Perhaps uniquely, in addition to his work as a biologist, he also has 25 years’ experience in bartending as owner of The Hide, The Arbitrager and Demon, Wise & Partners in London. Initially he was a biologist who bartended, but slowly one overtook the other, and he became a bartender with a passion for using plants to bring flavour.
And, as the years rolled on, Paul found that more and more customers wanted no- and low-alcohol drinks and so, donning both of his professional hats, he put that to work to create Everleaf, a non-alcoholic aperitif range, which has been inspired by the flavours, depth and aromas of the natural world. The idea? That they should match and deliver the rich sensory experience of a fine spirit, with Everleaf’s drinks designed to be mixed with tonic water to create a refreshing spritz.
It took over a year of experimentation to develop Everleaf, from researching plants, dehydrating ingredients, macerating and extracting, through to finding sustainable sources. After a great deal of research, Paul launched Everleaf in January 2019 with Forest, the original expression, followed by Marine and Mountain.
These are his hard-won tips for what to look for in a non-alcoholic aperitif.
1) As with any drinks, pick the flavours and descriptions you like the sound of. Whilst still relatively new as a category, we’re not speaking a different language. The whole point should be that you can get great drinks with loads of complex adult flavour. They just happen to be non-alcoholic.
2) The category has roughly split into those products that are mirroring familiar alcoholic categories (NA ‘gin’, ‘rum’ etc) – those that are unique flavour profiles, but fit into a familiar drinking occasion (I include Everleaf here, as we don’t try to mimic something alcoholic, but our drinks are easy to serve in a flavour-forward Spritz). The other catergory are those that look to give a functional effect with specific ingredients – a buzz from something other than alcohol. That might help steer you in the direction of where to start exploring the category.
3) The three taste sensations that alcohol triggers are warming, cooling and bitterness. At Everleaf, we use plants to replicate this, with rich ingredients like saffron (Forest) and strawberry (Mountain) to warm, bright aromatics including bergamot (marine) and cherry blossom (Mountain) to cool, and a key bittering botanical in each (gentian in Forest, artemisia in Mountain and olive leaf in Marine). Warming from chilli or ginger can work well too (a Mountain Mule with ginger beer for example), and it’s why lots of non-alcs are recommended served with tonic for the bitter component from quinine.
4) If you’re ordering in a bar, it’s likely the drinks will have descriptors just like any other cocktails, or names that reference their alcoholic relatives. If it’s a spritz, it’s likely to be slightly sweet, slightly bitter, and have bubbles, for example. I reference that a lot, not just because of Everleaf’s signature serves, but because bitterness is a great driver of flavour and will hit what you’re looking for in a sophisticated non-alc without being sickly-sweet.
5) Salt is a great flavour-maker. If you think of salt in drinks, it’s probably the margarita that springs to mind, often with an overloaded salt-rim, but a more delicate touch of salt is a great flavour enhancer, and many bartenders will add a little saline solution to their cocktails. We use a touch of Himalayan pink salt in Mountain, and Cornish sea salt in Marine for this reason, and it’s also in the garnish for the Marine recipe below for a deliciously refreshing Paloma.
Try These Three Recipes To Make At Home
FOREST: Espresso Spritz
Ever had coffee and tonic? Whilst great in itself, this takes it up a notch, with Forest’s sustainably sourced Madagascan vanilla and woody complexity complementing the tonic botanicals and coffee bitterness. Iced coffee-meets Spritz!
50ml Everleaf Forest
A shot of espresso (also great with cold brew)
Add to a wine glass over ice and top with tonic
Garnish with a slice of orange
MOUNTAIN: Summer Mountain Spritz
An abundantly garnished floral Spritz full of blossom and berries to celebrate the summer with. One for barbecues, picnics under the trees, and summer evenings by the river.
50ml Everleaf Mountain
150ml tonic (a light sugar one, or experiment with one like Fever Tree Rhubarb & Raspberry Tonic Water.)
Pour over ice in a big wine glass
Garnish with summer berries (as in the picture)!
MARINE: Paloma / PalomiNO
The Paloma looks set to be one of the drinks of 2023. Our version replaces the tequila with our crisp and refreshing Marine but gives you the option of adding a small measure of tequila if you’re after low rather than no – we’re all about great drinks, however you choose to consume!
50ml Everleaf Marine
150ml grapefruit soda
(optional 25ml of tequila)
Build over ice in a highball and garnish with a slice of pink grapefruit lightly sprinkled with sea salt and sugar
By Nancy Alsop
June 2023
