Dry January (or however long you'd like!)

It’s the start of a new year, and that means that another Dry January has rolled around once again. What is Dry January, you ask? Well, a lot of people have the whole “New Year New Me” mentality when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. Popular New Year’s resolutions involve becoming a healthier version of yourself, and sometimes this healthier version includes cutting out alcohol. That’s where Dry January comes from- the elimination of alcohol for the month of January. So whether you stick to this for a day, a week, a month, or longer, I’m here to give you a few tips on how you can be alcohol-free, live your best life, still feel social, and be able to enjoy nights out with friends while not feeling like you’re missing out on all of the fun.

I’ve shared my story a few times before, but let’s just recap for a second. I used to drink alcohol in college. I didn’t go crazy with it, but it was just a social thing. Nights out with friends, house parties, the usual stuff. I quickly came to realize that I didn’t like how it made me feel. I would get nauseous and didn’t like the whole “foggy head” thing, so one day I just stopped. I can’t remember exactly when it was, but I just decided that alcohol wasn’t for me. Now I don’t preach sobriety, and I have no problem with people consuming alcohol whatsoever, but I decided that I wanted to make it one of missions to show people that there are alternatives to drinking- for one night or for the rest of your life.

A few years ago I noticed that the term “mocktail” was being brought up more and more. If you don’t know what a mocktail is, it’s basically just a cocktail without the alcohol. Buffalo really hadn’t caught on to the craze at that point, so I decided to start doing some research, seeing who out there has made them and are willing to make them. This lead me to over a year-long quest of visiting bars and restaurants, talking to bartenders and restaurant owners, photographing (and more importantly, tasting!) these concoctions. From this, my “Mocktails of WNY” series was born, and I’m still adding new places to the list all the time! Fast forward to 2021, and from this series, I organized and hosted the very first sold out “Buffalo’s Best Mocktail Competition” which was a raging success!

So, what is my number one piece of advice for all of you who would like to go out and order something tasty without the alcohol?

Just ask.

It’s that simple! Only once in my mocktail journey have I had any kind of push back from a server when I ordered a mocktail. It was way before they had become more mainstream and the server had asked if the reason why I wasn’t drinking was because I was pregnant. (I wasn’t, and that was super RUDE)

Generally the bartenders or servers will ask what flavors that you like or don’t like and if you’re allergic to anything, and then they just have at it. It’s always so much fun seeing what they come up with, and some of the best drinks that I’ve received have just been made up on the spot by the bartenders. Bunch of geniuses!

So, you can easily have a mocktail when you go out to a bar or restaurant, but what about if you’d like to make them at home? Well, lucky for you, I’ve compiled a list of non-alcoholic spirits and canned ready-to-drink beverages for you to enjoy in the comfort of your own home. Now, this is not a full and complete list, but it’s definitely somewhere for you to start your N/A journey!

Non-Alcoholic Spirits

• Seedlip

• Ritual Zero Proof

• Lyres

• Kin Euphorics

• Ghia

• Wilfred’s

• Spiritless

• Monday Spirits

• Aecorn

• Free Spirits

• Fluere

• Dhos

• Amass

• Splash

Canned & Bottled Mocktails

• NOPE

• Kin Euphorics

• Curious Elixirs

• Hop Wtr

• Lyres

• De Soi

• Dry

• Hiyo

• Mocktails

• Ferm Fatale

• Mocktail Club

• Spirity Cocktails

• Avec

• With Co

Non-Alcoholic Wine/Champagne

• Tost Beverages

• Fre Wines

• Leitz

• Surely

• Eins Zwei Zero

• Thomson & Scott

To round out your bar cart, I highly recommend adding a selection of bitters to your inventory. The Mister Sizzles team turned me on to this brand called Dram- they are totally non-alcoholic (some bitters tend to have a trace amount of alcohol in them) Alongside the bitters, soda water is very important to add some fizz to your drinks and fresh or frozen fruit can be muddled with herbs or made into syrups. Also, I would also recommend getting yourself some pretty glassware! Drinks always taste better when served in a fancy glass, am I right?

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to leave me a comment below or send me an email. I’m always happy to chat with you about your journey or if you have any questions about my journey. Happy Dry January, friends!