Dr. Jaglas

The brand launched its first alcohol-free product in 2020 under the banner of what it describes as Modern Apothecary. The name reflects both the founder's profession and the brand's approach to production: Dr. Jaglas applies pharmaceutical-grade quality standards to its botanical sourcing, specifying high-potency extracts and subjecting them to a slow maceration process in which hand-picked bitter herbs steep over several weeks. This extended extraction method draws directly from traditional apothecary practice rather than from the mainstream drinks industry, and produces a higher concentration of active botanical compounds than faster infusion methods typically allow.

The apothecary positioning is grounded in the Jagla family's historical connection to bitter herb and spice preparations, which the brand traces back through generations to a 15th-century monastery recipe. The current commercial operation is a family-run business based in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district. Dr. Christina Jagla's background as a practising pharmacist shapes the sourcing criteria applied across the range.

The alcohol-free line covers aperitifs, botanical alternatives to gin suited to mixed-drink occasions, and a seasonal mulled wine made from dealcoholised wine, a process in which fully fermented wine has the alcohol extracted while the flavour compounds remain intact, finished with the brand's signature apothecary spice blend. The breadth of the range reflects a deliberate intent to address multiple alcohol-free drinking occasions from a single identity rather than focusing on a single category.

Distribution operates through a multi-channel model: direct-to-consumer via the brand's own online shop, selected premium delicatessens and pharmacies within Germany, and specialist retail internationally, including placement in Berlin's KaDeWe department store, making it accessible to sober-curious drinkers across Europe.

The pharmacist-led identity and apothecary aesthetic give Dr. Jaglas a production story well beyond the botanical infusions that characterise most of the AF spirits category, and place it at the upper end of the European alcohol-free spirits and aperitif market.