Botivo dupe
A foraged and fermented non-alcoholic aperitivo for those on the no- and low-train.
Back in July I went to a summer supper club by Rosie Kellet and Virginia Malvesi, which was pure deliciousness. I’ve been bringing more low/no drinks in my life lately, and opted for the sober drinks pairing. Amongst the very impressive mocktails stood out a simple Botivo spritz - I’d had it before but it had been a while, and I was instantly reminded of how awesome this non-alcoholic aperitivo was.
My friend Charlotte recommended I try to make my own version, which naturally got me thinking about the bitter flavours behind aperitivos. Bitters are known for stimulating the digestive system by stimulating bile production, and are thus an excellent starter to your meal - hence the Italian name of aperitivo or the French apéritif, both stemming from the Latin aperire, meaning “to open”.
Botivo lists aged apple cider vinegar, wildflower honey, rosemary, thyme, gentian, wormwood, and orange zest (alongside water and fructose) as their ingredients. ACV, I had plenty of. Citrus zest and woody herbs were easy enough to procure, as was honey…but gentian and wormwood would prove a bit trickier. Luckily it was the end of summer when I got around to experimenting, and I noticed that my local park was full of flowering mugwort - a relative of wormwood (along with sage) and thus a very suitable replacement. In lieu of gentian, I opted for dried chamomile flowers, both of a floral, bitter ilk.
In addition to this flavorsome infused ACV, I decided to add a cherry kombucha-vinegar I had lying around, because why not! All elements were raw, meaning none of it had been heat-treated and they all retained their nutrients and wonderful microcommunities of good-for-you bacteria.
If you don’t have a fruit kombucha-vinegar hanging around (although I do implore you to experiment! It’s a really special addition to your vinegar pantry!), you could just use some really soured kombucha. Or, just add more apple cider vinegar.
Foraged & fermented aperitivo (non-alcoholic)
Ingredients
250ml raw apple cider vinegar
Peel from half a clementine (alternative: mandarin, tangerine, or orange)
2 tbsp of dried chamomile flowers
3 twigs of thyme
1 branch of rosemary
3 tbsp of dried mugwort leaves & flowers (alternative: 2 tbsp of dried sage or dried wormwood)
150ml of raw, sour kombucha
Raw honey
Sparkling water
Instructions
Add the citrus peel, chamomile flowers, herb, and mugwort to the apple cider vinegar in a clean jar and let infuse for at least a month in a cupboard, away from sunlight.
Strain the aromatics from the vinegar and add to your kombucha.
Add raw honey to taste; I ended up going with nearly 100g - you do want it to be sweet enough to balance out the acidity!
Make your aperitivo spritz by combining one part aperitivo to four parts sparkling water; serve over ice.
Learn to ferment with me! Upcoming Courses:
October 13th - 11-2pm Hornbeam Cafe, Walthamstow
Cultured Condiments with Forest & Flora
October 16th - 6-8pm The Lacy Nook, Walthamstow