Review of Ghia – a Delicious Non-Alcoholic Aperitif

Let's just get it out there... Ghia is one of our favorite non-alcoholic drinks.

Ghia's founder, Melanie Masarin, spent childhood summers around Aperitivo culture in the Mediterranean. And she wanted to bring those flavors and feelings to Ghia.

The result is a refreshingly citrusy and bitter drink - just as an aperitif should be.

Ghia is made with Riesling grape juice, yuzu, fig, elderflower, orange peel and many other herbs to give it its unique taste.

The drink also contains lemon balm, an herb from the mint family, that's known to relieve stress.

In addition to the cool ingredients, Ghia looks good on a bar. The orange/pink liquid contrasts beautifully from the sky blue and gold label.

As always, we tried Ghia first neat.

You get some nice citrus notes, but the bitterness definitely overwhelms. However, that strength of character comes in handy when you spritz Ghia, as intended.

We also drank Ghia over ice with both Fever Tree club soda and tonic water. 

Both concoctions are delicious and refreshing. But we like Ghia best mixed with tonic.

The added flavor and bitterness from the tonic water really rounds out the drink and makes for a great and simple, non-alcoholic cocktail.

As one of our tasters said when trying a Ghia & Tonic - "That's an aperol spritz." And we agree... it's a great substitute for the real deal.

The Zero Proof always has a bottle of Ghia in the fridge and you can find us most notes sipping a Ghia & Tonic on ice.

You can buy Ghia on the company's website for $33 a bottle. It's discounted when you buy 2 or more bottles.

Or, if you're in New York, you can pick up a bottle in person at Spirited Away.