Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Less Alcohol, More Flavor: Ketel One Botanical is a New Breed of Diet Vodka

Ketel One Botanical Lineup
Ketel One Botanical

It’s no secret that fitness and being healthy is “in.” Not that it’s ever really gone out of fashion (being alive is kind of important, after all), but there is a hyperfocus these days on living a clean lifestyle. What that translates to in the food and drink world is making smarter choices with ingredients or perhaps exploring different options when it comes to drinking. Ketel One set out to tackle that market by producing a new, lower alcohol by volume (ABV) and lower calorie line of vodkas called Ketel One Botanical.

Ketel One Botanical is a 30-percent ABV vodka made with non-GMO grain, distilled with real botanicals, and infused with both natural fruit and botanical essences. For the health conscious, there are no carbs, no artificial flavors, no added sugars, and no artificial sweeteners. A shot of Ketel One Botanical is only 73 calories due to the lower ABV.

(If at this point you’re thinking, “Wait, they used botanicals and it’s produced by the Nolet family, which makes Nolet’s Gin. Does that mean there’s a Ketel One gin now?” The short answer is no. The longer answer is also no. While they distilled the vodka with botanicals, it can’t be called a gin because juniper wasn’t the main botanical involved. If you now view gin on a very basic level as flavored vodka, you’re not far off, but that’s for a different article.)

The three initial varietals  in the line are: Cucumber and Mint, Peach and Orange Blossom,  and Grapefruit and Rose, each intended for a slightly different palate. If you’re looking for cool and crisp, go for Cucumber and Mint. Sweet and succulent? Well, Peach and Orange Blossom is going to be your best friend. Citrusy and floral? You’ve got it by now — you’re going to pick up the Grapefruit and Rose.

The optimal cocktail serving for any of the Ketel One Botanical, according to the brand, is to keep it simple (recipe below). If you’re not necessarily concerned about the calorie count (or you’ve had a couple of these and you’ve decided that it’s your cheat day), we recommend replacing the soda with a dry sparkling wine.

Ketel One Botanical will be available nationwide by the end of May 2018 and will retail for around $25 per 750mL bottle. You can also buy Ketel One Botanical online here.

Ketel One Botanical and Soda

  • 1.5 oz Ketel One Botanical of your choice
  • 3 oz soda
  • Fruit or herbal garnish

Method: In a wine glass, add ice. Pour in Ketel One Botanical and top with soda. Garnish.

Editors' Recommendations

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
How to make hard cider (it’s not as complicated as you think)
Making your own hard cider is a surprisingly easy and an incredibly fun new skill to learn
Hard apple cider in a glass, surrounded by apples.

There's never a bad time to start drinking hard apple cider. Not only is it a wonderfully different, crisp, and refreshing adult beverage to enjoy, but making your own hard cider at home can be an incredibly fun hobby. If you're looking to try something new, consider learning how to make your own hard apple cider.

As much as we'd like to talk about beer, that's not what we're here for — not right now, at least. We're talking hard cider here, which is not only as tasty as beer, but it's also simpler to make in the confines of your home/apartment/Quonset hut. Read on and start brewing your own hard apple cider.

Read more
How to cook ribs in the oven: A step-by-step guide
Don't have a smoker? Don't fret — an oven can be an excellent tool for fall-off-the-bone ribs
Ribs cooking in the oven

Who doesn't love mouthwatering rib recipes? But there is an age-old question that needs to be answered if you don’t have a grill: Can you cook ribs in the oven? The answer is simple: Yes, you can. After all, you can use your oven for so much more than baking. You can cook bacon in the oven, cook ham in the oven, or even, yes, cook steak in the oven.

We used to think that ribs were only properly prepared if they were cooked in one of the best smokers or on the grill (sometimes first placed in a slow cooker), ideally over a long period of time. However, when circumstances (time constraints, lack of tools or space, etc.) don’t allow for these methods, you can cook some fall-off-the-bone ribs in a conventional oven.

Read more
Wondering how to get rid of bloating? The best foods to beat belly bloat
From apples to rhubarb, here are a few of our favorite tasty bloating remedies
Man with bloated tummy.

No one likes to feel bloated. Not only may you feel a little self-conscious if you have a prominent, protruding, bloated belly, but bloating is also physically uncomfortable and can make you feel sluggish. Unfortunately, quite a few foods can cause bloating, and there are additional factors that can make you bloated, so feeling bloated after eating, drinking, or even exercising is rather common.

The good news is that there are certain foods that can reduce bloating to help you relieve the discomfort. Foods that help with bloating do not make you lose fat, but they can reduce inflammation in the gut and reduce fluid retention to help you get rid of any gas or water causing a belly pooch.

Read more