This spectacular aperitif by St. Catharines Ontario nonalc upstart Bark & Bitter is a new high water mark for non-alc spirits that is putting Canada on the map and winning awards left and right in the States. This is the one you didn't know you were waiting for. We've always had a standoffish relationship with the "spirits" category of non-alcoholic drinks, finding the challenge of converting flavours that really squarely are those of alcohol too often just too difficult to capture in the concentrated, shootable and dilutable format of a raw spirit. I will accept the quibble that a bitter bottle like this is more aperitif or digestif, or more liqueur than it is liquor. All the same, categories fade away when when you are faced with an achievement like this.
Shoot it, mix it, enhance just about anything. This is a bittersweet citrus superstar that had our jaws on the floor. The future of sophisticated unwinding has arrived, and we're so happy to be among the first to get our hands on it. Scoop now or forever hold your peace!
