Figlia

Back in the US, she spent years thinking about that gap. The word figlia means daughter in Italian, and in 2021 she launched the brand she'd been quietly building towards. She was twenty-five.

Figlia makes two non-alcoholic aperitivos. Fiore, which translates as flower, came first: a deep, aromatic blend of rose, bitter orange, and clove with the kind of complexity that holds up in a glass rather than disappearing the moment the bubbles hit. Add soda water and you have something that drinks like a genuine spritz. Sole followed, lighter and more citrus-forward, built around Meyer lemon, peach, and basil. There's also a Fiore Frizzante for those who want the carbonation built in.

What distinguishes Figlia from the wave of NA spirits that lean on nostalgia for booze is that it doesn't really pretend to be anything other than itself. The bottles are beautiful. The branding is considered. It reads as a grown-up choice, not an apology.

The brand donates a percentage of sales to Partnership to End Addiction, a US charity supporting families affected by alcoholism, which gives the founding story a coherent arc without becoming maudlin about it. Figlia also participates in the 1% for the Planet initiative.

Primarily a US brand, with stockists across the States, Figlia has found a foothold in the UK through specialist retailers including No & Low. Premium-priced and direct-to-consumer in feel, it sits at the more considered end of the non-alcoholic aperitif shelf.