Those who’ve been following me for a while will know I’m no stranger to no and low. From chatting to Spencer about Clean ‘Gin‘ to Nona June and Sol Duc hard seltzers.
I know there are those who aren’t a fan of the category. I know there are issues. I mean, we can’t really call it gin. It doesn’t meet the legal requirements. But getting your mouth around ‘gin style spirit’ can be a faff and people look at you funny, then you have to explain… Life can be too short for that much faff. Easier to say non-alcoholic gin, or low alcohol gin. Even though I know that’s wrong. I’m sorry purists (and legal types), people are always going to say what’s easiest for people to understand.
And for those of you who ‘don’t see the point’, just because someone is going without the full fat spirit, doesn’t mean they don’t want something that tastes like it. They might not be drinking due to pregnancy. Illness. Or just because they don’t want to. Sometimes if I don’t want a full G&T, but I want something that’s like it, I will reach for the Nona June. Or just tonic, loads of ice with a good garnish. I get the experience without the booze.
Whatever the reason, it doesn’t really matter. It’s a category that’s growing, both in size and in interest. And Mooze Booze is one of the latest to join these.
Mooze is a gin style spirit drink, that sits at 12%. Enough for your G&T to have a whisper of booze in it, but still way lighter than the hard stuff (which sits at 37.5% minimum). It’s made in the same way as gin, using copper stills, and uses botanicals – juniper, coriander, orange and clementine zest, cucumber and macadamia nut. And as you’d expect, you treat it like you would a gin. Add it to tonic, garnish, and enjoy. If you want to give it a go for yourself, you can order direct from their website, and each bottle costs £27.
There’s also a lot on the website about the number of calories, but this is a diet free zone, so we’ll skip over that.
So let’s get to the important bit. What it tastes like.
Neat, the nose doesn’t give much away at all. There’s a whisper of something green, but it’s very soft and barely there. On the palate, the texture is soft and thin, but it’s hard to pick much out bar the cucumber. For me, it totally dominates the flavour, with a hint of the nuttiness and a bit of hay coming through from the juniper.
In a G&T, there’s a little more citrus, but I’m not sure how much of that is coming from the tonic. I’m not getting what I’d expect, a little juiciness from the zest, and deeper notes from the juniper. Mostly I still get that sweet, bitter watery cucumber flavour.
Overall, genuinely a bit disappointed. I had such hopes for this, as it’s higher in abv than others I’ve tried, and the flavour profile sounded intriguing. Instead, I’m left with slightly bitter cucumber water, and that just makes me a little sad.