This Morning featuring Sea Arch
What’s it like to see ITV royalty drinking and discussing a drinks brand and product for Dry January that you’ve created and loving it? Believe me, it’s pretty amazing! A great start to 2020 for an independent business based on the Devon coast.
This Morning airs live. It features news, topical items, showbiz, style and beauty. Also home, garden, food and health. It is the jewel in the crown of the ITV daytime schedule, enjoying over one million viewers every day.
We were invited to take part in a feature called ‘The best alcohol alternatives for Dry January after we received a call from ITV. However, we didn’t know when or what the exact format would be. How interested would they be in a non-alcoholic spirit? Would they like it? Would they serve it correctly? As well as real excitement there was some feeling of nervousness too.
What is a non-alcoholic drink?
A non-alcoholic drink in this context, as opposed to a soft drink, is worth some explanation. It should have equivalency in both the preparation and presentation as that of an alcoholic beverage. It must draw on high levels of craft, technique and mixology. Fitting in with other drinks and making people feel included in occasions where alcoholic drinks are served and consumed is absolutely key. In short, consumers should enjoy the same high-quality experience as they would with an alcoholic drink.
Dry January
Dry January is a fairly recent idea, believed to have started in 2014 when it was registered as a trademark by ‘AlcoholConcern’. Around 17,000 took part that year. In 2020 around 5 million are thought to be taking up the challenge. Research shows that participation in these periods off alcohol, which also include ‘Stoptober’ and ‘Stay dry til July’, can lead to decreased alcohol consumption in the future. Go to http://www.joinclubsoda.co.uk for more information.
Phil and Holly along with @knackeredmother aka Helen McGinn presented the feature. They tasted and discussed various non-alcoholic drinks brands, showcasing them as suitable options for Dry January. These included a Kombucha, a ready to drink spirit in a can with tonic, a beer and a sparkling non-alcoholic tea. A good variety of alternatives. Helen was already a Sea Arch fan, she was, therefore, able to talk confidently about it and be genuinely enthusiastic.
Beautifully served over ice in a Copa gin glass, together with fresh lemon zest and tonic, (our classic Sea & T serve,) it looked really delicious. Our Coastal Juniper blend was first to be tasted. Helen talked through the product and homed in on Sea Arch as an alternative for gin lovers highlighting the juniper, which is, of course, the main gin botanical.
A Star is born
Our bottle too showed off some real star quality. Stunning in English Riviera blue, with the eye-catching bronze logo and sand patterns graphic. All perfectly highlighted our coastal inspiration. The camera loved it, and our big close up was fabulous.
On first sip they both looked quite surprised, pleasantly I should add. It was as if they weren’t expecting to like it. But like it they certainly did! All smiles, Holly remarked “it’s really nice” Phil couldn’t believe that it was non-alcoholic, and both agreed that Sea Arch tasted “very refreshing”.
Such great feedback on a prime time tv programme was fantastic and immediately orders started flooding in. People were eager to try our non-alcoholic spirit as recommended by Holly and Phil. A wonderful experience for Sea Arch to be involved in and so proud that This Morning was happy to promote Sea Arch as one of the best non-alcoholic alternatives for Dry January!
Cheers!
Sarah & Geoff xx