AbstinenceBlood Orange Non Alcoholic Aperitif distilled in South Africa – 75cl

Spurred on by the results of a protracted period of experimentation that started at Christmas (it's May as I write this!) we've spent the last few months in this house trying some of the wackier alcoholic offerings available on Amazon (peanut butter Sheep Dog/various bitters/lemon sherbert vodka liqueur, you name it...).Sadly for my waistline and my pocket, most have been WAY MORE than palatable as a result of which I really needed to find something that delivered the joy but without the alcohol and the price-tag, all these months later. This product was that thing. At £10:99 it was certainly cheaper, but would it deliver on the taste front enough to satisfy this out and out Foodie? Well, yes, absolutely it did.The syrup is thinner and less sickly sweet than feared (yay!) but without meaning to put you off in any way it looks for all the world like a bottle of pee due to the pale yellow, everso slightly cloudy, look of the stuff, which is doing it a HUGE diservice! Don't let that put you off or you'll be missing out.The label is quite attractive and features all the botanicals which the AI gizmo on here advises includes lemon, blackcurrant (the leaves I suspect, as there's no trace of the fruit here), aloe and African wormwood. Coz it looks pretty a bottle of this stuff would make quite the acceptable gift if you were so minded, I think.All those botanicals makes for a satisfyingly adult bitter, but refreshing, kick. I mixed it with a squirt of Jif lemon ( I know, I know......!) and topped it up with plain old fizzy spring water. Delish!The ingredients are water, cane sugar, those aforementioned botanicals, natural flavouring, quinine, citric acid, beta carotene for colour, caramel and two preservatives - sodium sorbate and sodium benzoate. I normally try and avoid too many E-numbers and nasties but in this case I would happily put up with the preservatives to have this again - soon. It's vegan friendly too, apparently..

Great alcohol-free Campari/Aperol substitute. Makes a lovely long aperitif with slimline grapefruit tonic water: excellent substitute for the real thing if you’re watching sugar/calorie/alcohol intake but need a drink after a long day!

Why is it alcohol-free versions of the alcoholic brands are just as expensive, if not, in some cases more expensive 🤷‍♀️This was no exception. It was expensive I thought at £12.79 for what it was.Yeah, it was pleasant enough, quite sharp and tangy in flavour but nice and refreshing. It did set off my heartburn too as it’s quite acidic. Blood orange is a nice flavour though. I preferred this with lemonade to sweeten it up a bit and take the tartness from it.Was it anything special? No not really. I’m not a big alcohol drinker so am experimenting with non-alcoholic versions of things as this market is definitely improving in tastes and availability. Yes I like the odd gin and tonic, Baileys or Sheridan’s, but generally I can take it or leave it. I’m a big fan of squash though….and my opinion is that squash and their tastes and flavours available now are amazing. Something for everyone. For me, this is a glorified over-priced squash quite honestly. Basic cheap squash is nice and I love pink grapefruit, summer fruits, and apple and blackcurrant etc, but then there are slightly more exotic expensive squashes such as my favourite Robinsons Real Fruit Crushed Lime and Mint cordial which tastes just like a mojito,and in my opinion….. is a nicer non-alcoholic drink than this Abstinence…and way way way way cheaper. most squashes have a sugar-free version too, which this Abstinence isn't. £12.79 for basically a posh squash is daylight robbery. I won’t be buying this again, it’s nowt special and the alcoholic version probably better value. If spending this sort of money on a non-alcoholic version of something then the traditional green bottled Non-alcoholic Gordon’s Gin beats this hands down, and they’re in the same price brackets. The gin one is less squash-like and more like real gin. I honestly couldn’t tell the difference. Just my personal opinion obviously ☺️

I was after a non-alcoholic substitute for Campari and this is exactly what I wanted.It still has that bitterness and sweetness and goes very well with soda water.This is now my favourite soft drink! Will be buying a lot more of this.

Why did I even bother.Read the recommended measures to make the drink and it tasted like water

Tastes ok but will stain your glass!

Great that it’s non-alcoholic but it’s too sweet, imo

We’ve all been there. The alarm clock goes and you repeatedly hit snooze until you can muster the energy to pull yourself out of bed. It wasn’t even a late one. Just a few beers after work, but by the ripe old age of 27 things are already starting to creep up on you. I stumbled across this though and was genuinely blown away. Firstly, it tastes incredible. Arguably even better than an actual aperol when served with tonic, and why not, throw a slice of orange in too for additional flare. You’ll have a professional cocktail grade drinks in your hands in under 20 seconds, saved a fortune on beers as it’s in fact incredibly good value, and no midweek hangover. Result! I’ll definitely be stocking up for Christmas! Amazing purchase!