This drink gave us notes of herbal white tea and apricot with light bubbles. We found it very refreshing and unexpected. The panel agreed that it would be especially suited to the summer. (Lili is the sister brand of Kally—represented below. Both use verjus, which is a wine grape product, for their base and they all come in both single serve cans, and 750 bottles, two of the flavors, noted below, also come as pre-mixed spritzes).

We got floral, stone fruit and citrus notes from this drink, along with a light tea flavor.

Our panel had a hard time tasting the fennel. We found this delicious, not overly sweet, but not dry. It had more of a juice quality than we were expecting based on the name. Unlike many of the Kally varieties, we didn’t get tea notes on this one. We thought it would be an excellent base to a cocktail, perhaps with some bitters or bubbles added (this flavor does come as a pre-mixed spritz, which we did not try, as well as a still version). For Anne of Green Gables fans, this is what I always expected raspberry cordial to taste like.

This blew our panel away. It’s immediately smoky from the lapsang souchong tea, but the effect is elegantly softened by the vanilla. It’s very tart, which we liked, but still has a light sweetness. It’s sophisticated and surprising with lots of depth. We enjoyed this straight, and one of our panelists thought it would make a very interesting mixer as well.

This one tasted like a very sophisticated apple cider at first blush. The sage was noticeable but not overpowering, which we liked. Our panel all felt that this one would be excellent straight, but might be fun to mix. This one also comes as a pre-mixed spritz. This and the Vanilla Smoke were our very favorites from Kally.

We couldn’t get jasmine from this drink, but we did get light sweetness and warming spices. Unlike the Orchard Sage, which tasted like more freshly pressed apples, this one had almost a baked, apple pie character, making the drink taste like mulled apple cider. We thought it would stand up well to warming.

This is a very good approximation of a Negroni. We found it very slightly less bitter and very slightly more sweet than the alcoholic versions we are used to, however, that would be easy to tweak if you were up for mixing.

Though this is made by a brewery and has a hop flavor, it’s definitely not beer. It can stand on its own and isn’t really a mixer, but it doesn’t really feel like a ready to drink cocktail either. Our panel felt that it was like a slightly hoppy seltzer with a slightly sweet taste, almost a candy finish. We found it very refreshing and unexpected.

At first scent, there is an herbal characteristic. At first sip, there is almost a buttery roundness to this, coupled with bubbles. This is pleasant and not overly tart, definitely begins and ends with an herbal sensation.

Black pepper on the nose. There is a tannin quality (which apparently comes from Douglas fir) which gives a nice texture, the middle is smooth and it finishes with texture again. As we drank the black pepper gave us a very subtle burn at the back of the throat and tongue. You definitely taste the berry juice, though we didn’t find this terribly tart. Definitely a savory drink. They suggest drinking in a wine glass, or serving with ice like a negroni. I thought a slight splash of tonic water didn’t go amiss.

Smoke and sweetness on the nose, almost like barbecue sauce. Straight it’s very round, almost fatty in character. Some bubbles balance it a bit more, but it still has a tangy barbecue sauce taste to many of us.

Herbal fruit on the nose. This is the tartest of the four. The bubbles complement it nicely. This one is easy to drink and has more character than a berry soda—some herbal notes.

Raspberry nose. The taste is very raspberry forward, and has a nice sparkle. The label suggests that in addition to raspberries there is chamomile, verjus, and salt, but aside from a very slight saline taste, we weren’t able to make those flavors out.

There is a nice blend of spiced pear, and the pear flavor has a freshness to it. We definitely taste clove and star anise. It does feel like the bubbles slightly mute the flavor, this one actually tasted most interesting when flat.

Yuzu nose, slightly bitter. This has a similar round salinity caused by the salt that the bubbles help to balance. While we get the orange and yuzu, we struggled to catch more than a whisper of cinnamon.

Lemon mint nose. This has a tea quality, including texture. The bubbles give it a sparkling iced tea vibe—black tea with herbs added.

We found each of the flavors tasted (see below) to be true to their titles. Each delivered exactly what we expected, they were not too sweet, and we could see ourselves drinking them alone or using them as mixers.

(Flavors tasted: Raspberry Lime Ginger Beer, Strawberry Basil Smash, Mango Margarita with Jalapeno, Rosemary Vanilla Lemonade)

Each of the flavors we tasted (see below) delivered on our expectations based on the name with the exception of Jalapeno and Blood Orange, which didn’t have much spice to it. We liked the flavor, but were hoping for something with a bit of heat.

(Flavors tasted: Jalapeno and Blood Orange, Ginger, Yuzu and Lime, Hibiscus and Pomegranate, Grapefruit and Pomelo, Spiced Mango and Passionfruit (seasonal))

Both of the ready to drink cocktails from Parch really taste like Arizona. The Prickly Paloma has a nice prickly pear flavor, though it’s much more a riff on a paloma. We found this slightly sweet, which would be easy to adjust with ice, or a mixer.

This has a great spice and a pineapple forward flavor. The burn accumulates as you go. For some of us, this is the perfect sipper all year, while some found it slightly sweeter than they would like.

I classified this as a ready to drink cocktail because this company has done such an excellent job of drilling right down to the essentials of the flavor and adding only as much sweetness as is really needed to show it off. But, of course these would also make great mixers, as would many of the beverages in this category. Their 750 ml bottles in Lavender 75 and Spiced Pear are just what you’d expect from the names, with a reserved, sophisticated sweetness.

(Flavors tasted: Vanilla, Lavender, Rainier Cherry, Cucumber, Ginger, Fuji Apple, Lavender 75 (reserve), Spiced Pear (reserve), Blood Orange, Watermelon)

These are sold as sparkling amaro soft drinks, which could mean a lot of different things, based on the amaro you are thinking of. Our panel found the collection to be savory with very little sweetness, which we liked, and lots of interesting, herbal flavors, which we also liked. We were somewhat torn as to whether we’d like to drink these alone or mix them with something else (even adding some bitters) to introduce a touch of sweetness.

(Flavors Tested: Alta, Onda, Como, Sera)

Champignon Dreams has a spicy nose very light bubbles with a hint of heat, which gives a nice texture. The smell continues to be earthy and almost vegetal. The taste itself is herbal-strawberry forward. Golden Hour has a basil citrus nose with a pleasantly tart middle and a lingering sweetness, like at the end of a Lemonhead. Purple Lune has a very herbal nose, mixed with dark berries. The taste immediately gives off floral vanilla and it finishes with a light bitterness. All of these are lightly carbonated, seemingly almost to add texture.

(Flavors Tested: Golden Hour, Purple Lune, Champignon Dreams)