Celebrate Sober October with Pentire Adrift and Seaward botanical spirits from Cornwall
“The most delicious non-alcoholic spirits.” Gordon Ramsay
The celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay posted a video on Instagram about how much he enjoys sipping Pentire drinks. With 9 million followers, this was shared widely and soon promoted by other restaurateurs including Rick Stein, Nathan Outlaw, Paul Ainsworth and Emily Scott.
Launched in 2019, Pentire distils non-alcoholic spirits inspired by Cornwall: 100% plant based, natural botanicals, vegan friendly, free from artificial flavourings and sweeteners.
Alistair Frost and Edward Grieg-Gran have always loved north Cornwall and amazing sporting, surfing adventures along the seashore. Collaborating with local botanists and distillers, their spiritual journey began with the aim to capture the essence of those feelings, smells and tastes of their Cornish lifestyle and wild landscape in a refreshing drink.
Founded on this passion for active, outdoor living, Pentire has always been aimed at those who value the magic of being outdoors and keeping active – the name comes from a local headland.
“Catching waves until dusk, to feel the salt water on my skin, the fresh air and smells of this wild British landscape. Camping on cliff tops and foraging hedgerows for unexpected bounty. We wanted to bottle that experience and create a drink that harnesses the power, beauty and flavours of plants.”
Alistair Frost — Founder
Their first creation was Adrift which was an immediate success, soon followed by Seaward. The pure quality of Pentire drinks is due to the provenance of Cornwall’s coastal ingredients like rock samphire, sage, sea fennel and natural seasalt.
‘I went to meet a local botanist on a National Trust farm to chat about plant life in the area .. a really unique climate, especially for sea herbs, and over a thousand plants growing in the area. The flavours that you get when you are standing on a headland looking out to sea’. Alistair Frost
While Pentire isn’t technically a gin, it’s easiest to describe it as a non-alcoholic spirit of the gin category, a thirst quenching drink served with tonic.
Pentire Adrift is made with native botanicals including rock samphire, sea fennel, sage, citrus and Cornish sea salt, either sustainably sourced or organically grown. To serve, fill a glass with ice, pour in 50ml Pentire Adrift, top up with light tonic water and garnish with rosemary.
Pentire Seaward is a botanical spirit featuring locally foraged sea rosemary, sea buckthorn, wild seaweed, zesty hints of pink grapefruit and floral woodruff. To serve, fill a glass with ice, pour in 50ml of Pentire Seaward, top up with light tonic water and garnish with a slice of fresh grapefruit.
Pentire Adrift and Pentire Seaward & Tonic
This summer, Pentire Drinks launched its signature serve, Pentire & Tonic, in ready-to-drink 330ml cans. This was after almost a year of recipe development, tested by surfers, runners, musicians, artists, entrepreneurs and bartenders alike. The perfect solution to enjoy these botanical spirits wherever you are, at home, a party, on the beach, on the move.
Pentire – pre-mixed with the house light tonic, super low calorie, natural ingredients in a recyclable can – ‘grown, distilled & canned on the Cornish coastline.’ Created with no added sugar, artificial colouring or flavouring, these 100% natural, non- alcoholic, alternative ‘Gin and Tonic’ drinks should be served extra chilled.
The Taste Test:
Pentire Adrift & Tonic
The sharp, citrusy zest of lemon is immediately to the fore, but then a range of intriguing herbal, grassy notes linger on the tongue, followed by a slight hint of a salty aftertaste comes through. The plants include purslane, (an edible and nutritious weed), ice lettuce (a clean lemony flavour), and sea beet (a wild green, related to beetroot and chard). The profile of both soft floral and bitterness of the brine is all very well balanced.
While of course this drink is designed to be sipped straight from the can, as I am not keen on the metallic taste I poured this P & T over ice in a glass and added a slice of lime to enhance the citrus. To draw out the herbaceous flavour, it is also perfect with a spring of rosemary. A most refreshing and extremely healthy tipple at about 305 calories for the 330ml can.
Pentire Seawards & Tonic
The first sip reminded me of bitter lemon, a tad too sharp but let’s give it time. In fact, the ingredients include orange juice, as well as sea buckthorn, (a hedge plant with golden berries – full of vitamins and minerals), meadowsweet (sweetly scented like hay, almond or vanilla), and rosemary (a pungent lemony-pine herb, often described as minty and peppery).
Again, this was served over a large block of ice, this time the suggested garnish is a slice of grapefruit. The fresh, tart juicy fruit notes counter balanced the bitter orange well, while the underlying herbal and sea salt create a complex floral, citrus and mineral flavour.
For this feature, I was sent these two Pentire drinks ready mixed with tonic in a can. Therefore, unlike my dozens of other drinks reviews on Smart Leisure Guide, I have been unable to taste, test, sip and sample Pentire Adrift and Seaward botanical spirits to experiment with other mixers, shake up mocktails – or even cocktails.
Cornish Made, Globally Loved
Pentire is an environmentally-focused Cornish business which has put sustainability at its heart, producing a drinks range that quite literally distils the essence of Cornwall into healthy premium drinks.
There’s now a wide selection of alc. free beers, wines and spirits, a change from just a few years ago and perhaps to counteract all those Quarantini cocktails during a boozy lockdown at home. The global non-alcoholic beverages market is expected to grow from $923 million in 2020 to more than $1.7 trillion by 2028.
With an ever-growing fan base, happy drinkers have enjoyed ditching the gin or vodka for Pentire botanical spirits with these glowing comments:
‘Been looking for a sophisticated, herbaceous non-alcoholic cocktail drink for years. No more sickly sweet fruity mocktails! Pentire Adrift is absolutely brilliant.
I am really enjoying Pentire with tonic in the evening. It has allowed me to cut my alcohol units without sacrificing flavour.
Love Pentire spirits – tastes exactly like good quality alcoholic gin.
Such a brilliant alternative to alcohol, and I have always been a dedicated gin drinker.!‘
So why not buy a couple of bottles to shake up a few Pentire Adrift & Seaward mocktails, or try the ready mixed Pentire & Tonic in a can. Time to embrace Sober October. Cheers!
Check out the online shop on the website as well as inspirational serving suggestions.
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