A sophisticated non-alcoholic drink… really?

Leave a comment

20 October 2012 by jembop

Sanbitter, a soft Campari and soda style drink

It was my birthday recently and as I am pregnant, I couldn’t celebrate with the usual several glasses of Champagne/gin/daiquiri.

A month earlier, I’d stayed at The Vineyard Hotel for work (fantastic spa, and  a huge wine selection – a bit wasted on me) and enjoyed their signature non-alcoholic aperitif cocktail, which I think was named after the hotel’s owner Sir Peter Michael.

This cocktail was a blend of freshly squeezed orange juice and something called Sanbitter – a type of pre-bottled, no-alcohol version of Campari and soda; sweet, bitter, herby and fizzy all at once. It was absolutely delicious and made such a difference from the usual bland soft drink options (in fact The Vineyard had several other delicious-sounding booze-free drinks on offer).

After a monster interweb search and several phone calls, I tracked down a similar-looking drink in Bristol’s fantastic Italian deli, Licata. Called Stappi, this had the same bright red colour and tiny bottles but didn’t have quick the same kick as the (San Pellegrino-produced) Sanbitter I’d had a few weeks before. (I also found some Crodino in Licata, which is made by Campari and is a similar soft drink, but orange in colour/flavour).

I’d clearly been banging on to my dear husband about Sanbitter a lot, as for my birthday he presented me with 40 bottles of the stuff! He’d managed to find it from a London-based Italian importer, but the minimum order meant he’d had to buy in bulk. At least I won’t have to buy any more for a very long time!

I’d definitely recommend trying to track it down if you’re looking for a delicious non-alcoholic aperitif.