Other Botanically Infused Drinks
The world of Botanically Infused drinks
The second I looked up the definition of vermouth, I saw that there were so many other wines and spirits that also used botanicals for flavoring. And of course, it was then necessary to read everything I could about them, and start searching out some of these delicacies.
What follows are the beginnings of this search for products and knowledge about all these botanically infused items. So far the list is a bit show, but it will grow.
Maker: Maison Lillet
Description: A blend of Bordeaux wines macerated in citrus liqueurs which contain citrus peels. It also includes quinine from cinchona bark. This creates a very aromatic wine.
Thoughts: White Lillet is made from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes. Red Lillet comes from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
I looked up other alcohol-based beverages that were infused with botanicals, and this came up. I decided to check these out. They are very inexpensive and really pleasant drinking. They very much resemble their base wines, but are medium sweet. They would be excellent over ice in the summer.
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Date Tasted: 1/30/2026
Maker: The Campari Group
Description: Campari
Thoughts: Campari is an amaro type apertif made by infusing herbs and fruit in alcohol and water. There are so many different liqueurs in the amaro category. They are similar to each other, but they seem to run the gambit from dry to sweet. And looking at their ingredients, it seems like the field is wide open as to what fruits, herbs, barks, roots and even truffles can go into them. And they can be made of wine or distilled spirits.
Campari is well known as an ingredient in the famous Negroni. It has an almost cough syrup nose (way better than that though) and a bitter bite going down. Quite pleasant.
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Date Tasted: 1/30/2026
Maker: Pernod Ricard
Description: Suze
Thoughts: To make Suze gentian root from the French Alps is harvested and macerated in neutral alcohol for at least a year. Then aromatic herbs are macerated in the product. The spirit is then distilled and bottled. What is created is a wine-like drink that is sweet at first and then the bitterness kicks in hard (at least for me). It is great on its own over ice or in cocktails like a Negroni.
There are a number of competing distilleries that make gential room liqueurs. Salers and Aveze are two others.
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Date Tasted: 1/30/2026
Maker: The Campari Group
Description: Aperol Apertivo
Thoughts: This famous drink is so well known now. But while the spritz is nice, this thing is nice all by itself over ice. I am not a bitter flavor fan. I have that gene that makes grapefruit almost unbearable. I have the same issue with bitter drinks. But this apertivo was well worth the try. The body is viscous, sweet and bitter at the end.
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Date Tasted: 1/30/2026
Maker: Spirit Works Distillery
Description: Barrel Reserve Sloe Gin
Thoughts: A very aromatic drink made by soaking sloe berries and sugar in gin, creating a rather thick, sweet drink. So glad we tried this. It is not my favorite, but pretty good over ice. It has a rich, berry flavor that, to me, needs to watered down with ice. But hey, I’m a newb to sloe gin.
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Date Tasted: 1/30/2026
