Artisan food and drink platform Meltedinside.com is encouraging people to try no alcohol and low-alcohol drinks this month and help raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer’s Go Sober in October challenge.
Melted Inside is donating £2 for every purchase of alcohol alternative or low-alcohol drinks bought online during the month of October.
Macmillan Cancer Support is asking people to get involved in Sober October by taking on the challenge for 21, 14 or 31 days.
Melted Inside founder Candy Bowles explains: “We all know someone who has been affected by cancer in some way so the Melted Inside team thought we should do our bit to help raise money for people living with the disease.
“Having a break from alcohol has great health benefits too and many of the drinks you can buy through Melted Inside really are good for you and low calorie – plus there are no hangovers!”
Melted Inside offers a range of delicious, healthy and unusual artisan-produced drinks which aren’t available from large supermarkets. The makers often have an interesting story to tell and Melted Inside helps them to share the reasons behind developing and making their drinks. Here are a few of the micro brands featured:
- Juno Bamboo Water is the first natural soft drink made with infused bamboo leaf and a refreshing hint of yuzu. Juno Bamboo Water flavour will remind you of Japanese green tea with a sweet citrus touch.
Bamboo extract is packed with natural antioxidants and collagen-enhancing minerals and is known to stimulate natural collagen, detoxify and boost immunity. It has been used for centuries as a natural remedy to heal the body and calm the mind. Inspired by nature, Juno Bamboo Water is sugar-free, low in calorie and made in UK with sustainable ingredients. As part of their commitment to sustainability, the maker Guillaume has partnered with non-profit One Tree Planted. For each Juno enjoyed, they donate to global reforestation projects.
There is a 12-bottle case of Bamboo Water up for grabs in a Melted Inside Instagram giveaway. Users can follow the Melted Inside and Juno Waters Instagram pages and like the post for a chance to win.
- Highball Alcohol-Free Cocktails are made by husband and wife team Red and Kate Johnson. They were seeking alcohol-free alternatives to their favourite cocktails that were delicious, convenient and would be suitable for social occasions and drinking at home. With a focus on flavour and authenticity, the range includes cocktails such as Italian Spritz; Mojito; Cosmopolitan and Ginger Dram. All of the cocktails contain less than half the calories of a standard cocktail and are made with natural ingredients including agave, botanicals, fresh juices and bitters.
- Another drink that will tantalise your taste buds is Coffee Tonic by GOOD KOFFEE. Inspired by the maker Chris’ voyages across the world when he was a cruise ship performer, these drinks reflect the glamour and intensity of India, the tradition and taste of Vietnam and the beauty and boldness of Barbados. They are best sipped cold from the bottle and will make you to feel uplifted.
- One Melted Inside maker Fern had a mission to create the UK’s first non-alcoholic Tequila alternative. After much experimenting she produced the very first bottle of Mockingbird. Fern replicates the taste of Tequila using authentic Mexican Blue Weber Agave allowing you to drink margaritas with none of the migraines. Mockingbird also includes pure Ashwagandha, an adaptogen that benefits mental and physical wellbeing by responding to stress and balancing the mind. Fern has also developed Esmeralda – a light and golden non-alcoholic beer with a touch of tequila taste. Reminiscent of a refreshing Mexican cerveza with all the familiar flavour, Esmeralda was a Medal Winner at The European Beer Challenge 2021.
- Sarah the founder of Cowbarn Brewery originally came across Kombucha on a visit to the USA. Bored with the usual soft drink choices she gave Kombucha a try and it was literally love at first sip. On returning to the UK she researched Kombucha and started brewing it in the kitchen. In 2019 she renovated an old barn in the beautiful Derbyshire countryside and started brewing on a bigger scale while maintaining the authenticity and dedication to flavour. There are six unique flavours made by hand the traditional way with just four ingredients – tea, sugar, water and culture – which burst with flavour. Cowbarn Brewery received Great Taste Awards last month.
- Also Asian-inspired is the thirst-quenching drink JIN JIN. It is fruity and tart with a hint of fermented scent and, because it comes in concentrate form, can be mixed with fizzy or still water.
JIN JIN is a natural enzyme cordial – a living drink in a concentrated form. It is delicious while being good for your gut. Packed full of living beneficial bacteria and enzyme complexes, JIN JIN keeps your mood and health happy and strong while helping you fight off the bad bacteria that come in the body uninvited. It’s a great alternative to artificial, sugary soft drinks but, unlike other gut-friendly, ready-to-drink beverages that need to be refrigerated, JIN JIN is an ambient product and has a long shelf life.
Maker Sohn Supradya started JIN JIN to help her husband’s health. His eczema was healed after drinking an enzyme drink made in Taiwan. It wasn’t available anywhere in Europe so she decided to start making one herself.
- Bobby produces fermented water kefir under his brand the Tummy Culture Shop. He has been fermenting water kefir for about five years, first for friends and family but also supplying health-conscious consumers at weddings, open-air events and farmers market stalls. He uses the highest-quality organic ingredients and no artificial additives in this refreshing, fermented, low-sugar, low-calorie water beverage. It has a low glycaemic load, no caffeine and is diary free. It tastes like fermented tea – the perfect balance of sweet and sour.
- Organic Blighty Booch Kombucha is a naturally sparkling organic fermented tea. It is non-alcoholic and a living pro-biotic beverage which is brewed traditionally in small batches using ‘Blighty Brew’ organic whole leaf orange pekoe black tea. The tea comes from the High Mountains of Hunan China and is abundant in bioactive compounds antioxidants, polyphenols and microbials that are produced during the fermentation process.
- Kefir water is another healthy and delicious drink. Makers Nicola Hart and Sam Clark are behind the Great Taste Award-winner Agua De Madre brand and produce Original, Elderflower & Apple, Pomegranate & Hibiscus, Passion fruit & Raspberry flavours that are organic, sustainable and eco-friendly.
Each flavour offers its own distinguished, low-alcohol alternative to champagne. With a staggering 55 billion live cultures per 100ml, Agua De Madre is great for the gut and it’s plant-based too.
The makers set out to create the ultimate ancient modern drink with invigorating benefits to share with the world. Agua De Madre is brewed in small batches by skilled Madres and Padres in London. The name comes from the ‘mother’ culture used in the fermentation process.
- The idea for Boucha Kombucha was born in 2018 when its maker decided to give up drinking alcohol for good. Light, zesty and delicately sparkling, this green tea kombucha has been flavoured using gooseberry and quince to emulate a dry white wine, while the blush is fresh and fruity with notes of strawberry and melon.
Boucha Kombucha is a refined, non-alcoholic alternative for wine-drinking occasions. It is certified organic and is 100% natural, vegan, gluten free and very low in sugar. It also has just 105/112 calories per bottle and is bursting with gut healthy enzymes and antioxidants.
- Great Taste Award winner Mother Root is a zingy and refreshing ginger, non-alcoholic aperitif that is best enjoyed over ice with sparkling water, a slice of orange and a fragrant rosemary sprig for a revitalising spritz. It has notes of ginger, blossom honey, fermented apples and a crisp, warming finish.
Maker Bethan started Mother Root from her kitchen in Peckham. As a busy mum, she was looking for a drink to enjoy at the end of a long day, but still feel fresh for the 6am toddler wake-up call. She discovered an old “Switchel” recipe, famed in the Prohibition-era, and fell for the uplifting and dry flavour and natural ingredients. She gave it a modern twist, making it into an aperitif-style drink to use in cocktails and spritzes. As soon as she tasted it and got that warming kick and full, lingering flavour Bethan knew she was on to something. She wanted to share it because she knew how many other people want a non-alcoholic drink that’s just as special as an alcoholic one.
More about Melted Inside
Meltedinside.com exists to share the love of what artisan makers do every day and the passion they put into creating products for shoppers looking to buy real food from real people. If you are an artisan food maker and interested in joining Melted Inside please email artisanteam@meltedinside.com
Melted Inside is a member of the Good Market community – a curated platform that makes it easier to find and connect with social enterprises, responsible businesses and changemakers who are creating a better world.