Belvoir Farm Alcohol-Free Passionfruit Martini

ABV: 0%
Calories per 100ml: 31

Starting out on the farmhouse kitchen table, the team at Belvoir Farm in Leicestershire have been producing tasty fruit drinks since the mid-1980s. This one is a bit of a new departure for them – a move to emulate a traditional alcoholic cocktail, without the alcohol.

A Passionfruit Martini is usually made with vanilla, vodka, passionfruit and lime. Prosecco is sometimes added to the mix, or served alongside it in a shot glass. This Belvoir Martini combines all the usual fruit and spice with carbonated water. The result is a good adult soft drink. It’s got the liveliness of Prosecco, without being too fizzy. It’s lovely and fruity and it’s not too sweet. It’s not really that close to a traditional Passionfruit Martini but it is very nice!

The packaging is great, as it is for all Belvoir drinks, but it does raise an interesting question of where (or whether) we need to draw a line between old-fashioned soft drinks and the new breed of low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks. There’s a consensus in the drinks industry that alcohol-free versions of traditionally alcoholic drinks are not for children. On the other hand, Sainsbury’s stock this Passionfruit Martini on the same shelves as Belvoir’s other drinks, such as lemonades and cordials. If the low-alcohol market continues to grow, companies like Belvoir may need to decide exactly where some of their products sit in it and who they’re aimed at.