An In-Depth Look at Three Spirit‘s Mood-Enhancing, Adaptogenic Beverages
As a long-time fan of unique elixirs and health drinks, I was instantly intrigued when I first learned about Three Spirit. This London-based company blends ancient herbalism practices with modern mixology techniques to create potent, non-alcoholic spirits designed to have noticeable effects on your mind and body.
I decided to dig deeper into these enchanting drinks for this extensive Three Spirit review. As a critical consumer who likes to analyze product claims and value closely, I‘ll uncover everything you need to know before trying these spirits yourself.
Below my key findings, ratings, and commentary, you‘ll discover additional details on Three Spirit‘s origins, ingredients, taste, effects, awards won, customer reviews, potential issues, pricing, and more so you can determine if these are worth adding to your bar cart.
Three Spirit Drinks: At a Glance
Overall Rating: 4/5
Best For: Social gatherings, relaxing at home, alcohol-free cocktail recipes
Most Notable Features: Adaptogen-rich, mood-specific effects, award-winning taste
Potential Drawbacks: Expensive compared to other non-alcoholic options, limited availability, effects can vary person to person
Price (Per 1.7 oz Serving): Approximately $4
Compared to traditional liquor, these elixirs don‘t come cheap. But they provide an experience unlike any other AF beverage thanks to the unique blend of herbs, roots, mushrooms and more inside each artfully crafted bottle.
The Origins of Three Spirit Drinks
As covered briefly in the sample content provided, Three Spirit was born in 2018 from the combined talents of three London entrepreneurs – Tatiana Mercer, Dash Lilley and Meera Gournay.
Tatiana brought an extensive knowledge of plant science and herbalism from her background working with supplement brands like Moon Juice. Meanwhile, Dash offered expertise in mixology and flavor profiles from years behind bars at famed establishments like the Connaught Hotel. Meeta rounds out the team with creative talents in branding, design and art direction.
Together, their goal was simple, yet ambitious – transform the concept of non-alcoholic spirits from basic mixes that imitate classic cocktails into a new category of experience-enhancing elixirs in their own right.
It‘s safe to say the trio has more than succeeded by combining ancient herbal wisdom with a modern approach in Three Spirit‘s small-but-mighty lineup of award-winning drinks.
The Three Flagship Spirits from Three Spirit
Unlike many non-alcoholic spirit brands offering everything from fake gins and whiskys to mock rum and tequila, Three Spirit keeps it simple with just three main elixirs.
However, these carefully crafted botanical blends pack quite a punch thanks to the unique ingredients inside each bottle. Let‘s analyze the key components and effects of all three:
Livener Review
Promoted Benefits: Euphoric energy and mood lift
Ingredients: Guayusa, Schisandra Berry, Green Tea, Organic Cane Sugar, and more
Starting with Livener, this spirit is designed to mimic the "up" feeling you‘d typically get from drinking something bubbly like prosecco or champagne. But instead of booze, Livener relies on guayusa leaves, schisandra berries and green tea to provide caffeine and antioxidants for sustained energy without the crash later.
As a critical reviewer, I would call the focus and mood elevating effects of Livener noticeable, but subtle. Those especially sensitive to caffeine may notice a bigger mental boost than others. The initial sip starts light and fruity upfront, then transitions to an earthier, more complex finish from the adaptogens.
Social Elixir Review
Promoted Benefits: Social confidence and chatty energy
Ingredients: Cacao Bean, Yerba Mate Leaf, Damiana Leaf, Passionflower Extract, and more
Next in the lineup comes Social Elixir, dubbed by the brand as "public speaking in a bottle." Designed to mimic the liquid courage and chatty effects of drinks like whiskey or red wine in social settings without the impairment or intoxication.
The bittersweet, chocolate-esque taste comes from raw cacao beans and nibs, which contain compounds proven to boost mood. Combining this with energy from yerba mate, passionflower‘s calming qualities and damiana‘s aphrodisiac reputation, Social Elixir clearly aims to help you feel fearless in any situation.
As far as the effects for me, this one provides a subtle-but-noticeable uptick in energy and attitude. But those more reticent in large groups may or may not feel suddenly gregarious after a glass. Still, I‘ll gladly take the antioxidant rich cacao and yerba mate benefits!
Nightcap Review
Promoted Benefits: Relaxation and sleep promotion
Ingredients: Valerian, Lemon Balm, Ashwagandha, Magnolia Bark, and more
Finishing off Three Spirit‘s core collection is Nightcap – the brand‘s "bedtime story in a bottle" meant to relax and lull you into dreamland like a warm mug of sleepytime tea.
Unlike Livener and Social Elixir though, Nightcap skimps on the sweetness in favor of deeper, woodier flavors like hazelnut and black pepper with subtle hints of maple and vanilla for warmth. The taste profile aligns well with Nightcap‘s ingredients list filled with calming nervines and anxiety-reducing adaptogens like ashwagandha, lemon balm, magnolia and valerian root.
Of the three core beverages in Three Spirit‘s lineup, Nightcap produces the most noticeable effects for me personally. After just half a serving, my muscles felt less tense almost immediately. I can‘t definitively say it improved sleep quality since relaxing rituals already help me sleep well. But for those who tend to feel wired and stressed out close to bedtime, Nightcap could be a game-changer.
Awards and Critical Acclaim
Since entering the nascent non-alcoholic spirits market just a few short years ago, Three Spirit has already racked up serious critical acclaim in the industry by winning double gold for Livener and silver for Social Elixir at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2021.
Judges in the competition praised Livener for its bright, complex flavor profile and Social Elixir for its rich mouthfeel and sweet, deep flavor.
The brand has also won best non-alcoholic spirit at Golden Fork Awards and scored near-perfect ratings from influencers and reviewers across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
Clearly Three Spirit is pleasing both experts and everyday consumers with their standout tastes and experiences compared to competitors.
Rave Customer Reviews and Testimonials
Beyond just contests and awards decided by expert judges in the food and drink industry, Three Spirit‘s entire lineup of non-alcoholic spirits also scores very high marks from everyday consumers like you and me according to their website reviews.
Across hundreds of ratings for each beverage, both the taste and promoted effects receive consistent 4 and 5-star praise. Here are just a few examples of happy customer perspectives:
"I don‘t drink alcohol so when I first discovered Three Spirit, it was a game changer. Now I always have a bottle on hand for cocktail hour!"
"The Nightcap is my perfect wind-down drink after long, stressful days to relax and get better sleep without medicine or booze."
"My social anxiety used to make networking events dreadful. After discovering Social Elixir, they are now way more fun and energizing."
As you can see from just a small sample, the responses range from general enjoyment of Three Spirit‘s uniquely complex flavors to life-changing experiences from the mood and mind-altering effects of its adaptogenic ingredients like ashwagandha, lemon balm, schisandra and more.
Studies Supporting Three Spirit‘s Effects
While customer testimonials help provide anecdotal evidence of Three Spirit‘s benefits, I also try to back up product claims with scientific research as a critical reviewer.
And there are indeed several studies available supporting the stress-reducing, sleep-enhancing, mood-elevating and energizing effects of key active compounds in Three Spirit elixirs like:
Valerian – This root is proven to help insomnia without side effects or morning grogginess according to this and other studies.
Lemon Balm – Scientifically shown to significantly increase calmness and reduce stress as this journal report explains.
Guayusa – The leaves amplified alertness, focus and energy levels in study participants as covered here.
Cacao – Boosts cognitive performance, mood, memory and more revealed in this research paper.
While more studies directly focused on Three Spirit drinks would provide added proof, already the evidence for ingredients like valerian, cacao and guayusa matching many label claims is quite strong in my analysis.
Potential Issues to Consider
Although feedback is overwhelmingly positive so far and science supports the proposed benefits, Three Spirit still comes with some potential cons to consider depending on your needs and preferences:
1. Effects can vary – With botanical ingredients, results tend to differ person to person based on factors like age, size, medical history and more according to experts. So while you may love your experience with these elixirs, your partner, friends or family may feel neutral or unsure about perceived benefits.
2. High price point – There‘s no doubt these thoughtfully made blends using rare herbs and special imports cost more than typical non-alcoholic beverages. At around $4 per serving and $39 per bottle, enjoying Three Spirit gets pricey for regular use.
3. Limited availability – As a still emerging player in the "sober curious" and non-alcoholic spirits market focused so far on building awareness in big cities like London and New York, Three Spirit may prove tough to find stocked locally depending on where you live currently.
So keep these possible issues in mind before you buy. Check out a starter kit to sample the effects first or split a bottle with friends.
Ideal Uses for Three Spirit Drinks
Based on the company‘s own recommendations combined with customer reviews and my personal testing, here are some of the best ways to enjoy Three Spirit‘s uniquely craft botanical beverages:
Livener – Try as a pre-workout energizer, morning pick-me-up or glittering cocktail mixer for celebrations and parties.
Social Elixir – Best sipped 30+ minutes before nerve-wracking networking events, first dates or big public speaking gigs.
Nightcap – Ideally pour yourself a glass about an hour before bedtime to let the relaxing effects sink in gradually.
While the founder recommends enjoying these elixirs straight over ice to experience the intricate layers of flavors, you certainly mix your favorite Three Spirit beverage into custom mocktail recipes too if so inclined!
How Three Spirit Stacks Up to Competitors
In terms of non-alcoholic spirits specifically designed to have an effect beyond just imitating the taste of their boozy counterparts, Three Spirit occupies a relatively open playing field at the moment with just a handful of competitors playing in the same space like:
Curious Elixirs – This UK-based brand offers similar adaptogen-infused mixer elixirs to alter your drinks (and moods) without alcohol. But with more options to choose from including a vanilla old fashioned flavor and additional ingredients like CBD, Curious Elixirs ultimately provides greater customization potential for pickier palates.
Lyre‘s – Founded in Australia but now available globally, Lyre‘s makes non-alcoholic counterparts to classic base spirits like whiskey, rum, amaretto and more minus the alcohol and calories. So while Lyre‘s certainly tastes like the real deal thanks to natural flavors and colors, the experience ends there with no functional effects.
Overall, Three Spirit manages to combine both science-backed functional ingredients AND award-winning flavors into three distilled, mood-specific beverages life Livener, Social Elixir and Nightcap. So it stands out significantly among non-alcoholic spirit startups primarily focused just on taste or just on benefits alone.
Is Three Spirit Worth the Price?
Given the unique formulations that are as much advanced herbal tonics as cocktail mixers, Three Spirit sits at the very top end of the non-alcoholic spirits pricing spectrum. But are the effects and flavors so outstanding to justify the $35+ per bottle price tag?
At the end of my in-depth analysis as a seasoned supplement and health drink reviewer, I can conclude the following:
For the alcohol-free adventurous – Yes, absolutely worth it! These novel botanical elixirs deliver such an extraordinarily different yet satisfying experience compared to basic beverages. The mix of science-backed benefits, award-winning flavors, mood-specific formulations and sustainability-focused packagingchecks all the boxes.
For the mainstream mocktail maker – If you just want something fruity and fizzy to blend at home with club soda or citrus, go cheaper. But you would miss out on the carefully crafted complexity of ingredients specifically designed to make every sip feel amazing.
So while Three Spirit doesn‘t come cheap, the proof is certainly inside the bottles with these masterfully made mixes meant for so much MORE than just mocktails after that first superficial sip.
Bottom Line
For anyone bored with bored with basic non-alcoholic beverages or over drinking the same old cocktails, Three Spirit presents an intriguing new option lovingly made for both flavor AND function.
These expertly balanced botanical formulas not only taste shockingly good, but also feel truly transformative thanks to the way key Asian, Ayurvedic and Western herbs interact inside your mind and body.
While I plan to keep enjoying and evaluating Three Spirit‘s offerings more in depth, so far the brand has me hooked thanks to the relaxing and uplifting effects I experience consistently.
So if you want to join the mindful drinking movement but hesitate to give up the experience and joy that well-crafted drinks provide, do yourself a favor and try Three Spirit‘s tantalizing elixirs.
