Non-Alcoholic Spirit
Botivo
A bittersweet British aperitivo hand-blended at Lannock Farm in Hertfordshire from aged British apple cider vinegar and wildflower honey, infused with rosemary, thyme, wormwood, gentian and orange zest. Built for the aperitivo hour: roughly one part Botivo to seven parts soda or tonic, garnished with a squeezed wedge of orange.
- Type
- Non-Alcoholic Spirit
- ABV
- 0% ABV (a barrel-aged Berry Bros. & Rudd edition is 1%)
- Format
- 500ml bottle (~20 x 25ml serves); 250ml sparkling RTD can
- Made in
- Lannock Farm, Hertfordshire, England, UK
- Since
- 2021
Botivo was founded in 2021 by Sam Paget Steavenson and Imme Ermgassen. Sam originally created the liquid for The Rum Runner, his events business making drinks for high-net-worth private clients, which was picked to make the drinks at the 2018 royal wedding; he wanted a genuinely satisfying option for guests who weren't drinking. Guests liked it enough that he decided to bottle it, and Imme, who came from branding and advertising, discovered it as a customer and approached him about relaunching it as a brand.
Each batch is hand-blended in small quantities at Lannock Farm in Hertfordshire and takes over a year from start to finish. Apple cider vinegar is aged for a year, then infused for three to six weeks depending on the botanical with rosemary, thyme, wormwood, gentian and orange zest, and balanced with organic wildflower honey. There are no flavourings or preservatives, and each bottle is hand-dipped in wax. Botivo is 0% ABV, keeps for around two years unopened and a year once open, and needs no refrigeration after opening. The company is a certified B Corp.
The brand's co-founder has said Botivo is stocked in something like 26 Michelin-starred venues and 30 of the UK's top 100 restaurants, including the River Cafe, St John, Luca, Brat, Hide and every Hawksmoor, where it appears in the lo- and no-alcohol cocktail list. Retail stockists include Whole Foods Market UK, Selfridges, Waitrose and Ocado. In 2025 the brand extended into a ready-to-drink format: a 250ml sparkling can piloted as a limited edition in May and added to the permanent range in November. Botivo scored 97 points and a High Gold medal at the IWSC 2023.
Botivo lineup
- Botivo (500ml bottle)
- Botivo Sparkling Botanical Aperitivo (250ml RTD can)
- Botivo x Ottolenghi Non-alcoholic Botanical Aperitivo (limited edition)
- Botivo x Berry Bros. & Rudd Barrel-Aged Aperitivo (limited edition)
- Botivo x Maison Francois Botanical Aperitivo (limited edition, pastis-inspired)
Recognition: IWSC (International Wine & Spirit Competition) 2023 - 97 points, High Gold, in the Alternative Drinks aperitivo category
Where to drink Botivo
4 verified venues pour Botivo.
The Lucky Saint
Fitzrovia
The Lucky Saint is the alcohol-free beer brand's first permanent pub, on Great Titchfield Street in Fitzrovia — a proper pub where nothing behind the bar will get you drunk. It pours the brand's own unfiltered 0.5% lager and a newer IPA alongside a rotating range of low- and no-alcohol beers, ciders and cans, Italian aperitivo bitters such as Crodino, and a short list of alcohol-free cocktails, with a full food menu. It is one of the clearest signs of London's shift: a busy, all-day pub built entirely without alcohol.
Hawksmoor Manchester
Deansgate
Hawksmoor Manchester is the acclaimed British steak-and-seafood group's Deansgate restaurant, set in a landmark former bank a short walk from Spinningfields. Alongside its charcoal-grilled, dry-aged native-breed beef and grand banking-hall dining room, it keeps a genuine, named alcohol-free cocktail list — the 'Lo & No Alc' section, part of the group's wider 'Temperates' philosophy of what to drink when you're not drinking. Zero-proof builds run from Steady Pete's Ginger Brew (Tanqueray 0.0 and Lucky Saint IPA) and a Non-Alc Cherry Negroni with Lyre's Amaretti to the Afterburner, made with Botivo and Almave non-alcoholic agave spirit. Homemade sodas and a grown-up Shirley Temple riff round out a list built with the same care as the full bar.
Seed Library
Shoreditch
Seed Library is the Mr Lyan bar in the basement of One Hundred Shoreditch, a low-lit room with a pared-back, produce-led list. Its 'Pathways' menu carries four dedicated non-alcoholic serves, and roughly half the full cocktail list can be rebuilt booze-free; named low- and no-alcohol drinks include the Hand-Rolled Spritz and Master Stock Plus.
Swift Soho
Soho
Swift is a two-floor Soho institution — quick aperitivo upstairs, a dark cocktail den below — from a team behind some of London's best bars. The walk-in upstairs room carries a dedicated non-alcoholic list alongside its aperitivo menu, and the sibling Swift Borough pours a named low/no serve, the Atopia, with spiced citrus, Botivo, strawberry and pink peppercorn.
Frequently asked about Botivo
Botivo is a non-alcoholic spirit made in Lannock Farm, Hertfordshire, England, UK with 0% ABV (a barrel-aged Berry Bros. & Rudd edition is 1%). A bittersweet British aperitivo hand-blended at Lannock Farm in Hertfordshire from aged British apple cider vinegar and wildflower honey, infused with rosemary, thyme, wormwood, gentian and orange zest. Built for the aperitivo hour: roughly one part Botivo to seven parts soda or tonic, garnished with a squeezed wedge of orange.