Drink of the Week: Betera, a Botanical Sparkler

I have never really been a soda drinker. As a kid, my parents refused to keep it in the house, so I never developed a taste for it, finding it too sweet for more than a couple of sips. But I do enjoy a fizzy, flavorful beverage, and for that Betera hits the bullseye. Launched less than a year ago, Betera is a no-alcohol spritzer of sorts made from batch-brewed botanicals like ginger, hibiscus, citrus peel and chinchona bark.

Developed by friends and colleagues Paul Eschbach, a longtime chef, Nick Benz, a wine professional, and Aaron Sanchez, an advertising pro, Betera was created to be a beverage that they would enjoy drinking as an alternative to alcohol. Each of the three flavors—Rhubarb-Hibiscus, Ginger-Orange, and Elderflower-Lime—is made with whole botanicals rather than extracts and just a few grams of cane sugar for balance. The result is a dry, pleasingly bitter sparkler with the subtle complexity of an herbal tea blend. My personal favorite is the Ginger-Orange, with bright citrus and spicy ginger at the forefront, rounded out by earthy turmeric and a hint of vanilla bean. Refreshing on their own, the Betera sparklers also make a natural fit for mixing up spirit-free cocktails. $35/12-bottle case, drinkbetera.com