Fluère non-alcoholic gin review & launch

Feb-fast, dry July and Oc-sober…if you’re an Aussie then no doubt you know someone in the office, a friend or family member who has declared: “I’m giving up drinking for the month”. With more and more people than ever before in Australia deciding to cut down or completely give up their alcohol intake, a refreshing option has burst onto the scene just in time for Summer… Introducing Fluère – a non-alcoholic gin that is about to change up the way you look at (and taste) your drinking choices. I was able to attend the media launch for this unique spiritvo non alcolico recently which was held in one of the most elegant champagne bars in Sydney – Reign at the QVB.

Borne out a collab between Dutch VOC Spirits and 18^th century distilling Hooghoudt – Fluère has been created via a unique production of hydro steam distillation. Combining all-natural ingredients, the combination reads like a veritable perfumier selection…Mediterranean lemon peels, Casablanca sourced coriander seeds, lavender from the French region of Provence along with sugar molasses from the Dominican republic. All of these fine ingredients are gathered then placed within a copper still to be pressurised & steamed. The effect this has is a production of an essential oil that is then mixed with Dutch National Park water.

What you get is essentially a non-alcoholic gin that can be poured straight up “on the rocks” or alternatively mixed with a variety of juices, sodas or tonic water. The media event for Fluere showcased the myriad of mocktails that can be created and I have to say I was seriously impressed. I’m not sure if these drinks had a placebo effect on me but I felt pleasantly giddy – although that could have been the copious amounts of canapes I was consuming as well (it was pretty close to dinner time, to be fair)!

The Fluère cocktails of the evening were all delicious and my favourite by far was the Basil Smash. Here’s a look at the three variations which were showcased to guests:

Fluère & Tonic – Fluère, premium tonic water, lavender, juniper, berries

Basil Smash – Fluère, fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, fresh basil, edible flowers

Gimlet – Fluère, lime cordial, cheery maraschino

Fluère also offer a wide range of cocktail recipes on their website and with names such as Fluere Collins, Old Fashioned, White Lowgroni, Fluère Sour, Morning Dew, Fluère Politan and Spring Has Sprung, there’s an option for any kind of event or taste! To view the complete list of Fluère cocktail recipes, click here.

The location to hold Fluère’s media launch was perfect, given this is in my opinion one of Sydney’s most elegant champagne bars, situated on the first floor of the historic and beautiful Queen Victoria Building. Reign at the QVB did an excellent job with the food, serving up an abundance of canapes which included:

Gin & juniper cured trout, en croute, cucumber gel, trout roe, horseradish;

Tuna tartare, oat cracker, avocado mousse;

Duck liver mousse, house made chive crumpets, golden raisin puree;

Green olive & feta pinwheels, heirloom tomato;

Chicken bao, green papaya, carrot kimchi, candied walnut;

Pork fried rice, cured egg

My favourites were the green olive & feta pinwheels along with the pork fried rice, these mixed perfectly with the cocktail selection.

I had the pleasure of meeting Fluère’s CEO/Noble Spirits Managing Director, Grégoire Bertaud, who spoke to me about his father’s perfumier background. Fluère reads like it’s French however we learnt from Gregoire that it’s actually Latin for “flow”. A healthy mind & body assist in maintaining that healthy & sometimes elusive flow state which is so crucial in today’s maddeningly fast-paced world. Taking inspo from the Roman Empire, who experimented with herbs, spices and aromatics for their healing & rejuvenating effects on the human body, Fluère is now doing the same for us albeit in quite a modern manner… infusing the power of nature & aromatics alongside the social benefits of coming together to share a drink. A drink which won’t leave you with a hangover the next day!

If you’d like to grab a $5 discount on a bottle of Fluère, then you can use this code for the affiliate program: Lauren5.

To find out more, check out Fluère’s website, Facebook and Instagram.

I hope you have enjoyed this article on the game-changing non-alcoholic gin; I definitely know this will be on my menu for the coming Christmas and Summer! Are you a fan of non-alcoholic drinks or considering increasing mocktails as your drink of choice? Let me know in the comments below!

Lauren Harding

Fashion & lifestyle blogger based in Sydney, Australia

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