Bark & Bitter x Raising the Bar, October 2026: The New Vintage Wine Kit
We’re pleased to share that our Overtly Orange Bitters are in The New Vintage, the October 2026 box from Raising the Bar, a US subscription service that ships members a new zero-proof cocktail kit every month. This one’s built around non-alcoholic wine and was curated with Sarah Kate of Some Good Clean Fun, a friend and sober sommelier whose palate is tough to beat.
Images Courtesy of Raising the Bar
What’s in The New Vintage
Here’s everything in the October 2026 shipment:
- Tomorrow Cellars Red Blend
- Wander + Found Sparkling Cuvée Blanc
- Giesen 0% Spritz Sauvignon Blanc and Spritz Rosé
- Sanpellegrino lemon soda
- House of Citrus dehydrated orange wheels
- Bark & Bitter Overtly Orange Bitters
The New Vintage ships to members starting on October 15th -- if you’re not a member yet, use the code BARKBITTER15 for 15% off a Raising the Bar subscription of three months or more, valid through November 30.
Give Raising the Bar a shot and use code BARKBITTER15 to save 15%
Non-Alcoholic Tinto de Verano
Akin to Sangria, Tinto de Verano is how Spain drinks red wine in the summer: a glass of red topped with lemon soda and poured over ice. Featured in October's Box, Raising the Bar builds their recipe with Tomorrow Cellars Red Blend, Sanpellegrino and fresh lemon, then adds five or six dashes of Overtly Orange Bitters to give it a sophisticated backbone with a dry and bitter finish.
Non-Alcoholic Tinto de Verano Recipe
- 4 oz non-alcoholic red wine (Tomorrow Cellars Red Blend)
- 2.5 oz lemon soda
- 5 to 6 dashes Overtly Orange Bitters
- 2 lemon wedges
- Dried orange wheel, to garnish
Squeeze the lemon wedges into a wine glass and fill it with ice. Add the wine, lemon soda and bitters, stir gently, and garnish with the orange wheel. If friends show up, there’s a pitcher version scaled to a whole bottle on The New Vintage page. Raising the Bar also put together a Spotify playlist for the box to play while you mix.
Why bitters work in non-alcoholic wine
Taking the alcohol out of wine takes some of its body and structure with it, which is why plenty of non-alcoholic reds can taste a little thin on their own. A few dashes of bitters won’t turn a non-alcoholic red back into a Rioja, but Overtly Orange's bitter gentian, quassia, and orange peel add bitterness and aromatic lift that help fill the gaps and balance the cocktail. The same trick works with non-alcoholic sparkling wine, where a dash or two in the flute brightens the citrus and gives the finish more length. Sarah Kate recommends bitters for thin non-alcoholic wines in her notes on the box, and she’s written about why so many non-alcoholic wines miss the mark if you want the science behind it.
Where to find our orange bitters
If you’re new to us, we make alcohol-free bitters alongside Novara Aperitivo in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Our bitters are built on a zero-proof vegetable glycerine base instead of alcohol, so a few dashes add aroma and bitterness without undoing the point of a 0% ABV drink. If you missed the box, you can pick up a bottle of Overtly Orange Bitters here, and we ship to the US, Canada, and beyond.
Thanks to Raising the Bar and Sarah Kate for having us!!
