5 ms·

I gave up drinking 5 years ago. Just didn't want it in my life anymore. Started just feeling ick more often than not even with just a couple drinks. Just stoppe

by nate 2y ago

I gave up drinking 5 years ago. Just didn't want it in my life anymore. Started just feeling ick more often than not even with just a couple drinks. Just stopped feeling worth it. But I loved cocktails. So we've been experimenting with a ton of things. By far the most fun one is this: https://weareraisingthebar.com/ https://weareraisingthebar.com/ It's pricey, but they expose me to all the new non-alcohol things out there. It's great if you just want an easy way to get fun new things without thinking too hard about this category. Also, our very own Justin Kan, is a founder of Woody's Wine (NA): https://woodys.wine https://woodys.wine So many good NA beers now. Athletic, Guinness, Heineken, all play well here. Still looking for a good fake bourbon. My favorite so far is Free Sprits https://drinkfreespirits.com/collections/non-alcoholic-spirits/products/the-spirit-of-bourbon https://drinkfreespirits.com/collections/non-alcoholic-spiri... Fair warning though. None of these fake alcohols drink well on their own. I don't think anyone has a bourbon anyone is going to like on the rocks or neat. But it does well in mocktails.

EGreg 2y ago
In that case, may I recommend a completely ... different type of experience? https://www.adagio.com/ https://www.adagio.com/ Before you engage, you can have in your head this 3 second clip on YouTube that I uploaded a decade ago :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeUARKgSWJw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeUARKgSWJw
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- amarcheschi 2y ago
  Oh, that store sells samples for a small price, that's kinda cool, I'm probably gonna try some of their teas
- satvikpendem 2y ago
  Adagio is not really that great, take a look at the r/tea wiki for better options [0]. [0] https://old.reddit.com/r/tea/wiki/vendors/page_01 https://old.reddit.com/r/tea/wiki/vendors/page_01
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
amarcheschi 2y ago
Perhaps you might enjoy making cocktail yourselves :D There is /r/Mocktails, imbibe magazine has a alcohol free section with a lot of recipes, and there are books as well - I'd suggest good drinks by Julia Bainbridge and Zero by alinea group-. Here are a few recipes that Julia Bainbridge posted online: https://tastecooking.com/author/juliabainbridge/ https://tastecooking.com/author/juliabainbridge/ The nyc special and the change of address are pretty nice imho
- cheeze 2y ago
  My biggest pain point is that there is no high end past Zero. The Julia book is solid. In actual cocktails, there are a handful of books that are _incredible_ and cater to high end cocktails. I have ~600 bottles at home (I know...) and I really appreciate those books. I'm willing to make cranberry tequila rosemary ice. Or clarify a punch. Almost every mocktail resource is... quite frankly... too simple. "Add lemon to fake sparking wine to make a delicious French 75!" This makes sense from sheer numbers. Way less folks making mocktails. I love that Alinea book. Just wish there were good websites out there.
  - amarcheschi 2y ago
    I've started doing spirit free cocktails recently, but I definitely get that there are way less resources than regular cocktails. However, zero has a section on making backbar alcohols such that you might be able to use them on regular cocktails, by substituting the alcohol with their spirit free version. The taste won't be the same of course, and you might have to alter the dosage, but it's better than nothing. Perhaps you won't be able to clarify an alcohol free wine, but I'm sure there are recipes that aren't ruined by replacing alcohol with its non alcoholic version
plasma_beam 2y ago
I highly recommend trying to make some homemade ginger beer. It’s super easy, takes just a few days to ferment, lots of recipes online. Much better than the stuff in the store which is filled with added sugar or artificial sweeteners. Plus you can brew with extra ginger if you like it strong. Whatever you do, don’t ferment it in glass bottles. Use 2 liter plastic soda bottles.
- mandmandam 2y ago
  > Whatever you do, don’t ferment it in glass bottles Any particular reason not to simply get a glass fermentation jar? I try to minimize plastic use, and I swear things taste better out of glass.
  - beardicus 2y ago
    most of the time folks are fermenting ginger beer, it's just to carbonate it. ginger beer isn't usually fermented to produce alcohol like a normal beer. since there is so much sugar available in ginger beer, fermenting/carbonating it in sealed glass bottles will result in bottle bombs. skip the fermentation completely: 2 liter plastic soda bottles are great for force-carbonating with a co2 tank. if you really don't like plastic you could find a 1 gallon stainless steel keg and carbonate (and serve) from that.
  - hagen_dogs 2y ago
    Probably pointing at exploding bottles; I've made probably 40 batches of ginger beer and when I would 'burp' the bottles I never had an issue. Decided once to try out not doing so and had six hours of clean up. But otherwise you're probably fine. Just let out carbonation morning and night, it takes a minute or so.
- Gud 2y ago
  As someone who boils his own ginger to make ginger shots, I am very intrigued! Any advice? I never fermented anything(knowingly) before!
  - 2y ago

by nate 2y ago

EGreg 2y ago

In that case, may I recommend a completely ... different type of experience? https://www.adagio.com/ https://www.adagio.com/ Before you engage, you can have in your head this 3 second clip on YouTube that I uploaded a decade ago :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeUARKgSWJw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeUARKgSWJw

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
amarcheschi 2y ago
Oh, that store sells samples for a small price, that's kinda cool, I'm probably gonna try some of their teas
satvikpendem 2y ago
Adagio is not really that great, take a look at the r/tea wiki for better options [0]. [0] https://old.reddit.com/r/tea/wiki/vendors/page_01 https://old.reddit.com/r/tea/wiki/vendors/page_01
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]

amarcheschi 2y ago

Perhaps you might enjoy making cocktail yourselves :D There is /r/Mocktails, imbibe magazine has a alcohol free section with a lot of recipes, and there are books as well - I'd suggest good drinks by Julia Bainbridge and Zero by alinea group-. Here are a few recipes that Julia Bainbridge posted online: https://tastecooking.com/author/juliabainbridge/ https://tastecooking.com/author/juliabainbridge/ The nyc special and the change of address are pretty nice imho

cheeze 2y ago
My biggest pain point is that there is no high end past Zero. The Julia book is solid. In actual cocktails, there are a handful of books that are _incredible_ and cater to high end cocktails. I have ~600 bottles at home (I know...) and I really appreciate those books. I'm willing to make cranberry tequila rosemary ice. Or clarify a punch. Almost every mocktail resource is... quite frankly... too simple. "Add lemon to fake sparking wine to make a delicious French 75!" This makes sense from sheer numbers. Way less folks making mocktails. I love that Alinea book. Just wish there were good websites out there.
- amarcheschi 2y ago
  I've started doing spirit free cocktails recently, but I definitely get that there are way less resources than regular cocktails. However, zero has a section on making backbar alcohols such that you might be able to use them on regular cocktails, by substituting the alcohol with their spirit free version. The taste won't be the same of course, and you might have to alter the dosage, but it's better than nothing. Perhaps you won't be able to clarify an alcohol free wine, but I'm sure there are recipes that aren't ruined by replacing alcohol with its non alcoholic version

plasma_beam 2y ago

I highly recommend trying to make some homemade ginger beer. It’s super easy, takes just a few days to ferment, lots of recipes online. Much better than the stuff in the store which is filled with added sugar or artificial sweeteners. Plus you can brew with extra ginger if you like it strong. Whatever you do, don’t ferment it in glass bottles. Use 2 liter plastic soda bottles.

mandmandam 2y ago
> Whatever you do, don’t ferment it in glass bottles Any particular reason not to simply get a glass fermentation jar? I try to minimize plastic use, and I swear things taste better out of glass.
- beardicus 2y ago
  most of the time folks are fermenting ginger beer, it's just to carbonate it. ginger beer isn't usually fermented to produce alcohol like a normal beer. since there is so much sugar available in ginger beer, fermenting/carbonating it in sealed glass bottles will result in bottle bombs. skip the fermentation completely: 2 liter plastic soda bottles are great for force-carbonating with a co2 tank. if you really don't like plastic you could find a 1 gallon stainless steel keg and carbonate (and serve) from that.
- hagen_dogs 2y ago
  Probably pointing at exploding bottles; I've made probably 40 batches of ginger beer and when I would 'burp' the bottles I never had an issue. Decided once to try out not doing so and had six hours of clean up. But otherwise you're probably fine. Just let out carbonation morning and night, it takes a minute or so.
Gud 2y ago
As someone who boils his own ginger to make ginger shots, I am very intrigued! Any advice? I never fermented anything(knowingly) before!
- 2y ago