What was still missing from our table
There are already quite a few non-alcoholic drinks to accompany a good meal, but let’s be honest: many of them are sweet or fizzy. What was missing was a truly dry, still alternative in the glass. And I was particularly longing for a red variety with real character – exactly what Odelie embodies today.
From the kitchen to the glass
How does one go about tackling a topic like this? I’ve tasted my way through countless non-alcoholic drinks and immersed myself in specialist books such as Nicole Klauss’s *Alkoholfrei* or Mariella Erkens’s *Tea. Wine’s sober sibling*. But what helped me most of all was my background as a chef. Just as I work with spices in the kitchen to add the finishing touch to a good sauce, that’s exactly how I’ve approached the development of our drinks.
Cheers 2 Peers
From day one, it was important to me to develop a style all of my own. Role models such as Jörg Geiger and Muri-Drinks have set a brilliant example and, as true pioneers, have found their own distinctive style. However, we didn’t want to copy anyone or try desperately to imitate wine. NORTHÉ stands confidently on its own and brings its very own character to the table.
Looking ahead
We are only at the very beginning of a wonderful journey. I am firmly convinced that, over the next ten years, non-alcoholic accompaniments to meals will evolve from a nice niche option into a fully recognised standard in the hospitality industry. Just as we now choose from an extensive wine list, in future we will have an equally exciting and varied selection of non-alcoholic accompaniments.
Where we come from
The historic brick warehouses of our Hamburg harbour have always been home to the world’s treasures: tea from Asia, spices from the East and West, and coffee from South America. Today, we draw on this cosmopolitan spirit and the ancient trade routes of our Hanseatic city to bring together only the very best ingredients from around the globe for our blends.
Why tea, of all things
For us, tea is the perfect base. It contains natural tannins – exactly what we need to create a dry, truly complex bouquet. Of course, we’re not the first to use tea, but right from the start, my search has focused on those very special varieties that conjure up a completely new and unique taste experience in the glass.
No compromises on the plate
Are fruit juices or soft drinks not enough? To be honest: no. They are generally unsuitable as proper accompaniments to food because they simply lack structural depth and, in terms of nutritional value, often amount to a small meal in themselves. After all, a great wine does not thrive solely on pure fruit, but on the exciting interplay of tannins, mineral salts and acidity. For me, tea is the only plant in the world that naturally offers a comparable complexity of tannins. When we extract our tea with precise craftsmanship, it drapes itself over the palate like a fine tapestry, creating structure, leaving a slight dry finish and perfectly preparing the tongue for the next mouthful. A juice or a fizzy drink would simply overwhelm everything here.
The Soul of Tea
Tea is one of the oldest and most fascinating cultural treasures we have. Here in Hamburg, the heart of the European tea trade once beat – a legacy that inspires us every day. Much like with wine, the terroir – that is, the interplay of soil, microclimate and sunshine – determines the final flavour of the tea. With our tea-based fusions, we aim to build a bridge: from a centuries-old ritual to a modern culture of indulgence. Our aim is to consciously give space once more to the moment of that very first sip. Completely unhurried, yet with the utmost intensity.
Trial and Error
The first steps mainly involved finding out what didn’t work. That’s where you learn the most. I tested quite a few recipes where, looking back, I thought: ‘Thank goodness nobody else has to drink that!’ In some cases, I deliberately used too much of certain ingredients, simply to get a feel for the effects of the herbs, teas and spices. I first had to understand these ingredients in their purest form so that I could later use them in a targeted and harmonious way.
The moment of truth
Things really got exciting the moment we added the aroma and subtle acidity profile of natural fruit juices to our tea extracts. That’s when it all suddenly came together. It was only through the combination of these two steps that we achieved exactly the depth and complexity we’d always envisaged. That was the moment when we thought, ‘Wow, this is going to be really good’.
How NORTHÉ got its name
To us, NORTHÉ is far more than just a name. It combines the rugged, honest beauty of northern Europe with a refined sense of aesthetics. The North stands for clarity, cool breezes and an uncompromising return to the essentials. That was the inspiration: clearly structured, refreshing and free from all unnecessary clutter. When the emotional depth and lightness of French savoir-vivre meets this unhurried, Nordic serenity, that is where, for me, the soul of NORTHÉ lies. On the one hand, the Nordic love of nature and clear purism; on the other, a fascination with complex gastronomy. The whole experience is crowned by ‘Thé’ – tea as the centrepiece of our drinks. From this symbiosis grows a style that feels timelessly modern.
Craftsmanship and Attention to Detail
During production, each of our varieties requires its very own, precisely timed extraction process. We have deliberately taken our time with the development and formulation. No rushed decisions, just genuine care and attention. We trialled, discarded and optimised the process again and again until the result met our quality standards without compromise.
For that perfect moment at the table
Right from the start, we’ve developed our drinks with a clear focus on the perfect food pairing in the hospitality industry:
Odelie: Holds its own effortlessly even with robust, intense dishes.
Mineris: Our elegant companion for delicate, acidity-driven dishes.
Alvalume: Simply marvellous with seafood or sophisticated desserts featuring nuts.
How our fusions got their names
Coming up with the names was a completely intuitive process for me. Sometimes I’d stand in front of the finished glass and, in a way, simply ask it: ‘What’s your name, actually?’ The answers then almost emerged of their own accord from the interplay of colour, the ingredients and the taste on the tongue. That’s how Odelie, Mineris and Alvalume came into being. I still remember the tasting of our rosé very well: the sun’s rays shone right through the glass, the light refracted in the liquid, and it was precisely this moment that inspired me to choose the name ‘Alvalume’. ‘Mineris’, on the other hand, makes a very clear reference to the beautifully pronounced minerality of this drink, whilst our ‘Odelie’ is, for me, a true homage to a profound, multi-layered symphony of flavours.
