BTTR No°1 - non alcoholic
Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald
Bitter, to the point.
A good dash of bitters never hurts. In the blink of an eye, a drink becomes grown-up. The sweet spritzers offered as non-alcoholic alternatives are something for the children's table. Besides, bitters stimulate digestion. Their use as a classic aperitif and pre-dinner introduction is obvious. Typically, these drinks are made from extracts of herbs, citrus plants, tart berries, cinchona bark or even aniseed, such as pastis (also available alcohol-free, here, here and here).
And bingo, we've already arrived in France, where JNPR Spirits has its origins. For the BTTR n°1, the company says it cooperated with a distillery from Milan. This is evident, because the tradition of herbal bitters and tart drinks is very strong in Italy. Not only with alcohol such as Aperol, Campari etc., but also non-alcoholic alternatives are indispensable. These include Cordino (Campari), lemonades with chinotto such as the excellent products from Tomarchio or the well-known Sanbitter. A drink created by San Pellegrino in 1961 (Sanbitter and San Pellegrino now belong to the Nestlé Group).
BTTR n°1 is not as "grapey" and herbal as a bitter in the "Amaro-Stlye" like Mondino. At first, surprisingly, there is a cherry assocation, sweet and liqueur-like, Amarena? Is it the combination of orange, cinnamon and liquorice that is used? Amazing, but extremely tasty! Fruity citrus notes linger on the palate long enough before the gentian comes through bitterly. Nevertheless, BTTR n°1 is not unpleasant. As mentioned very often, I don't like it too bitter. I am very happy with this aperitif from JNPR. Whether as a spritz, or for me almost unthinkable, with tonic on top. Yes, it´s perfect! Also a nice match, BTTR mixed with Bundaberg Blood Orange Brew. I am not alone in thinking that the product is extremely well done. The makers of BTTR No°1 have already won several medals. Perhaps the packaging also played a role, but if not, I'd like to award another prize for the appealing design. This chic bottle looks very good on the shelf, and the contents even better in the glass. In Germany you can get it from the friendly ladies at notthegrirl.com, for all other countries directly from JNPR. Salut & Ciao sober buddies!