Freikopf Drinks
Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald
Many products and one favorite
The appearance of the Freikopf brand is colorful, loud and peppered with puns. Some of it just misses the mark, but I'm happy to use almost any means to present alcohol-free alternatives to the masses.
Behind the alcohol-free program is an alcohol producer from Bochum, who is trying to offer an alcohol-free range here. As I am still ambivalent about the whole subject, this reference should not be taken as a judgment. Each of us has to find our own personal attitude here. As information, I always find it helpful to assess which corner a brand comes from. I find Big Alcohol's efforts to give itself a clean image here and there with 0.0% alternatives particularly ambivalent. On the other hand, this is how the products are marketed and so on. A never-ending story.
The Freikopf portfolio includes alcohol-free alternatives to:
Gin - GREEN
Pink Gin - PINK
Aperol - Sunpéro
Rum - BROWN
Prosecco - se_co alike
There is also an in-house Indian tonic brand and two ready-to-drink premixes in a can: Green (0% gin) + tonic and Sunpéro (0% Aperol) + tonic, which I have not tried, just like the se_co alike (0% Prosecco).
When testing the “0% spirits”, I noticed that the Sunpéro has a very sweet taste compared to other Aperol alternatives. In terms of sugar, it contains 17.4g, 2-3g more than other products. I wouldn't really care, and I don't slavishly look at the sugar levels. Anything is better than alcohol. But it was actually the sweet and somewhat artificial taste that made me prefer other Aperol alternatives.
The gin and also the pink gin are decent products and worth a try. As always, it's important to mix it correctly. With tonic and a drop of saline solution. Salt enhances the drink even more. I mix salt with water in a ratio of 1:4 and keep it in a pipette bottle from the pharmacy. This makes it easy to dose.
But the big surprise was the rum alternative. The BROWN was a big hit with Felicitas in our last podcast blind tasting. She really liked the distinct smoky note. Personally, it's not my thing. I prefer the smokiness in mezcal alternatives. When it comes to rum alternatives, I prefer caramel and vanilla. These can also be clearly tasted in the BROWN from Freikopf Drinks, a little more vanilla than caramel. However, friends of smoky alternatives will be very satisfied here. In a Cuba Libre, mixed with a classic Coke, the BROWN unfolds its full flavor profile. Really solid!
I'm really amazed at how good these alternatives taste to me now. However, you definitely need to be open-minded and enjoy 0% drinks. Comparisons with the “original” are always a misnomer. I'm happy to repeat myself here: I've never liked hard liquor. On the contrary, I always had to shake myself, haha, who doesn't? But the narrative is that hard men drink hard liquor and that we have to shake ourselves is part of it. But it's our body's natural defensive reaction when it realizes that we're dealing with pure cytotoxin. Why are there all these mixtures? Vodka OJ, Fanta grain, cola rum, etc. Perhaps to make it bearable for us, plus great marketing and a pinch of peer pressure and bang, we accept what I now consider to be completely absurd drinking behavior.
Personally, I like these alternatives! I like being clear, I like waking up without a thick head.
Give it a try!
Cheers!
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald