Mother Root’s founder Bethan Higson stumbled upon the idea for an alcohol-free aperitif brand in the midst of her first pregnancy in 2015. After a decade spent working in the wine industry for the likes of Champagne Devaux and Moet Hennessy, she was well-acquainted with the idea of having a glass of something delicious at the end of the day to help you connect and unwind, and so went in search of an alcohol-free equivalent.

“I realised for the first time that the choices were really, really limited. Not only from a flavour perspective, but also what seemed to be a lack of innovation. All those principles that I’d seen and loved in the alcohol world just didn’t seem to have been applied,” says Higson. Undeterred, she turned to the history books for inspiration, where she subsequently discovered the switchel – a non-alcoholic drink dating back to the 17th century that’s typically made with ginger, natural sweeteners and apple cider vinegar.

“I was intrigued by [the switchel] because my favourite style of drinks typically are quite high acid: champagnes, cold climate white wines, really crisp, refreshing drinks,” explains the founder. “I felt that acidity often is what brings structure and complexity to drinks and delivers flavour, so I was curious about that and started to experiment with vinegar as a core ingredient, infusing lots of botanicals and different iterations.”