Beehave Beverages-owned Beesou has launched its bitter aperitif in the UK off-trade.
Beesou is an all-natural bitter honey aperitif blended from ethically-sourced British honey and natural botanicals.
It is believed to be the ‘first’ B Corp-certified aperitif, and contains no artificial ingredients or refined sugars.
Delivering a natural product is at the root of Beesou’s ethos, and Beehave Beverages is on a mission to create an environmentally friendly aperitif with a purpose.
The 11%-ABV liquid offers a ‘distinctive’ flavour profile with complex top notes of cinchona bark and bitter chinotto, which gives way to bursts of pink grapefruit before rounding out into the mellowness of raw honey.
The signature ‘sunshine yellow’ colour of the liquid is achieved using safflower extract.
Beesou launched to the UK on-trade earlier this year, and is currently served in a selection of premium bars located across London, including Coya Mayfair, Annabel’s, The Savoy and Chiltern Firehouse.
The brand’s signature serve is a Beesou Spritz, made with one part Beesou and two parts sparkling wine, served over ice with a grapefruit wedge garnish.
It is also recommended served as a Beegroni, made with equal parts Beesou, vermouth and premium gin. Nicholas Peratinos, beverage director at Chiltern Firehouse, describes it as ‘a perfectly balanced instant classic’.
Each 700ml bottle of the aperitif retails at £29.99 (US$34.06) from the Beesou website. It will be available via Amazon and The Whiskey Exchange in October.
Ten per-cent of all profits are also donated to the charity Bees for Development.
In May, Martin Millers gin launched a campaign to support the bees.