NA curious? Check out our fave non-alcoholic bevs
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Tis the season for holiday parties, festive dinners, and cozy holiday outings! Except, so often these celebratory events include drinks. If you are expecting this year or are one of the nearly 4 and 10 US consumers closely or even just occasionally following a sober curious lifestyle it may feel like a challenge to celebrate without alcohol.
What’s the deal with “NA?”
The market of non-alcoholic (or NA) drink options has boomed in the last three years, upgrading significantly from sugary “virgin” daiquiris and “mocktails.” There is now a sizable crop of non-alcoholic wine, beer, spirits, and even whole non-alcoholic beverage shops and online recipe makers sharing drinks that look, feel, and even taste like an adult beverage without the negative impacts of drinking alcohol.
Writers Note: Generation NA (504 Main St, Lafayette, IN 47901) caught my eye months ago while taking my kids to an art camp in downtown Lafayette. Sharing the block with the cute kid's art studio, an art deco coffee shop, tattoo parlors, boutiques, and restaurants, it looks like an upscale liquor store or wine shop. Yet, inside you will not find anything with alcohol. You don’t even have to be 21 to enter. Inside, the shop is stocked with over 150 options of non-alcoholic, hemp, and adaptogenic-derived beverages and is in the small, but growing, ranks of non-alcoholic bottle shops in the Midwest.
If you are looking to make spirits bright but go lighter on the “spirits,” I headed to my local “NA” liquor store to check out the options. Here is what I found:
Beer
Athletic Brewing
Athletic Brewing was one of the first non-alcoholic beers on the scene. They are big on the craft of their “beers” like any brewery is, but don’t come with the headache.
Wine
TOST
Nothing says “celebrate” like sparkling wine or champagne. Tost is a tea beverage with flavors like white cranberry, or ginger and elderberry, with plenty of bubbles. They are great on their own or easily made into a champagne cocktail dupe with some seltzer.
Spirits
Ritual
You may have seen Ritual make the rounds on social media this summer with even celebrities sharing how shocked they were that these liquors were, in fact, zero proof. Ritual boasts bottles of gin, whiskey, rum, and tequila alternatives, and its website is full of recipes for inspiration for your next party.
Hemp and Adaptogenic Drinks
These are drinks that are derived from herbs, mushrooms, and plants that aid in energy, focus, and feelings of “chilling out.” Popular brands like Recess tout the ability to aid in relaxation and memory focus with the help of CBD. Their bubbly fruit flavors are reminiscent of a cocktail and in the right glass, you will think it is the real deal. (Or, just enjoy straight from the cute, colorful can!)
NA Hack: Juice!
Even a nighttime cocktail of tart cherry juice, which can be found at most grocery stores (Trader Joe’s has a great one), with or without a splash of seltzer, can feel fancy in a wine glass, but will also provide antioxidants and magnesium to get you a great night’s sleep– no hangover included!
Drinking can feel like a focal point of this celebratory season, but it doesn’t have to be. A celebration should be about who you are with and what you are doing.
Whether you choose to celebrate with or without alcohol this season, we hope you find joy and fun with the people you hold dear. “Cheers” to that.
All of these beverages can be purchased online or keep your eyes open for NA bottle shops in your area. You may even find a section in your favorite specialty liquor or food shop.
