the giant redwoods in Marin County, CA, The Free Spirits Company is not a teetotaling full-time sobriety advocate. “We are cocktail people who enjoy something complex and delicious, but who don’t always want the effects that come with alcohol,” adds Martin. The Free Spirits Company believes that having genuine interactions, exciting times and delicious drinks are not contingent on alcohol. The days without great non-alcoholic options are over, it is time to break free.
The Free Spirits Company is now offering three expressions. The Spirit of Bourbon is a rich, oaky, caramel-kissed non-alcoholic alternative to a great Kentucky Bourbon. The oak-caramel nose is followed by a velvety-smooth, malty brown sugar finish, making The Spirit of Bourbon the heart and soul of your favorite cocktail. The Spirit of Gin is a smooth, bright and floral non-alcoholic alternative to a London Dry Gin. With the fresh nose of juniper, followed by notes of citrus, coriander and cardamom, The Spirit of Gin never fails to excite and refresh. The Spirit of Tequila is made in the spirit of an oaky vanilla-kissed Reposado. With an earthy, spicy nose and a smoky, agave-forward palate, The Spirit of Tequila will ignite the moment and keep the conversation on the sunny side of the street. Free Spirits are available for purchase for at www.drinkfreespirits.com. Each crafted non-alcoholic bottle retails for $37.