A Better Cocktail Hour
Issue No. 23
A Better Cocktail Hour
image via Weston Wells for Rothy’s
In case you haven’t heard, last Thursday marked the *official* first day of summer(!!!), so let’s toast to that! Without a doubt, summer is the season when I’m the most social, and, not surprisingly, when I find myself with a cocktail in hand more nights than not. The truth is, I love the ritual of a good drink. Crisp glass, giant ice cube, a little orange twist as garnish or salt on the rim. Knowing what we know about alcohol, this isn’t the healthiest habit. I’ve come to realize that the ritual I crave isn’t about the booze at all. It’s about exactly that – the ritual. The 6pm gathering of friends after a long, hot, sandy beach day, freshly showered and dressed and toasting to summer, friendship, and life being good. This is a sacred time! On nights when I’m not in the mood to drink the hard stuff, refusing that first cocktail can feel devastating – like you’re missing out on the ritual. These drinks below have totally changed that.
LA is a city that gets this and caters accordingly. Pretty much every bar or restaurant has a non-alcoholic drink list that rivals the real thing, touting complex, satisfying flavors and keeping sugar content to a minimum (otherwise, they’re just a glorified soda). We’re headed to Long Island for the summer (I’m actually posted up in the Delta lounge at LAX with a sleeping baby on me as I write this) where this is not the case. So, I’ve done a little homework ahead of time to make sure I stock the “bar” with the best. Below are a list of a few healthier options – both zero proof and some with a little ABV (if you’re into that!).
The Zero Proof Margarita
Lyre’s Agave Blanco
This “spirit free” tequila, as the menu at the Maybourne Beverly Hills calls it, yielded one of the best mocktails I’ve had – maybe ever. (Though, at $18 a pop, I guess it better be). Made with Lyre’s Agave Blanco, jalapeño, lime, and poblano agave – it was perfectly spicy, not-too-sweet, and tasted pretty damn close to the real thing. I had this while four months pregnant, and it really hit the spot. I’m ordering this for nights when I’m wanting a marg with friends but not the subpar feeling I’m usually hit with the next day. Other alcohol free tequila and mezcal options on my list: The Cut Above Mezcal, Optimist Smokey, CleanCo Clean T Non-Alcoholic Tequila.
On the topic of margaritas, this Skinny Spicy Margarita from Sayso is very impressive. It comes prepackaged as a tea bag or “craft cocktail sachet” as they describe it. You can keep it spirit-free with ice cold water or the Lyre’s Agave Blanco mentioned above (or, for the real thing, steep it in tequila). I have to say it delivers on taste exactly as promised: “tongue-tingling, beach-worthy flavor that’s perfect every time.” Plus, it’s <1g sugar.
The Zero Proof Apéritif
If apéritifs are more your thing (how Italian of you), there are so many great non-alcoholic options on the market tooday.
Apéritivo
Noun.
Derived from the Latin aperire, (“to open"), this is a drink meant to open the evening before dinner, open our doors to new guests, and open our minds to stimulating conversation
First up, and maybe most widely known at this point, is Ghia. Their founder Melanie Massarin (who also writes a great newsletter @nightshade) is truly impressive and dedicated to making the perfect product. She works hard and you can tell – her ingredient list is flawless. Ghia uses fruit and vegetable juice for color(!) which is a refreshing and much needed departure from the red dye 40 found in so many dyed apéritifs. Ghia’s Le Spritz is the closest to a traditional Italian beverage, and the Sumac and Chili (it’s new!) is my favorite. Can confirm it doesn’t spike my blood sugar either. :) You can order Ghia prepackaged as a set of four, or you can get the concentrated version and add your own bubbles. Either way, I give it a 10/10. Friends at a party recently actually didn’t realize they weren’t drinking!
Quite similar in look and feel to Ghia, this one also touts an impressive ingredient list (with fruit and vegetable juice in place of red 40!). I haven’t tried it yet, but it looks like a promising alternative to the above.
Sidenote: You can get Ghia, Figlia, and Lyre’s at Bardelia, a non-alcoholic beverage shop in LA (where else?) that ships nationwide. The were nice enough to give me a code for you(!!!) so Lacey10 will get you 10% off if you order from them.
The Low ABV Apéritif
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending my first event as part of Women’s Abundance Collective. This particular evening was dedicated to women in beverage – and what a group they assembled! Below are a few companies that stood out to me that I can’t wait to get in my summer rotation.
I can say for certain, arriving with a bottle of this will make you a welcome house guest this summer. A refreshing alternative to the Aperol spritz (an accurate depiction of what happens when you’ve had one too many), Dola Dira offers just the right amount of buzz without the sticky sweetness and chemical dyes found in its competitors. Derived from rhubarb, Dola Dira is naturally low in sugar (60% less than competitors, in fact!) and touts a vibrant pink color that comes from naturally occurring pigment in black carrot and rhubarb (again, instead of red dye 40!!). It’s delightful on its own with a giant ice cube or mix with sparkling water to make it a spritz. Dola Dira is women-owned and part of the Casa Komos tequila family (if you don’t know their sustainability story, it’s worth a read!). You can order from Reserve Bar (code DRINKDOLADIRA gets you free shipping), Whole Foods, or find it at a local store near you.
Paramour
Another standout from the evening and fresh to the beverage scene is Paramour, described as “not your mother’s aperitif.” Paramour is “serving up” low calorie, low alcohol, distilled spirits made with pure botanicals and natural colors, devoid of artificial additives or stabilizers. Still in its nascent phases, the founder, Raquel Tavares, is just now bringing this to market! You might know her as the founder of 4th & Heart ghee. It will be available in very niche places this summer (on the menu at Zero Bond in NYC, Gurneys Montauk, etc) but look out for its launch in the months to follow!
As I was writing this, my favorite nutritionist on Substack, Mia Rigden, posted a food dye-free summer spritz recipe. Clearly, I’m not the only one with better-for-you cocktails on my mind! If you’re not following @Mia already, I highly recommend you do! She rounded up a couple of other clean-from-food-dye spritz brands I’d never heard of (liquoridellesirene, lofiaperitifs, mommenpop). I’ll be adding these to my list to taste taste!
With that - thank you for reading! Wishing you a better weekend ahead than this day has been for us! We’re still at LAX 12 hours later (Elsie’s first flight!). I’m ready for the stiffest possible Dola Dira over ice!
