Bax Botanics

The pair brought serious credentials to the project. Between them, decades of food industry work focused on wild ingredients, culinary herbs and the kind of flavour complexity most brands spend years trying to fake. Rather than leaning on alcohol extraction, they infuse spring water directly with botanicals: herbs, roots, berries and flowers, sourced organically and to fair trade standards via the Organic Herb Trading Company. No sugar, no sweeteners. The flavour has to stand on its own.

The range centres on two spirits. Sea Buckthorn is the quieter of the two: warm, earthy, built around the little orange berries that grow along the North Sea coast, balanced with Mediterranean herbs. It softens well over ice or lengthened with tonic, and holds its own without demanding much from the drinker. Verbena is the livelier option, lifted and citrus-forward with a brightness that suits long afternoon drinks. Both come in 500ml bottles and as ready-to-drink cans with tonic, useful for when you want something in hand without the faff.

At the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Bax Botanics entered their full portfolio and came away with three double gold medals, making them the first British alcohol-free spirits brand to reach that standard at the competition. For a two-person operation based in Wetherby, that is a notable result.

Bax Botanics sits at the premium end of the alcohol-free spirits category. Products are stocked at Booths, available direct from their own site, and found in a handful of well-regarded Yorkshire hospitality venues. This is not a brand that blankets the supermarket shelves; the distribution reflects the product — considered, regional, and not in a hurry.