As a child, one song from the Walt Disney film, ‘Dumbo’, never failed to intrigue me.

The scene in question, is when a group of Crows sing about witnessing impossible things and ends with the line which says how they’ll have seen EVERYTHING when they see an elephant fly.

In a former life, I could easily have been one of those crows, because I didn’t believe that it was possible to make an alcohol – free gin, maybe I should have remembered, that Dumbo the Elephant, did indeed fly.

January and in particular Dry January, was invented to taunt someone as weak willed as myself and I have lost count of the number of failed good intentions to give up alcohol for 31 consecutive days.

There always seems to be a party, a leaving ‘do’, or a dinner party invitation, that comes along and shatters my good intentions. Well, no more, thanks to Lyres range of alcohol- free spirits.

Then there are the occasions when my wife utters those dreaded four little words, ‘Your turn to drive,’ to be honest the Lyres London Dry Spirit tasted so good that I may even volunteer next time.

Could my latest find, Lyres Dry London Spirit, come to my rescue?

Unbelievably, Lyre’s outstandingly diverse range consists of 13 different variants, including Gin, Whisky, Rum, Campari, Dry and Sweet Vermouth, Absinthe, Triple Sec, Amaretto and Coffee Liqueur. Perhaps I should stop using the words unbelievably when discussing Lyre’s Alcohol- Free Spirit.

Clearly a lot of effort has gone into developing this range. Imagine a tell-tale burn of alcohol and the closest match possible of bouquet, taste and palate-weight to your favourite tipple: that’s what Lyre’s have created.

Given the work that has gone into this London Dry Spirit (gin) I was determined to afford it the respect that it deserved. The Copa glass does not need to be filled with ice as this is alcohol free. To garnish a sprig of Rosemary and a slice of Grapefruit or a piece of Orange Peel could also work and you could even add some pink peppercorns to complete the look. Use good tonic, which in my case is Fever Tree Tonic Water but do experiment. Personally, I prefer the Mediterranean Tonic but there are plenty to choose from.

However, it is the taste that counts and in the case of London Dry, this is a little more subtle than Gin but you can taste the botanicals and there is no denying that this is a grown -up drink and very pleasant it is too.

Bartenders and mixologists now have the convenience of simply reaching for a different bottle when making a cocktail in a non-alcoholic format. Think a Lyre’s Espresso Martini, Amaretto Sour, Negroni, Old Fashioned and Italian Orange Spritz, to give you a flavour of the immense possibilities the range offers.

Launched in the UK in late November these are available online from Master of Malt and Booze Free and from January, Lyre’s London Dry Spirit (gin), Lyre’s American Malt (Bourbon), and Lyre’s Spiced Cane (spiced Rum) will be available from Sainsburys priced £22.00.

The art work found on the label is inspired by the Australian Lyrebird, the world’s greatest mimic, though I might argue second greatest, given the taste of this alcohol- free spirit.

Now where did that Elephant fly off to?

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