Lyre's Manhattan Non-Alcoholic Bundle Set (Pack of 2) | American Malt (Bourbon Style) & Aperitif Rosso (Sweet Vermouth Style) | Award Winning | 23.7 Fl Oz

If you aren't drinking alcohol, and you are looking forward to having some fun on picnics, this is the way to go. However, for the bitters I went to DRAM, Hair of the Dog Bitters, which is non-alcoholic. Angostura Bitters is not alcohol free. Don't forget the maraschino cherries.

The rosso is actually an excellent approximation of red aperitifs.BUT ... it's bundled with the malt (probably deliberately, because I don't think Americans know aperitifs, which is why the title references 'sweet vermouth', which is wrong), which might as well be a flat, bourbon-flavored Lacroix. Actually, that might be generous.My complaint is not that it doesn't actually resemble bourbon that closely. My complaint is that on a spectrum where 0 is water and 10 is liquor, the strength of flavor is about a 0.2.I'm not adding any mixer to it because it would water down the mixer. I'm not joking.It's so bad that it makes me want to never buy anything from Lyre's again (even the thing I like), as a punitive measure just for selling such a cynical, worthless product that has more food coloring in it than flavor.

As a straight bourbon replacement, the bourbon is an utter failure. It's very weak tasting and lacking in body.However, I knew this going in, so bought it in anticipation of using in mocktails.. not just merely replacing bourbon in cocktail drinks, but using in cocktails specifically meant to be mocktails. For that use, I'm finding it pretty good.A few things I've discovered:- tea bitters (long-steeped tea which is then boiled down to a concentrate) made with lapsang souchong helps add a missing smoky element- Added to Polar's lemon bitter soda + aromatic bitters = not exactly a whiskey sour, but something that scratches the same itch- It's missing the bite of alcohol, so I've been adding spicy bitters for more bourbon-forward drinks. It's still not quite the same, but the spice gives you that tickle in the back of your throat that booze does. (Bittermen's Hellfire in my case, but I imagine most would have a similar effect)- It's improved by strong spices. It's too light for a julep, but works nicely with cinnamon/cardamom rich syrup.I would not recommend for cocktails where most or all elements are supposed to be booze. E.g., I got this set not to make Manhattans (which, LOL), but to use the bourbon and red vermouth in separate drinks.As to the red vermouth, it's not drinkable by itself, but works nicely along with San Bitter and Juniper/spice water + bitters for a Negroni, which is why I got it. The San Bitter covers a host of sins.All in all, I'm pleased with my purchase, with the above caveats. I'm mostly drinking mocktails without obvious booze replacements like Lyre's, but for the occasional more traditional cocktail, this def. has its uses.

As to taste, the gin is a decent replacement for alcoholic gin. Mixed with tonic, it seems milder, not the bite of real alcohol, but there's an aftertaste of heat that's nice. My rating reflects delivery as much as anything. We had a heavy downpour all day long with wind. We have a covered back porch that remains dry except for 4 feet on each end. They left it in the rain at the end of the porch. If it had been fabric it would have been ruined. As the order were bottles, the ones that survived were okay. One was broken into pieces. They had to know it was damaged, even though the box looked fine. I've left messages with Amazon and Lyre. We'll see if anything is done.

I have been purchasing a number of zero-proof spirits since January (I now have 7 different bottles). Most mocktails are meh, unconvincing and simply not tasty enough. But this pair shaken with lots of cold ice and 1/2 shot of Bittermilk No.1 Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Fashioned Mix makes an unbelievably convincing mocktail. I am a big fan of these three together. Good enough to serve friends, too! No one is mad about this beverage at all. So darned happy I actually some zero proofs one that are legit to serve!! Yay to Lyre's!Also, the first and second American Malt bottles unfortunately broke during transit...while Lyre's may need to find a better way to package and ship these so that they don't break, they **made good** by not giving up. Voila, three time's a charm (yes, it took three tries for the American Malt to arrive unbroken). Fantastic customer support from their team.I am now a fan due to all of the above. :)

The statements, Award Winning and Gold medal recipient (Aperitif Rosso) and medal recipient (American Malt) of The 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, lead you to believe you will be able to create a Manhattan that will taste similar to one with bourbon and vermouth. IT DOES NOT TASTE ANYTHING LIKE A MANHATTAN! Impossibly Crafted Non-Alcoholic Spirits, in my opinion, refers to the terrible taste that is impossible to describe. IT CANNOT BE RETURNED! $63.54 went down the drain.

Really happy with these! I drink the 0.0 Heineken a lot, but other NA substitutes can be pretty dicey. I much preferred these to Ritual spirits, which had so much spicy peppercorn they're difficult to enjoy. Lyres doesn't have that kind of burn, but the taste and smell are so much closer. Really nice warm caramel flavor with the malt. I love that these actually taste drinkable without a mixer.