Dry January
Aplos, CANN, Athletic Brewing, NA cocktails, sleepy girl mocktails
After a boozy, gluttonous holiday in the city, I decided to go dry this January. To keep things interesting, I’ve been replacing alcohol with fun non-alcoholic beverages. We’re now more than halfway through Jan and so far this approach has been working out remarkably well. Granted, I did catch COVID the first week and was in no state to drink anyways, but even afterwards I’ve been enjoying the healthfulness and novelty of exploring the non-alcoholic cinematic universe.
Things I’ve been drinking:
In December, my buddies Thomas & Kevin introduced me to Aplos, a mixer that comes in two flavors. Calme contains CBD and tastes very green and yuzu-y (what doesn’t come in yuzu these days?), while Arise is adaptogenic and lemon verbena flavored (I haven’t tried it yet). Aplos doesn’t need to be refrigerated and comes in sexy glass bottles that look great on our bar cart next to the Faccia Brutto. I’ve been drinking LaCroix Tangerine with a splash of Calme at night to wind down; the effect is quite relaxing.
Speaking of CBD, I also bought Cann Grapefruit Rosemary “social tonic” from the East Williamsburg Food Town (RIP Brooklyn Harvest Market). Cann contains a microdose of both THC and CBD and feels mildly uplifting. Whereas Aplos is more suited for Netflix & chilling on the cloud couch, Cann is like a fun pick-me-up to take the edge off after a long day of remote work. It’s also rather sweet; I plan to try other CBD drinks before coming back to this one.
On one of my 2x weekly sojourns to Whole Foods, I spotted a large stack of Athletic Brewing six-packs merchandised by the mandarin oranges in the produce department and impulsively picked up a box of Free Wave Hazy IPA. These are quite flavorful and hoppy and take me back to college, the last time I consumed large quantities of craft beer. I don’t know what it is, but these make me somehow feel tipsy despite having <0.5% alcohol… maybe it’s psychosomatic?
When dining out, I’ve been ordering non-alc cocktails at restaurants, which is a way better term to use than mocktails, which are firmly for children. The margarita at Dr. Clark tasted like a refreshing lime soda, while the beet cocktail at Pusu was expertly crafted and memorable. I appreciate that more places are making an effort to develop complex and flavorful NA drinks that aren’t just sweet. This doesn’t always work out; the orange theory at Nowon (honey, chili oil, turmeric, citrus, almond) tasted like oily, spicy orange juice.
One of my goals this year is to have more nights where I’m getting 8+ hours sleep. I replaced melatonin last year with magnesium glycinate capsules (I’m Huberman pilled, what more can I say). Building upon this foundation, for 2024 I am experimenting with the sleepy girl mocktail that landed on my FYP last week:
A scoop of magnesium powder—I’m using Calm w/ L-Theanine from Whole Foods
Tart cherry juice—I bought a concentrate this weekend from Happier Grocery, a new fancy bodega on Canal St that gives off Erewhon/Japanese streetwear boutique vibes. By which I mean you can order a mushroom latte while picking up the latest issue of Popeye magazine for city boys. I also bought two jars of Sqirl jam and a $30 red wine alternative from Oregon that I will report back on once its been opened.
Seltzer water—Nothing like my beloved LaCroix Tangerine.
Relatable