It’s not all about alcohol on my site. Yes, the world is dominated by spirits, wine and beer, but there are a fair share of alcohol alternatives today, especially as we find more innovative ways to enjoy a drink if we are not lucky enough to leave the car behind. With this in mind, may I present to you Azizi.
Coming to you via its creators Liz and Debbie, they set out to search for an alcohol alternative after, quite rightly, not wanting to drink every evening. Deeming their search unsuccessful to hit their taste buds, they opted to create their own, setting up Azizi Drinks back in February of last year. They also utilised the term ‘Total Mouth Feel’, essentially creating a tipple that engages with the different receptors of your palate, leaving a length of flavour on the tongue once the drink has finished.
Two expressions will be sampled for this feature, with the Classic Ruby featuring pomegranate, lime and elderflower flavoured with a special blend of herbs, whilst the Classic Gold contains lime and mint flavoured with a blend of herbs. But how do they fare? Well below, I give to you my tasting notes –
Azizi Classic Ruby – 0%
Rich pomegranate on the nose with fresh slithers of lime coming through. The elderflower is present, but is masked by a heavy layer of sweetness. Tart on the palate, with sharp citrus bites. A nice blend of the pomegranate and elderflower to begin with too, although the elderflower dominates slightly more upon the finish. Blocks of herbal flavours come through occasionally. A slightly dry and bitter finish.
Azizi Classic Gold – 0%
Plenty of mint on the nose, subdued slightly with the lime for a pleasant start. Bold beginning on the palate with sharp citrus and mint delivering. Light, with a thick texture creating a delicate and rather aromatic finish. Dry.
Not one to enjoy from the bottle being a concentrated cordial, but definitely one to experience, or what Azizi call a ‘Social Experience’, aka enjoy one of these with friends!
Azizi and Soda
Glass –
Wine or Champagne Flute
Ingredients –
15 ml of Azizi Classic Ruby or Gold
Soda
Method –
Fill a wine glass with ice and pour in the Azizi Classic. Top with chilled soda and stir. Garnish with a lime wedge.
In the future, Debbie and Liz are looking to bring out carbonated ready-to-drink versions of Azizi, which I believe could work as the public look for refreshing alternatives. Keep an eye out for these during the spring and summer months, I think the 2015 drink could be here as the adult alternative to alcohol!
© David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
DRINKS ENTHUSIAST 
Working with Azizi on their presence at Taste London we got the opportunity to sample Azizi and try it out on some friends. We had the Classic Gold. I loved how it didn’t taste sugary like a coke or other such soft drink. It had a lingering taster and sensation in the pallet that was much like a dry wine. The mint taste for me reminded me of a Mojhito. The friends who I sampled it with all loved it to. Azizi say the mix of herbs does actually relax the body and I have to say after a couple of glasses I think I agreed. Whether thats the placebo of being with friends you’ll have to decide for yourself!
having been lucky enough to try both Azizi Classic Ruby AND Gold, I couldn’t say which one I preferred! Both had such distinctive flavours and really were surprising on the pallet, being unexpected! Think I was expecting “just another soft drink” and it really is NOT that! I hope that this gets on the shelves soon! It’s just what we are waiting for!
I bought some when on holiday in Gloucester……I loved t, but I can’t seem to find it again…can anyone help?