Etota: Behind the Australian-made non-alcoholic liqueur

For years Kate Forrester believed she couldn’t “have a social life without drinking” — until confronting side effects started to threaten her life.

Melody Teh

7 min read

July 4, 2024 - 2:59PM

In 2021, Kate Forrester launched Etota, a non-alcoholic bittersweet aperitivo. Picture: Supplied

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At the age of 15, Kate Forrester had her first sip of alcohol.

From that moment on, she drank at every possible occasion and often found herself taking it to the next level.

“I was in the ‘cool group’ at my high school and all we did every weekend was drink. I didn’t believe that I could meet a guy without drinking. I didn’t think I could have a social life without drinking. I didn’t think my career could progress without drinking,” she tells news.com.au checkout.

By the time she was 28, Kate’s life had spiralled out of control.

“The only way I was able to stop (drinking) was to hit rock bottom, and my rock bottom was pretty low.”

Confronted with the reality of her alcohol addiction, Kate entered rehab in 2013 which changed the course of her life. Although she was no longer drinking, Kate still longed for an “adult drink” at the end of a long day at work. Not happy with the non-alcoholic options available, Kate decided to make her own.

In 2021, Kate founded Etota, a zero-proof bittersweet aperitivo inspired by the Italian ethos of pleasure. Formulated by two award-winning bartenders, Etota is a bold, complex aperitif that tastes like a delicious cocktail but with zero the alcohol.

Etota Bittersweet Aperitivo

‘I drank every day, 24 hours a day’

For more than 10 years of her life, Kate drank heavily, caught up in the Australian drinking culture.

“I didn’t know that it was normal not to drink,” she says.

It got to the point where Kate believed she “couldn’t function” without drinking and at her lowest was “drinking every day, 24 hours a day”.

“I was drinking at home on my own, I was going to work drunk, and I was drinking at work,” she recalls.

Kate’s mental health was steadily deteriorating, she was overweight and her body had “stopped functioning”.

“My health was at significant risk to the point where I had these, almost like bed sores all over my body,” she says. “And I started to hallucinate because I was drinking until I blacked out.”

Kate Forrester was once “addicted to alcohol”. Now she’s created a non-alcoholic aperitivo. Picture: Supplied

One morning in 2013, Kate woke up and “gave up”.

“I just turned my phone off and just gave up and didn’t go into work,” she says.

A worried friend from work scaled her fence and “broke into her apartment”.

It was the wake-up call Kate needed and although filled with fear, she went to rehab.

“Rehab took me out of my environment, I couldn’t access my phone. I was about to be 100 per cent on my own and I needed that.”

For the next four years, Kate abstained from alcohol and worked on the underlying issues of why she relied on booze.

“I started rebuilding myself back up. It was almost like I got an opportunity to live my life again, but sober instead of drunk. I started doing all the things I tried to do when I was drinking but sober,” she says.

Feeling “normal for the first time in her life”, Kate got her confidence back – she relocated to NSW’s Byron Bay, she started her own marketing company, and she began dating again.

“I had this moment where I was like, ‘Oh, my God, if I could stop drinking, when I was addicted to it, what else could I do? And I really fell in love with challenging myself.”

From there, the idea of Etota was sparked.

‘Finally – a non-alc drink that tastes amazing’

Having just had a baby and living through the Covid lockdowns, Kate was searching for a “good tasting (non-alcoholic) drink that she could look forward to”.

Based in the coastal town of Byron Bay, the options for non-alcoholic drinks were limited at the time.

“I’d been trying a few different drinks from my local grocer and I really struggled to find anything that tasted good, but then also hit all the other boxes that I was after like looking good in the glass and feeling really good in your mouth. Just something that was really satisfying and something that was a treat,” she recalls.

Etota’s Bittersweet Aperitivo. Picture: Etota

Kate began researching the non-alcoholic space and fell in love with the idea of creating a non-alc aperitif.

“An aperitif is an after work or pre-dinner drink that is usually low in alcohol. And it’s quite a big tradition in Italy, in France, and I just really resonated with that style of drink. So because we couldn’t find anything on the shelves, I decided to create it myself.”

Born in 2021, Etota has been a labour of love. It was crucial for Kate that her non-alcoholic aperitvo didn’t have that “water taste” she found in many non-alc beverages. It needed a complex depth of flavour that’s rich and tasty so you’d want to keep coming back for more.

“There’s a lot of science that goes into the creation of our drink. It’s very labour intensive, it’s very expensive,” Kate notes. “There’s a reason why other brands don’t make it this way.”

Made with 15 fruits, spices and herbs, distilled for over 96 hours, 100 per cent natural and with no artificial colours or flavours, it’s the taste of Etota that really sets the brand apart in the now burgeoning non-alcoholic drinks space.

“We’ve thought of everything: how it feels in the mouth, all the ingredients have a part to play, we’ve got ingredients in there that literally make you salivate,” Kate says. “When you taste it, it starts really sweet and changes in your mouth to be soft, so you can feel a transition. And then the bitterness is actually what makes you want to take another drink. So that’s why we call it intoxicating, because it does make you want to keep going back for more and more.”

Customers have flocked to the website to rave about the “delicious” flavour of Etota.

One five-star reviewer wrote: “I cut back on drinking while trying to conceive and found that so many non-alc drink options really miss the mark (too sweet, too artificial, not actually zero alcohol), so I’m so happy I came across your aperitivo. It’s a great balance of flavours — absolutely delicious!”

“Finally – a non alcoholic beverage that tastes amazing. This wee pocket rocket has so many levels too it when its simply mixed with ice and sparkling water. One of the best aperitivo brands I have tried!” another praised.

Others have called it “perfection”, “freaking amazing” and praised its “great mouthfeel”.

Etota's newly launched Bittersweet Spritz. Picture: Supplied

Enjoy the ruby-red Etota like you would a Campari or Aperol – on ice, or mixed with soda, tonic (or gin for those who are drinking mindfully). It also makes a great base for mocktails or cocktails.

As well as the original Bittersweet Aperitivo, Etota recently introduced a Bittersweet Spritz, the perfect refreshing drink for summer. Described as sunset in a glass, it’s personally Kate’s favourite way to enjoy Etota. Pick up a four pack for $30 or a 24 case for $150 (down from $180).

You can grab the Bittersweet Aperitivo 500ml for $50 or a mini Bittersweet Aperitivo Sample Pack for $20. Save when you buy more with a six bottle case for $250 (down from $300).

If you’re keen to sample, try the Bittersweet Aperitivo Starter Kit or the Bittersweet Aperitivo and Duo Bundle.

‘A community of mindful drinking’

Coming from an “addiction and recovery background” has given Kate a unique perspective in making a non-alcoholic drink. But one thing Kate didn’t expect was to create a community through the candid sharing of her journey with alcohol – warts and all.

“I get emails at least once a week from people telling me, ‘Oh my God, you know, this is my story. This is how much I was drinking and how unhappy I was.’”

Kate Forrester, founder of alcohol-free aperitivo brand Etota. Picture: Supplied

Kate hopes that Etota will one day become a “community for mindful drinking” and that like-minded people will have the “opportunity to share their stories and connect.”

Now 38, Kate has dabbled back into alcohol but currently is not drinking.

“I had my first drink six years ago. And it was scary,” she says, “But I was with my housemate, I was in Byron, I was 32 and I just felt like I was safe, and I could do it.”

She adds, “I don’t drink now but I know that I can if I want to.”

Her advice for anyone who wants to drink more mindfully or not drink in the upcoming festive season? Be true to what you want.

“It’s still really uncomfortable at times but I stay true to what I want. Because there’s so many people out there who don’t drink. I was in this bubble where all I thought people did was drink. I learned pretty quickly in my sobriety that I actually don’t love socialising in big groups,” she says.

“It is really scary to make the decision to do anything that’s different from what everyone else is doing or what you think everyone else is doing. My decision now to go to bed at 8pm on New Year’s Eve I don’t have an issue with but I did eight years ago. I remember crying my eyes out because I chose not to go to this massive beach party because I knew that if I went I’d drink. But I didn’t go and the next day I got up and went for a run and I ran past everyone who was still drunk. And I was like, ‘Ah, thank God’.”

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