From gin maker and sommelier to an alcohol-free pioneer brand
Pierre Strydom and Stefan Coetzee know each other as friends and entrepreneurs – and they know alcohol from both sides. Pierre worked as a certified sommelier on a luxury cruise ship, tasting his way through the wine cellars of the world before going ashore and building a wine portfolio. Stefan spent years in wine cellars in Napa Valley and South Africa before turning to the burgeoning South African craft gin scene. Together, they founded Bloedlemoen Gin and are considered the creators of the world's first blood orange gin – an aroma profile that many other manufacturers subsequently adopted. In 2020, the next step followed in Cape Town: Abstinence Spirits, founded out of a personal experience. Both had gone through longer periods without alcohol and did not miss the intoxication, but rather the complexity and the ritual of drinking. They wanted to close this gap – with something they would be proud to drink themselves.
Hydrodistillation, indigenous botanicals, zero compromise
The production facility is located in Cape Town, with a view of Table Mountain and the Cape Floral Kingdom – the smallest but most biodiverse floral kingdom on Earth, which is home to over 9,000 plant species. That is exactly where every bottle of Abstinence begins: with sustainably harvested, indigenous botanicals such as Buchu, Honeybush, Cassia, Fynbos, or Cape Rose Geranium. They are processed in small batches via hydrodistillation – a gentle process that captures the volatile aromatic compounds of the plants with particular precision, without heat destroying the delicate notes. The result is alcohol-free distillates that still provide structure and a finish – not an aroma extract, but real distillate character. A portion of the proceeds goes into projects to protect the regional biodiversity that forms the foundation of these products.
Alcohol-free with depth: White Spirits, Dark Spirits, Aperitifs, and Spritzes
The Abstinence range is divided into four categories: clear White Spirits as gin alternatives, dark spirits in the rum style, bittersweet aperitifs modeled on the Italian style, and ready-to-drink spritzes. The Cape Malt is based on the profile of a malty dark spirit with a smoky note. The Cape Spice works with vanilla, honeybush, and a layer of tobacco leaf, burnt sugar, and allspice – warm and spicy, without alcohol burn. The aperitifs bring bitterness, body, and herbal depth, comparable to a Campari or Aperol style, but with a South African script: African Wormwood instead of vermouth, Cinchona bark instead of synthetic bitter. All products work neat over ice, as a base for alcohol-free cocktails, or as an aperitif moment before a meal – for everyone who wants to forgo alcohol, but not taste.
