This chat comes by request, but it’s a great one. Lots of people are off the bottle, either as a temporary detox, a lifetime choice, or just an informal tapering. And it’s never been a better time for that, because beverage companies and restaurants both FINALLY seem very excited to acknowledge this is a potentially robust market full of people who would like to sip something unleaded that isn’t water or soda. I’ve seen longer mocktail menus than ever lately, and there are enough canned mocktails out there for sale that I’ve lost track of them all. (We tried a Scandinavian brand called ISH last year on Drinks With Broads, and while the replacement hard liquor was gag-worthy, Jessica liked the canned spritz and we both thought the non-alc bubbly wines were pretty good.)
Unfortunately, I do tend to find that websites trying to share cocktail recipes have VERY unimaginative swaps and adjustments to make them alcohol-free, so the question here is twofold, I guess: What pre-mixed non-alc (or even low-alc) drinks do you recommend, and do you have any killer mocktail recipes that don’t feel like afterthoughts?
