I had the idea for my drinks around 5 years ago. Andy (my glorious husband) and I, had been out for supper and I had been disappointed, not for the first time. It was not the food or the company but the lack of alcohol-free dinks available to me. I had been offered, coke, tango, elderflower cordial, low alcohol as opposed to no alcohol and sparkling water, nothing I felt which was relevant to the occasion or to the fact that I am adult, just sweet, fizzy, kids drinks.
At the time Seedlip had frequently entered the market and there were of course de alcoholised wines and alcohol-free beers, although again these were not widely available. More importantly though I did not want a beer or a larger and I wanted entirely free from alcohol.
I haven’t had a drink for almost 22 years as myself and alcohol have a difficult history and so I felt, with the help of a stint in rehab, that we would be best parting company. I met Andy a few years into my sobriety and in what might be the most beautiful love story ever told he gave up drinking (he didn’t have a problem) so that he could marry me.
And so we found ourselves, 10 years into our marriage, sitting at another table in another restaurant lamenting the woeful offerings available to us, and that is how it happened. We woke up the morning following the disappointing outing and I said, “I am going to make a drink, how hard can it be?” and he said “ok darling, let me know if you need any help.”
And so it began!
It took a couple of years a false start or 2 the global pandemic and the passing of my father before I really turned my hand to my drinks venture with any commitment but when I did, I realised that it is, in fact, really quite difficult to get a drink in a bottle! I had no industry experience, no sector knowledge and no network or connections and yet somehow, one step at a time and with the incredible support of Andy a year ago I launched Myth , my Rum inspired cane spirits, free from alcohol, free from hangovers and free from guilt!
It is still early days in my business and there is so much to learn! I won some awards and I have been fortunate enough to gain some great recognition and now I am focusing on my route to market and coming to really understand the sector I find myself in. The growth of the no and low drinks market over the last couple of years has been extra ordinary and I really hope that one day it will be expected that anywhere a drink is served a relevant adult alcohol free version will also be offered.
www.mythdrinks.co.uk