I Am Now a Mocktail Devotee
I Am Now a Mocktail Devotee
Bring on the Phony Negronis
About two to three years ago, I started feeling really weird after drinking alcohol. First, wine’s acidic bite left my throat feeling ravaged, then beer became indigestible, and then vodka, the clearest, cleanest of the liquors, wrecked me. When I recently acquired a terrible case of “silent reflux” (which I didn’t even know was a thing; I thought I had a bad cold), it was game over for booze.
I started eying the tiny mocktail lists that popped up on more and more menus. What had once been the province of the watery, tasteless O’Doul’s “beer” was now an array of fruity, parasol-ed choices. Conveniently, the culture was coming around to this change just as I needed it; there are now entire spirit shops of non-alcoholic options. (Last weekend, I wandered into one called Spirited Away.)
I’ve now tried a variety of non-alcoholic bevs, and my very favorite has to be the St. Agrestis “Phony Negroni.” If you love a delicious, tart Negroni, this will not disappoint. It truly tastes like a satisfying cocktail, especially when garnished with an orange slice. Many restaurants are now adding it to their drinks list and I keep a stock in my fridge.
Those of you who also suffer from any type of acid reflux will probably call me out on having any type of sparkling anything. Which is true. Not only can I not drink alcohol, but I can no longer have anything with bubbles without suffering from it. Still, the Phony Negroni is light on the spritz, and too delicious to pass up. And I never need more than one. Ok, two.
ALSO... I'm so curious....my parents drank into their late 70s/ early 80s and then stopped. I feel like I had to stop at 53/54 because it just made me feel AWFUL (before the silent reflux diagnosis... or maybe it was always part of it) I'm seeing this with a lot of friends of a certain age. Has anyone else experienced this?
I'm sober-curious and devoted the month of May to mocktails and non-alcoholic options! It's been super tough because my two go-to drinks are whiskey on the rocks, and red wine. The replacement options out there for those are pretty meh. I also really, really dislike bitter flavors -- Campari, aperol, gin & tonics would not ever be my picks, and a lot of the options out there rely on that bitter flavor and or super sweet flavor profile. I've found more that I absolutely, positively *don't like* than products I've been excited about.
One of the things that's also super frustrating is the price point!! When so much of what you're paying for in terms of alcohol goes to taxes, why are non-alcoholic the same options the same as alcoholic versions? I find it really frustrating that these options are often as expensive if not MORE expensive than alcohol-based options that bring on a buzz. (Whyyyyyy?!)
That being said, I've found a couple of solid options and would love to share!
>> Mocktails
1. Fre Rose Spritzer | This is alcohol-removed wine, so it retains *some* complexity without totally tasting like grape juice. Still, it's *way too sweet* on its own. I've made a delicious summer spritzer with 4oz Fre Rose, 1 oz hella bitters & soda (you could prob do bitters on your own), 3 oz of sparkling water (you can do a flavor too if you're feeling fancy), and a squeeze of fresh lemon. If I'm feeling really fancy, I'll muddle some berries. Ref link: https://www.frewines.com/our-wines/rose/
2. Mint Berry Spritzer | I muddle fresh berries with fresh mint and top with sparkling water. This is a great option bc you can do it with any fresh fruit you have, not just berries! And you can make it with frozen fruit too, just let it thaw and then muddle.
>> Beer Alternatives - Note: Tons of good IPAs out there, but I don't love the hoppy taste so I have been trying to find other beers that *aren't* bitter and hoppy.
3. Athletic Brew Tropical Sour | Available online only, but this is great if you are a lover of sour beers like Dogfishhead Sea Quench sour (my personal fave!) Unfortunately it's sold out now, but sign up to be notified when it's back in stock here: https://athleticbrewing.com/products/tropical-sour?_pos=3&_sid=d51cbf2ae&_ss=r
4. Busty Lush - Tropical Weisse Beer | female owned and I'm obsessed with their tropical weisse beer is passionfruit and dragonfruit based and I love it so so much. Ref link: https://www.bustylush.com/
5. Best Day Brewing - Kolsch | this is not a hoppy option at all, and I really enjoy it if I'm looking for something a little less sweet: https://bestdaybrewing.com/products/kolsch-6-pack?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4NujBhC5ARIsAF4Iv6erfIzzvP71QKBmQqJ88lOiMxs6PdqWamaKa3ssgAqnqrucTJD-_W0aAv79EALw_wcB
+ Not my thing, but you are into the hoppy flavor, try HopWtr - https://hopwtr.com
>> Other Options
6. Vybes | They have delicious CBD and hemp based bottled drinks with flavors like blueberry mint and passionfruit pineapple. They are not cheap, but they are delicious! Ref link: https://idrinkvybes.com/collections/beverages-cbd
7. Recess | I've tried their 'mood' beverages and they are pretty tasty, but they also just launched 4 different canned mocktails, which I'm super curious about! https://takearecess.com
>> Brands I'd like to try but haven't yet:
- Gaia
- Electric Cloud
- Surely
- De Soi
- Peak
- No & Low
- Hiyo