Gummies

These are the ten flavours that make up the Vesper Bites range: gourmet gummies for adults, built on classic cocktails, made in Belgium, and completely alcohol-free. Each box is $7.99. The flavour comes from spirit extracts and botanicals rather than actual liquor, which means the taste is real but the candy is safe for everyone, from the aperitivo crowd to the after-school crowd.

The full lineup

• Peach Bellini: juicy peach with a balanced sweet finish.
• Amaretto Cherries: sweet cherry wrapped in warm almond.
• Berry Daiquiri: mixed berry, lime, and plenty of both.
• Cherry Fizz: ripe cherry with a fizzy finish.
• Cosmo Bears: bright lime and tart blackcurrant in bear form.
• Lemon Drop: sharp lemon with a touch of sweetness.
• Negroni: bold raspberry with a light tart finish, unapologetically grown-up.
• Paloma Hearts: grapefruit and lime, bright and a little salty-sweet.
• Prosecco Bears: the taste of a toast, no glass required.
• Pina Colada: pineapple and coconut doing what they do best.

Pick by mood

If you want sunshine, head for the Tropical Escape flavours: Pina Colada, Paloma Hearts and Peach Bellini were made for patios and beach bags. If your tastes run darker, the After Dark set of Negroni, Cosmo Bears and Amaretto Cherries leans bitter, botanical and grown-up. Citrus fans should start with Lemon Drop, and anyone who misses the pop of a fresh cherry soda will understand Cherry Fizz within one gummy. Hosts tend to buy three or four boxes at a time and let guests vote; the results are never unanimous, which is the point of making ten. A mixed handful in a small dish covers a whole dinner party's worth of tastes for under the price of one decent bottle.

What gourmet means here

Gourmet is an easy word to print on a box, so here is what we mean by it. Our gummies are made in Belgium, a country that treats sugar work as a craft, in small production runs with flavour built layer by layer. A Negroni gummy needs bitterness, an amaretto gummy needs that almost-marzipan warmth, and a prosecco gummy needs to taste dry rather than just sweet. Getting those notes right without a drop of alcohol is the hard part, and it is the whole job. For the longer story of why adult gummies have become a category of their own, read our post on why adult gummies are the new luxury treat. Or skip the reading and trust the Negroni. It has never steered anyone wrong.