Wilfred's

Chris Wilfred Hughes founded the brand in London around 2020 after a period of burnout brought him to a reckoning with his own relationship with alcohol. Rather than hunting for an existing alternative that satisfied him, he spent the better part of eighteen months developing his own, working through over a hundred recipe iterations before landing on something he considered genuinely good. The inspiration, as he tells it, came from close to home: rosemary snipped from his mother's garden, and the bitter oranges his father used for marmalade. Those two ingredients ended up anchoring the whole thing.

The result is the Bittersweet Aperitif, a single product with a clear identity. Distilled botanicals including rosemary, bitter orange, rhubarb, and clove come together in something that has the complexity and slight edge you want from an aperitif, without tipping into the syrupy sweetness that plagues much of the category. It's designed to be served long, over ice with tonic, in the manner of an Aperol spritz. The resemblance is intentional, though the flavour profile is distinctly its own.

Based in Wimbledon, the brand has built up a solid reputation in the UK's specialist alcohol-free retail channels and has since pushed into the US market. It has picked up awards along the way, including recognition at the Great British Food Awards. Press coverage has been enthusiastic and sustained, with features across food and lifestyle titles on both sides of the Atlantic.

Wilfred's is a focused operation: one product, done well, positioned at the premium end of the market. At around £22 for a 500ml bottle, it sits above mid-range but justifies that with a recipe that holds up to scrutiny. Whether you're building a round of alcohol-free spritzes for a gathering or just want something properly considered to sip before dinner, it's a reliable place to start.