Woodnose Sacré - Non-Alcoholic Coffee Amaro

I've been trying a bunch of NA options and found a lot of them to be disappointing – basically overpriced water with "faint hints" of herbal flavors. This one is not. It's rich, complex, and weird. It has the coffee notes and a little sweetness, but there's also a big sour/savory zing of ... pure fermentedness. If you love pickles, kimchi, etc., you might really like this. Definitely a slow sipper. I'm very into it.

While I would say the tasting notes on this are pretty close, I would take some exception to "finished with a soft & pleasant cider-vinegar-like acidic finish". To my palate it's a strong cider-vinegar hit in the middle and linger out as well, but definitely not soft and, for my taste, not all that pleasant. The recommended use on the label was to chill and shake well before opening the bottle, then in a chilled shaker to add 3 oz. and shake vigorously for 20-40 seconds. This will admit a good deal of air into the drink and a lot of foam, which it suggests serving into a martini glass with the foam on top and adding some espresso beans as garnish. The nose on it really is quite interesting and well worth playing with for some NA cocktails, but it will definitely have to be balanced with that sharp, vinegar hit. It will have to be treated, I think, more like a very aromatic shrub and not something I can easily sip on its own. Interestingly once you are past the liquid part of this preferred method they suggest the foam is a lot more subtle, with almost a bit of sweetness to it and is a lot more pleasant than the main drink. I don't think I will be using it in their recommended method at all, but I might suggest it in a lowball glass or even a snifter instead just because keeping that nose intact and available is one of the most pleasant parts of the entire drink. The bottle states it will keep refrigerated for 30 days, which seems surprising that it isn't longer considering the acidity that would seem to be in it. Based on that it may be difficult to justify the cost when chances are good I won't even be able to use the whole bottle (probably not even half) in that time.

Still, it may be worth experimenting with, especially if you are experienced in mixing cocktails with shrubs or any strongly acidic additive, but are looking for something with a much more coffee/chocolate-like nose. Maybe some similar to Amaretto to sweeten and smooth it out while given even more nutty complexity. Another review mentions bitterness such as with tonic or added to an Amaro which may work, too, depending on what you like. Possibly even used in a coffee cocktail. It's a very unique nose and flavor that would definitely take some creative to figure out how to really make it shine. I may try it again some time if I can find that right way to use it (and within the short time before it would presumably spoil), but for now I'm not sure I would get this again.

Was not expecting this to be so good. Very strong and powerful drink thats great on its own as a sipper.

Has a very heavy coffee flavor if you like that. I still haven't figured out exactly how to work this into a cocktail that I want to return to.

Tastes like coffee and citrus. Tried drinking just over ice. Had to add a lot of seltzer to be drinkable for my taste. Sorry I bought it.