Wine Reviews

Five Nonalcoholic Drinks That Actually Taste Good

August 15, 2023
Cucumber and citrus cocktail, green and white plant and Blurred vines sharp alternative wine

Isn’t it great that there are finally some cool looking and delicious nonalcoholic wines and spirits out there? It’s tempting to choose on packaging or buzz alone. But that may not be the best strategy for finding nonalcoholic drinks that actually taste good.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to know how a 0-proof drink truly tastes until you plunk down your money and take it home. Despite the fancy packaging, some nonalcoholic adult drinks taste like water or awfully bitter and medicinal. I’ve made some bad purchases that I tossed or stuck in the back of the liquor cabinet to collect dust.

I wish celebs backing some of these nonalcoholic drinks would be required to taste their products live on Instagram. Wouldn’t that be enlightening and entertaining?!

Until that happens, I’ve been keeping my own list of taste-tested 0-proof drinks that are worth the money. In these nonalcoholic drinks, the taste is on point, and they also help you feel more relaxed thanks to herbs and botanicals. So the next time you want to cut calories but still enjoy an after-work drink, I hope this list of five nonalcoholic drinks that actually taste good will come in handy.

Three Spirit Nightcap stars in this nonalcoholic mojito cocktail that tastes good with mint, brown sugar, lime and soda.

Nightcap by Three Spirit

I was working on a story when I met Geyan Surendran, then a chemist and product developer for Three Spirit, an alternative adult beverage company based in the UK. What really stood out was the way Three Spirit combined people with expertise in bar, distilling, chemistry and botanicals to create the ultimate alternative spirits. They debuted three alternative spirits: Social Elixirs for a party vibe, Livener for an energetic pick me up, and Nightcap.

They let me try a bottle of their Nightcap, infused with relaxing botanicals including hops, valerian, lemon balm and ashwaganda. The smoky brown bottle with gold lettering was attractive. The golden brown spirit had some weight, kind of like a whiskey. Nightcap tasted citrusy and woodsy with a hint of spice and smoke on the finish.

For hot weather try it in a tasty faux-jito with fresh mint, brown sugar syrup, lime juice and soda. That first night, I made a simple Old Fashioned with the suggested 50ml (1.75 ounces) of Nightcap. By the second cocktail, a rooibos tea toddy, my whole body was feeling pleasantly relaxed. While I can’t remember what I dreamed about that night, it was vivid.

Label stats: A 100-ml serving (2 drinks) has 60 calories and 12.8 grams of sugar.

Leilo is a sparkling nonalcoholic adult drink that actually tastes good thanks to fruit flavors mixed with the kava kava root.

Leilo Sparkling Nonalcoholic Kava Sodas

If you’ve ever tried traditional kava kava made from the South Pacific root, you know deliciousness is not one of its attributes. That is, unless you like the taste of bitter dirt. The first time I tried kava root at Elixirart in Nevada City, I was advised to chug it, rather than sip it like wine. The goal is to get the kava into your stomach so the Piper methysticum root can help you feel relaxed and mellow.

So, I was amazed at how much I liked Leilo, a line of kava-based sparkling sodas. Founder Sol Broady spent two years developing tasty fruit flavored drinks. They deliver the relaxation and sociable feelings kava is known for without the strong, earthy flavor. Leilo sodas offer “a chance for clean relaxation. And you don’t have to feel guilty about consuming,” Broady says.

Although I’d drink any of them, my favorite Leilo flavors are Tango Berry, Pineapple Coconut, and Raspberry Hibiscus. From the first sip, the kava starts to numb your tongue, and just a single 12-ounce can was enough to make me feel calm, even after a stressful day.

Label stats: A 12-ounce serving has 40 calories, 9 grams sugar and 750 mg of kava kava.

De Soi is a botanical nonalcoholic drink that gets flavor from pink grapefruit, ginger and saffron.

De Soi Très Rosé Sparkling Nonalcoholic Aperitif

You’ve probably heard about De Soi already because entertainer Katy Perry is one of the co-creators and founders. She teamed up with Morgan McLachlan, a brilliant distiller based in the Los Angeles area. While I interviewed her for a Wine Enthusiast piece on botanical drinks like her Amass gin, she told me about De Soi.

It’s just a bonus that I love saying De Soi. It inspired this riff on the Lady Marmalade chorus: “Voulez-vous bouvet a De Soi ce soir? (That means will you drink a De Soi with me this evening… and nothing more:-))

Morgan turned to botanicals to give De Soi‘s sparkling 0-proof drinks would all get their oomph. They envision people having the freedom to enjoy a De Soi anytime. They’re nonalcoholic so you can still drive home or finish a work project without worrying about having or being a wreck. To create drinks that actually taste good, she layered lots of fruits, adaptogens and herbs into every expression. She chose reishi mushrooms and holy basil for the citrusy Champignon Dreams, and relaxing lemon balm and L-theanine (a brain-loving amino acid found in green tea) for Golden Hour.

I haven’t tasted either of those. But I finally got my hands on the new Très Rosé, the newest addition to the line. It’s like a tangy rosé from Provence, with notes of pink grapefruit, raspberry, ginger and tart red currant. You can sip it solo in a flute, or blend with frozen berries and a little simple syrup to make frosé. And with ingredients like L-theanine, saffron and chamomile, don’t be surprised if Très Rosé makes your brain feel happy.

Label stats: an 8-ounce can has 35 calories, 6 grams sugar and 40 mg potassium.

Sharp nonalcoholic adult drink is an alternative red sparkling wine shown on grass with a glass of Spark and a lit star-shaped sparkler.

Blurred Vines Sharp + Spark Nonalcoholic Wine by Three Spirit

The second time I contacted the Three Spirit team, they were launching a pair of alternative wine called Blurred Vines. Spark is a refreshing red sparkling wine alternative, while Sharp evokes a crisp white wine.

Spark is really tangy–think red currants, cranberry, and hibiscus. It reminds me of a natural wine, perhaps made from Grenache. Though light, Spark is still potent, thanks to L-theanine and schisandra berry, a red adaptogenic fruit. Schisandra calms the heart and quiets the spirit, according to traditional Chinese medicine.

Label stats: Spark has just 16 calories per serving, 3 grams sugar, B vitamins and caffeine too.

Sharp is citrusy and acidic as the name suggests, and it evokes the refreshment of uncorking a Sauvignon Blanc. Sharp starts with fermented apricot and grape juice, and then it’s infused with teas like African verbena and manuka leaf. Sharp has herbal notes, a hint of tannin and minerality delivered with a gentle sense of calm, just like a class of wine. You could easily pair Sharp with seafood, chicken or a big green salad. In fact, Spark tastes so good, it changed my mind about the notion of nonalcoholic wines.

Label stats: A 4 ounce serving of Sharp has 25 calories, 3 grams sugar, 100% of your daily vitamin C and a bunch of B vitamins.

It turns out Sharp is a beautiful mixer too. If you like cocktails like the Aperol Spritz, try my recipe for a spritz with fragrant bergamot citrus and cucumber.

Bergamot Cucumber Spritz

An original citrusy nonalcoholic spritz recipe by The Bubbly Girl

INGREDIENTS
1 generous teaspoon bergamot jam (or citrus marmalade)
6 thin slices cucumber
1 drop liquid stevia (if using)
3 ounces Blurred Vines Sharp alternative wine
Splash tonic water
cucumber for garnish

METHOD
Gently muddle the bergamot jam, cucumber slices a and stevia if using in a cocktail shaker cup until fragrant. Transfer to a tall cocktail glass filled with ice. Add Blurred Vines Sharp and stir. Top with tonic water and garnish.
Makes 1 cocktail

Cocktail Recipes, Eat Like a Local, Travel

The Bubbly Girl Drink of the Week: Aperol Fizz

June 6, 2023
Aperol fizz cocktails on the counter

My drink of the week is an Aperol Fizz. Let me tell you how I discovered this cocktail.

So I just spent a week learning all about selecting, tasting and cooking with the best olive oils from the southern Italian region Puglia with the The Awaiting Table Cookery School. Most of the my fellow students came from Denver, led by chef and restaurateur Shelly Steinhaus of Bella Bistro and her husband Tim. The class took place at the Bacile Castle in a dusty little town and each evening we gathered in the large kitchen to prepare dinner as a group.

Aperol is one of the most popular examples of the Italian bitter liqueurs sipped before meals to stimulate the appetite.

One evening Tim came to the kitchen with a bottle of Aperol, one of my favorite Italian liqueurs. Aperol is bright orange and has a pleasant bittersweet flavor that runs from citrus to flowers to herbs. The original recipe, which dates back to 1919, includes gentian root and other herbs. Aperol is part of a vast category of Italian liqueurs called amaros or bitters. Sometimes they’re sipped after dinner to settle the stomach, but they’re most often enjoyed before meals as aperitifs to help stimulate the appetite.

Tim and Shelly were served this sparkling bittersweet spritz cocktail called the Aperol Fizz when they checked into their hotel in Naples and wanted to share it with the rest of us. I couldn’t have been more pleased. The Aperol Fizz is  similar to the popular Italian drink called the Aperol Spritz or Sprizz, except that it swaps the club soda for tonic water. I really liked the extra bittersweet tang from the tonic water, and think you will too.

Aperol Fizz Recipe

Makes 1 cocktail
2.5 ounces Aperol
2 ounces prosecco
splash tonic water
Orange or lemon slice, for garnish

In a rocks glass (or a wine goblet) with a few ice cubes, add the Aperol. Top with the prosecco and finish with a splash of tonic water. Garnish with a slice of orange or lemon.

Drinks

Make My Bittersweet Naughty Negroni

February 1, 2023

Anyone who loves classic cocktails or things Italian knows the Negroni. It’s a bracing and bittersweet cocktail that stars Campari, sweet vermouth and gin.

Lately, I’ve noticed that riffs on this traditional Florentine cocktail have been making the rounds.

count-camillo-negroni

From camillonegroni.com

Just the other day, GQ Magazine penned a love letter to the Negroni Sbagliato, a version that adds a sparkling wine, such as Prosecco, to the mix. The name “sbagliato” roughly means broken or incorrect, as if adding Prosecco is a bad thing.

The original Negroni is named for Count Camillo Negroni, an esteemed patron of Caffè Cassoni in Florence. He usually drank Americanos (Campari, sweet vermouth and club soda), but one day in 1919, he asked barman Fosco Scarselli to swap the soda for gin!

What may have started as libation to erase a bad day has become an Italian contribution to the classic cocktail pantheon.  The Count even has his own tribute site and inspired a couple books.

Judging from the drink, I bet he liked other bitter elixirs like Italian espresso. I found my first Negronis a bit too bitter and viscous for my palate. So while I was developing recipes for my book The Bubbly Bar back in 2007, I made a softer version.

My Naughty Negroni includes a splash of Moscato d’Asti. This refreshing sparkling wine from Piedmont adds freshness and lightens. But it’s still a perfectly bittersweet, spritzy aperitif  and a great way to sip your way into evening.

The Naughty Negroni 

1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1/2 ounce gin
3-4 ounces Moscato d’Asti, chilled
1 orange peel spiral, for garnish

Add the Campari, vermouth and gin to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until your hands are cold, then strain into a champagne flute. Top with Moscato and garnish with the orange peel.

Makes 1 cocktail

© By Maria C. Hunt – Author of The Bubbly Bar. All rights reserved.

Cocktail Recipes, Pop Culture

Say Farewell to Queen Elizabeth II With a Black Velvet

September 19, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II portrait

While the concept of monarchy is fraught, it’s always sad when a family must say goodbye to a beloved mother and grandmother. And while I never visited Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II was a familiar figure growing up. Her face was a familiar one on Canadian money, and I remember the gold and silver silhouettes of Queen Elizabeth II on colorful Trinidadian postage stamps on letters from friends living on the Caribbean island.

Queen Elizabeth’s favorite cocktail was Dubonnet and gin, a taste she acquired from her mother. Here’s how to mix up the Queen’s cocktail, which sounds like a sweeter, less intense version of a Negroni, which pairs gin and Campari.

But what does one drink to say goodbye to a monarch? Celebratory champagne and mourning don’t seem to go together. Yet those sentiments share a glass in the historic champagne cocktail known as the Black Velvet.

The Black Velvet, a mix of  bittersweet chocolate-hued Guinness stout and champagne, is on the menu of many pubs in the UK. While it’s not well known in the rest of the world, Black Velvet is a peculiarly pleasing drink with mournful tale attached to it.

Queen Victoria married her second cousin Albert in story-book wedding ceremony on Feb. 10, 1840. According to an account on the defunct site Love Tripper.com, she wore a then-unfashionable white dress, a blue sapphire and a wreath of orange blossoms in her hair. Victoria and Albert were friends who shared a passionate romance and a professional relationship, along with nine children. Ten years after their wedding, Victoria wrote in her diary: “Often I feel surprised at being so loved, and tremble at my great happiness.”

So she and her subjects were devastated when Albert died of typhoid fever in 1861 at age 42. Laughter was forbidden in their home Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Queen Victoria stayed out of sight for a decade, and wore black for the rest of her life. A  barman at Brooks’s Club on St. James Street–a private London men’s club open since 1778–is credited with mixing some Guinness with champagne.

Difford’s Guide notes the cocktail may have originated in Germany, and was first dubbed a Black Velvet in Frank-Meier’s 1936 book The Artistry of Mixing Drinks. This feature on Esquire.com explains the intricate steps involved with pouring a perfect Black Velvet (fill a Collins glass halfway with Guinness, top with champagne and stir.)

And it seems like a fitting way to say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II.

Original Black Velvet Drink on FoodistaOriginal Black Velvet Drink

Pop Culture

Julia Child’s Kitchen, The Smithsonian and Champagne

August 15, 2022
Julia child video at smithsonian

We love champagne and sparkling wine for its tantalizing bubbles, but is there a good way to save those bubbles if you open a bottle and don’t finish it?

Absolutely, according to Julia Child, the woman who brought French cuisine and a taste for champagne to Americans with her cooking show and books. While travelling on the East Coast for Bubbly Bar tastings and book signings, I planned the trip so I’d have an extra day in Washington DC. I wanted to make sure to get to visit Julia Child’s kitchen at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Julia Child says she served her best champagne - a bottle of Dom Perignon - to Bon Appetit editor Barbara Fairchild.

As soon as I walked into the kitchen exhibit, the first thing I heard was Child’s distinctive voice… talking about champagne! A video monitor was set up to play a series of videos on topics including her favorite kitchen gadgets. In this segment, Child pulls a gold champagne stopper off a bottle Dom Perignon. As she demonstrates, the champagne was still bubbly three days later.

I agree that one of the best ways to keep leftover champagne (yes, it does exist) fresh is with a stopper or bouchon in French specifically made for sparkling wines. The grey rubber stoppers that come with a vacuum hand pump are great for still wines, but useless with champagne because the bubbles easily escape.

I’ve been partial to champagne stoppers with two hinged arms that fit tightly around the lip of the bottle, like this one in copper from Viski or this Le Creuset valve lock champagne stopper from Williams Sonoma. But the sleek one-piece stoppers like this Moet et Chandon bouchon that work with suction are still quite effective if you can leave an open bottle sitting for long.