A Guide to All Those Fancy New Non-Alcoholic Drinks and Spirits
Optimist makes distilled botanical spirits that are referential and familiar—a suggestion of mezcal, a persuasive note of gin—but wholly unique when it comes to flavor composition, almost like an expensive perfume. Our favorite from the line is their Smokey spirit, which combines extracts of earthy lapsang souchong tea with those of classic amaro bitters (orange, clove, angelica) and some decidedly less-obvious elements (jasmine, habanero, geranium), all synthesizing into a deeply nuanced and very sippable drink that is ideal with a splash of tonic. The only weird thing? It’s such a convincing spirit that you may feel surprised when you find yourself not even the least bit tipsy by the bottom of your glass. Also a plus: Optimist donates a portion of its sales to programs that provide youths access to mental wellbeing services.