Driving the Blue Agave

MODSUB#101

Wotcha!

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Last week I hinted that I had a big ask for you. Here it is.

I just hit a milestone: 1,000 subscribers to this newsletter. 🎉

Now I need your help to take it to the next level. If each of you recommended The Modern Substitute to just one person—a friend, a colleague, someone who’d love discovering the latest non-alcoholic drinks—we could double this community to 2,000 by next week.

Here’s why that matters:

• More people discovering drinks they didn’t know existed.

• More proof for beverage companies and sponsors that our community is growing fast.

• And yes—help covering the monthly costs of running this passion project.

• Perhaps most importantly, it gives me the encouragement I need to keep going after last week’s 100th issue and reach 150 editions.

So here’s the simple ask: take 30 seconds to share this newsletter. Forward it, text a link, or tell a friend in person. If you can send it to two or three people, even better.

I’ll report back in the next issue on how we did. Your support keeps this community alive and thriving—and helps more people enjoy the best non-alcoholic options out there.

Thank you 🙏

Myles

P.S. Here’s the link to share

In this week’s edition:

NAN
New NA Drink News

SPIRITS
Almave - Blanco and Āmbar

BEER
Self Care - Freedom Flag Hazy IPA

Read time: 6 minutes 48 seconds

From this week’s sponsor:

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New Non-Alcoholic Drink News

NORTH AMERICA

• FUNCTIONAL BEER: Hot on the heels of their debut, Comma have followed up with a new Citrus Berry Refresher Ale and a Helles Lager Session. (Link)

• WINE: Napa Valley’s Luminara add two new non-alcoholic wines—Napa Valley Sparkling and Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon—to their line. (Link)

• WINE: Argentina’s Domaine EdeM brings Brunette to the U.S. (Link)

• COCKTAIL: A new flavor, Reign, just dropped from Stursi. (Link)

• COCKTAIL: Dirty Martini is the newest cocktail from the ever-innovative SAYSO. (Link)

• LIQUEUR: Italian liqueur brand, Amaretto ADRIATICO has announced the launch of Amaretto ADRIATICO Zero in the U.S. (Link)

WORLDWIDE

• BEER: Over in India, Ironhill Brewery launches Zero Gravity AF. (Link)

• WINE: Italy’s Bottega SPA announces a 20 cl 0 White. (Link)

• LIQUEUR: Bottega SPA have also revealed plans to release Lemon 0.0 Halal, a non-alcoholic version of the brand’s Limoncino. (Link)

SPIRITS

Almave Non-Alcoholic Blue Agave Spirit

ModSub’s thoughts: If you don’t know the background on Almave, here’s the CliffsNotes version. Apologies if I sound rushed but I’m itching to get into making a few of Almave’s cocktails. 

Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton and agave scientist/distiller Dr. Iván Saldaña co-founded Almave, debuting their first two premium non-alcoholic Blue Agave spirits in October 2023. Blanco and Āmbar are crafted from piñas grown in Los Altos, Jalisco. The plant cores are brick-oven cooked, milled, and then distilled multiple times—but not fermented—to capture agave aromas and flavor without creating alcohol. This year, Almave expanded its line with Humo, a more smoke-driven, mezcal-inspired spirit.

Okay, that gets you up to date—now let’s dive into the Almave recipe collection because there are some seriously good-looking cocktails in there!

Āmbar Old Fashioned

I’m always on the hunt for a good non-alcoholic Old Fashioned; though to be fair, I usually lean toward a whiskey version rather than one with tequila. This recipe might just change my mind though. Āmbar neat has a sweet, woody, brown-sugar flavor with a subtle herbal note and an initially gentle spice that slowly warms the palate. Add in agave nectar in place of sugar, keep the dash of bitters, and you have yourself an impressive non-alcoholic take on the classic. Very impressive indeed and a cracking start. 

Golden Afternoon

Next up is another Āmbar cocktail—the Golden Afternoon. I wasn’t sure what to expect of this, but the mix of the warm amber spirit with lemon, honey and ginger sounded delicious—like a chilled tequila Hot Toddy. I could see myself mixing one of these up if I was feeling a little under the weather in summer. Āmbar’s oaky warmth pairs beautifully with honey and lemon, while the ginger juice turns the spice up a notch. Another keeper for sure.

Blanco Margarita

I only had time to make one cocktail from the Blanco bottle, so I went with the Blanco Margarita—because if it can’t hold its own here, it won’t be worth the salt rimming your glass! Luckily, it absolutely does. I tried a quick sip of Blanco neat, and honestly, it wasn’t much to write home about. But Almave makes it clear that Blanco is designed for cocktails, not sipping. I won’t waste your time describing what a Margarita tastes like—you already know—but I will say this is a very solid version that won’t disappoint. I’m looking forward to exploring more of the Blanco recipes in the coming week.

Final thoughts: I had a fun afternoon making cocktails with these two, and all three drinks turned out really well. If you’re building out your non-alcoholic bar cart, you’d be missing out by not including them. Pressed to pick just one? Āmbar!

How Almave describes Blanco: Almave Blanco captures the natural balance between the sweetness, herbaceousness, and acidity to create a character-filled non-alcoholic spirit. The result is a complex expression of pure blue agave flavor. Perfect for mixing in a margarita or your favorite tequila cocktail.

How Almave describes Āmbar: Almave Ámbar has an amber color, with sweetness and body from natural agave, resulting in a non-alcoholic Blue Agave spirit worthy of sipping, or mixed in spirit forward cocktails.

BEER

Self Care - Freak Flag Hazy IPA

ModSub’s thoughts: While I’m a proud advocate for any PNW brewery making non-alcoholic beer, I do have a particular soft spot for Self Care. My affection for them is threefold: First, their craft non-alcoholic beers were among the early ones I tried. Second, they have an indie vibe that just screams fun—from their partnerships with Sub Pop and Bumbershoot to their eye-catching, super-cool can art that leaps off the shelf. And third, most importantly, the beer is just so darn good.

The Olympia, Washington, brewery was started by Nate and Sara Reilly as a subsidiary of their parent brewery, Three Magnets Brewing. Witnessing growing customer demand for non-alcoholic beer firsthand, head brewer Aaron Blonden approached the Reillys about experimenting with NA recipes. They agreed, and in August 2022, Blonden began developing one. By December, their first beer—fittingly named Self Care—was being enthusiastically enjoyed by colleagues. By Dry January, it was already winning over customers on the other side of the bar.

Five years later, Self Care Brewing—borrowing its name from that first creation—is so popular it’s now sold at Lumen Field, home to the Seahawks, the Sounders (boo), and the Reign. They have two flagship beers, Freak Flag Hazy IPA and Scherler Easiest Lager, along with an ever-revolving lineup of one-off brews that rotate throughout the year. Their beers have even drawn the attention of James Beard Award–winning journalist Jordan Michelman, who last year declared Self Care “one of the very best NA breweries in the country, full stop.”

So yeah, it’s pretty darn good.

I had snagged a can of their Totally Fluffed Up IPA after Tyler over at Reducaholic enthusiastically recommended it. When I brought it home, I saw on the brewery’s website it had already sold out. I couldn’t do that to you—so instead I’ll gush about Freak Flag Hazy IPA, because I know you’ll actually be able to find it.

Freak Flag pours a light yellow haze topped with a bright white head. Its lavishly juicy citrus hops flood your palate with punchy tropical fruit—orange, grapefruit, melon and lemon—while the mouthfeel is light, mildly creamy, and finishes with just a hint of bitterness. Honestly, this isn’t a “sip and savor” type of beer; it takes real restraint not to gulp it down in one go.

I’ve yet to have a Self Care beer that wasn’t top notch—and to be honest, there aren’t many breweries I can say that about.

How does Self Care describe Freak Flag Hazy IPA: Freak Flag is one of our two flagship, year-round offerings. The base beer always remains relatively the same (small tweaks here in there to best fit with the hop bill), and the hops are different with each batch, so y'all don't want to miss out! Make sure you're on our email list to get the details every time we drop a new batch!

Note: Self Care now ships to over 40 states.

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