At some point in March 2020, shortly after it was clear that life as we knew it was on pause indefinitely, I wanted to stock up my fridge and bar with the essentials: gin & beer. To limit my exposure, I wanted to get enough so I wouldn’t need to go to the LCBO for at least another month. I grabbed the largest backpack I had and set out on foot.
I came home with at least two bottles of gin and enough beer that I immediately needed to foam roll my back. The beer that was supposed to last me one month made it to the end of the week. The gin that was supposed to get me through the end of times was down to about half a bottle. At this point, it was clear the pandemic would last far longer than two weeks, and this was becoming unsustainable.
Seeing my empty fridge and the bin full of empties, I grabbed every bottle of alcohol on my bar and started dumping them down the drain. Unknowingly, I was about to join the millions of other people my age who were exploring the world of sober curiosity.
I don’t believe I had a problem with drinking and I still don’t believe I do. I was drinking because I was bored. But I did feel like I was getting close to losing control and I was tired of feeling like shit. Thanks to things like Bubly and Aha and even my poor, neglected SodaStream, I was able to get by without any issues right away. That is until I wanted a Negroni. I was absolutely craving that bitter sting of a Negroni. 1 part gin, 1 part vermouth, 1 part Campari, 1 part euphoria.
I tried a lot of non-alcoholic substitutes. Only to realize they’re all pretty bad. It reminds me of when I first went vegan and tried to get meat substitutes; some are okay, but others are truly horrible.
I’m back now to a fully stocked bar, I’m back to going out from time to time. When I do drink, it’s rare for me to have more than a few drinks. Most of my friends aren’t going crazy and a few have stopped drinking completely. I have no desire to be sober, but my urge to be able to have a bitter drink to sip that’s not alcoholic only grows stronger and stronger. If anything, I want to become accidentally sober. I want to drink less in the same way I don’t eat a lot of meat today because there are so many amazing vegetarian and vegan dishes.
So far I’ve found some good things:
Tonic Water
Much of the Gin & Tonic flavour comes from the tonic, ergo…
Barbet
This is a very floral kind of drink that scratches the juniper-sized itch gin would normally provide. It’s a bit of an acquired taste and quite unlike anything else I’ve ever had. It’s a great example of a non-alcoholic drink that’s not trying to replicate anything in the alcoholic world, it’s just its own thing.
Gingerbug
A not-kombucha-but-kind-of-like-kombucha Ginger beer. It’s a little sweet like Barbet with a nice sting from the ginger.
Bad things I’ve tried:
Seedlip
This is typically the first thing recommended to people on a non-alcoholic kick. I’ve tried several different flavours, it’s just really not my jam
Most non-alcoholic beers
I’ve tried so so many. Most can get the flavour down well, but they finish very poorly.