Giffard

The company built its reputation on Menthe-Pastille, that original mint creation, before expanding into a vast range of liqueurs and syrups. Today they produce around nine million bottles annually, split roughly between the two categories. Their liqueur portfolio runs to nearly sixty products, while the syrup line offers over ninety flavours. They acquired fellow 1885-founded Bigallet Distillery in 2000, adding Alpine botanical expertise to their repertoire.

Giffard's alcohol-free range takes a different approach to most AF spirits. Rather than mimicking specific drinks, they developed products using vinegar maceration, a technique borrowed from the shrub tradition. Fruits and botanicals steep in wine vinegar, creating concentrated bases with genuine complexity. The range includes Spritz, Elderflower, Grapefruit, Pineapple and Ginger expressions, all designed as cocktail building blocks rather than standalone sippers.

What distinguishes these from standard syrups is the reduced sugar content and aromatic intensity. They sit somewhere between a syrup and a cordial, offering bartenders more to work with when constructing AF cocktails. The Spritz version provides an obvious entry point for recreating that classic aperitivo moment without the booze.

Giffard exports to ninety countries, though availability in UK retail remains patchy. Specialist drinks retailers and bar suppliers stock the alcohol-free range, and you can order direct from various online spirits merchants. The vinegar-maceration approach is genuinely distinct in a category that tends toward either syrup sweetness or spirit imitation.