How Non-Alcoholic Spirits are Made
Non-alcoholic spirits are most often produced as distillates or compounds. Distillation starts with an alcoholic base, employing a technique of evaporation and condensation to separate out alcohol content from the richly flavoured fermented liquid base. A compound, by contrast, refers to any combination of juices, extracts and flavor additions to a water base.
Spirit Fermentation & Distillation
Alcohol is made by making a mash combining fruits or grains with water and allowing yeasts to feed on the natural sugars found in the spirit base, producing ethanol alcohol as a by-product. Through the fermentation process, the mixture can only reach 15-20 percent alcohol as yeast cells are unable to survive in higher concentrations. To achieve higher concentrations of alcohol necessary to produce spirits, the fermented products must be distilled.
Distillation refers to the method of separating alcohol from water via evaporation and condensation. Post-fermentation, the fermented base spirit is transferred to a still, either a large pot-shaped apparatus (pot still) or cylindrical column-style (column still). This process is done in stills that are equipped with three parts: the still which heats the liquid, the condenser which cools the vapors condensing it to liquid form, and the receiver which collects the distillate at the end of the process. The mixture is heated to a low temperature, vaporizing the alcohol due to its higher volatility and lower-boiling point than water. After the alcohol is evaporated, it is collected and cooled back down into a liquid. The resulting liquid has a much higher alcohol content than when it first started. Distillers repeat the process several times until they achieve the required alcohol-to-water ratio.
Non-Alcoholic Spirit Distillation
While alcoholic spirits are made with the condensed, higher ethanol mixture, non-alcoholic spirits are made with the water that has been left behind. The distillation process can be used to remove nearly all of the alcohol and leaves behind only trace amounts totaling less than 0.5% ABV. More water can be added to take the ABV down to 0.0%, making a truly zero-proof drink.
Infusion & Maceration
Another popular method of creating non-alcoholic spirits is by infusing a liquid with flavors such as botanicals, fruits or spices using water, or a previously-distilled alcohol-free spirit as its base. The two most popular methods to get flavor into the distilled water are vapor infusion and maceration.
Vapor infusion is the method of heating the water to produce steam, picking up flavours as it passes through a selection of flavoured ingredients, before it’s cooled and condensed back into a liquid. Unlike infusion, maceration involves a process of letting natural flavorings steep directly in the water, without heat. This is an effective method when working with more delicate flavours that cannot endure higher temperatures. In this process, flavours and aromas are gently released, and flavour additions are strained out when desired strength is achieved.
Why Non-Alcoholic Spirits Taste Different
Our experience of flavour is largely based on our aromatic perception of flavour rather than what we are tasting on our tongue. When we sense salty, sour, sweet, bitter, or umami profiles, we’re experiencing flavors our tongues can recognize, but when we “taste” lemon, orange, vanilla and oak in whiskey, it’s our nose identifying aroma compounds. Made up of small volatile molecules, aroma compounds evaporate quickly out of liquids, binding to our olfactory receptors. As alcohol is also highly volatile, aroma compounds in alcohol diffuse more readily than they do in water, which has a higher boiling point.
Compound-based and distilled non-alcoholic spirits both strive to create a delicious alcohol-free alternative to traditional spirits, with slightly different goals in mind. Compounds tend to focus on specific flavours for a targeted taste experience, where distillates endeavour to achieve the complexity and depth of traditional alcoholic spirits. Some non-alcoholic spirits will use a blend of both techniques, beginning with distillation and using methods of infusion or maceration to achieve a drink that more closely resembles the body, complexity and flavour of an alcoholic spirit. If you’re looking for a non-alcoholic alternative to traditional alcoholic spirits, check out some of our alcohol-free cocktail options at C’est What.
(Leah is a Toronto based freelance writer as well as the Beer Boss and a server at C’est What)