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- A Box of Smokey Treats
MODSUB#83
Wotcha!
Never mind non-alcoholic drinks—can someone please figure out how to bottle time? I’d take a couple of cases a month.
Between my day job helping folks buy and sell houses and a host of family bits and bobs, I only managed to half-finish writing this week’s edition.
So, I’m going to save that issue for another time and instead re-run last June’s issue on Raising the Bar—the company behind the monthly non-alcoholic cocktail subscription kits. Fireside is still one of my favorite cocktails from last year.
Enjoy some good drinks this week.
Cheers,
Myles
In this week’s edition:
NAN
New NA Drink News
COCKTAIL
Smokeshow
COCKTAIL
Improv - Mai Tai
COCKTAIL
Fireside
Read time: 4 minutes 54 seconds
NAN
New Non-Alcoholic Drink News
NORTH AMERICA
FUNCTIONAL: First came Spirit, then came Shots. Brez are on fire right now! (Link)
WINE: Two new wines are coming out from Freixenet: Cordon Negro 0.0% and Cordon Negro 0.0% Rosé. Both will be initially available in France, Poland and the U.S. (Link)
FUNCTIONAL: Straight outta Colorado, Tweedle Botanicals is a new functional spirit with lemon, cardamon, ginger and CBD which sounds delish! (Link)
WORLDWIDE
WINE: Argentina’s Domaine Elena De Mendoza have announced the release of N.0 Rosæ. (Link)
COCKTAILS: Polish brand, Premium Rosa have now made their NOLO line of non-alcoholic cocktails available in 250ml cans and launched a new flavor, Strawberry Margarita. (Link)
SPIRITS: Belgian organic gin producers, Arduenna have produced No Alcohol a spirit drawn from mirabelle plum, fir and elderflower. (Link)
SUBSCRIPTION BOX
ModSub: Raising The Bar was born from the idea of making it easy for people to craft fantastic nonalcoholic cocktails right in their own homes.
Every month, Abbie and Devin Romaul design cocktail kits that are shipped to subscribers nationwide. Each box contains a recipe card and quality ingredients that aspiring mixologists can use to create two different cocktails. Additionally, a ready-to-drink canned cocktail is included, and the entire kit promises over 10 drinks, though my current kit makes about 16!
Abbie develops a new theme that ties all three drinks together, inspired by the ever-expanding NA scene and its innovative products. Her recipes are mostly developed from a vast library of ingredients accumulated over years of testing, occasionally taking cues from the brands she collaborates with.
Unlike meal subscription boxes where you choose your dishes, you have no idea what you are going to get until the Raising the Bar kit arrives. It’s like a NA birthday surprise every month.
What you can be guaranteed of, though, are high-quality ingredients and just as importantly, simplicity. The two cocktails I made from the box were very easy to make, and outside of a simple syrup and a tea that needs to be brewed, you can assemble these cocktails within a minute or two.
Raising the Bar’s mission is to provide you with the tools and confidence to create great-tasting, non-alcoholic cocktails at home, allowing you to sample a variety of different drinks throughout the year and enabling you to build a catalogue of cocktails you can draw from. Much like this newsletter, it’s a nudge in the back to explore the huge range of drinks that are now on the market and to feel emboldened to create.
3 Month: $65 / box (plus shipping)
6 Month: $63 / box (plus shipping)
12 Month: $60.75 / box (plus shipping)
One-time boxes and gift certificates also available.
Recent boxes:
COCKTAIL
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Raising the Bar instructions: In a shaker combine Cut Above Mezcal, lemon juice and honey simple syrup. Shake vigourously for 30 seconds. Add ice to shaker and shake again, until outside of tin is chilled. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with a piece of honeycomb. Prefer your drink more tart or sweeter? Adjust the ratio of lemon juice or honey syrup.
The ModSub: One of the things I was most excited about when I popped the lid on the Raising the Bar cocktail kit was the inclusion of not one but two sample bottles from Cut Above. They have long been on my list of spirits to try, given how highly regarded they are in NA circles, so it was a treat to see their Mezcal and Agave Blanco included.
The Smokeshow is a simple three-ingredient cocktail you can proudly show off at any gathering, with the added bonus that your impressed guests would be none the wiser about how easy it was to pull together. Honey syrup and lemon are equally matched, the sweet and sour embrace complementing the mezcal, with its characteristic smokiness billowing throughout each sip.
Bold yet never overwhelming, as any good mezcal cocktail should be, the Smokeshow is an impressive showstopper and I'll say it one more time: It's stupidly easy to make.
COCKTAIL
Origin: California | Serving: 12 fl.oz. |
The ModSub thoughts: Not so much in the smoky vein, but a fun RTD to try out nonetheless, and as I happen to be by the beach in California while typing this, it feels like the right drink at the right time.
The Improv Mai Tai is pretty much what it says on the can: It’s chock-full of tropical flavor, a hint of rum and grounded by the almond of presumably orgeat syrup.
If there’s one minor gripe, it's the lack of rum flavor. If I were at home, I might have added a shot of NA rum to give the spirit flavor a wee bit of a boost. But that’s a personal preference.
However, sitting at a beach bar, watching the waves roll in and the sun start to head down, I’ll be more than happy to order a second one of these.
COCKTAIL
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Raising the Bar instructions: Combine tart cherry juice and tea in a wine glass. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Add a lemon twist for extra zest, if desired.
The ModSub thoughts: This one was the surprise of the trio for me. A light red wine alternative, sweet from the combination of cherry and black tea, and finishing with the characteristic smokiness that Lapsang Souchong brings to the table. Arguably, both ingredients on their own are an acquired taste. Together, they create a harmony that is delightful.
I’m looking forward to playing around with this recipe and making some tweaks. For instance, the addition of lemon shifted the drink’s course by a couple of degrees, and it will be fun to see where other ingredients could take this drink.
Given its simplicity, much like the Lady Grey and Tonic I wrote about a few months back, this would be a fabulous drink to pull out of your back pocket at your next dinner party.
What’s in the guide and how does it help people?
30-page ebook
Tips on the three mental hurdles to overcome to set yourself up for success as you substitute alcoholic drinks for non-alcoholic alternatives.
Pointers on where to find NA drinks - short answer: lots of places - this will show you where to look.
50+ beverage companies showcasing non-alc beers, wines, spirits and ready-to-drink cocktails - including links to explore, purchase and find locally.
Three additional resources for finding bars, restaurants, breweries and bottle shops that sell or serve NA drinks when you are out on the town or travelling.
Where can I get the guide?
You can download the guide here.
It is a free resource. But if you would like to support this endeavor, there is a “pay-what-you-can” feature to set the price you'd like to contribute—your support is truly appreciated.
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