Giffard

The founding story is specific. Émile Giffard was a pharmacist in Angers when an exceptionally hot summer in 1885 prompted him to research mint's properties. He developed a transparent white liqueur from Black Mitcham peppermint essential oils, offered it to guests at the hotel next door, and then converted his pharmacy into a distillery. Five generations of the Giffard family have led the business since. Édith, Bruno, Émilie and Pierre Giffard represent the current chapter. The original mint creation, Menthe-Pastille, remains in production.

The wider operation spans around sixty liqueur products and over ninety syrup flavours, distributed across more than ninety countries. Giffard sources 65% of its fruit and plant purchases from French producers, with all currant berries grown in Pays de la Loire. In 2000, Giffard acquired Félix Bigallet, a distillery founded in 1872 in Virieu, Isère, adding Alpine herbal expertise to the portfolio.

For the AF range, Giffard took a different approach from most alcohol-free spirits. Rather than distilling a base from scratch or removing alcohol from a finished product, Giffard macerates fruits and plants directly in white wine vinegar, soaking them to extract flavour and preserve the ingredients without needing alcohol as a carrier. Pasteurisation provides additional stability. The result is drier and more aromatic than a standard syrup. The process took three years to develop and uses the same fruits drawn from the brand's existing liqueur supply chain. Elderflower variants, for example, use hand-picked flowers macerated in white wine vinegar.

The AF range sits at the bartender-focused end of the category, functioning as cocktail-building components rather than standalone sippers. Sober-curious drinkers who take cocktail-making seriously will find these products useful in ways a standard cordial or syrup cannot replicate. Distribution runs through specialist alcohol-free retailers and direct-to-consumer channels, with global reach on the back of Giffard's existing international footprint.