How I Built My Non-Alcoholic Bar

MODSUB#56

Wotcha!

I’m super excited about this week’s newsletter.

There’s a part of me that feels I need to apologize for it being nearly twice the length of a regular edition. However, this interview with Erika Lafata is packed full of so much useful advice, I’m just not going to.

Enjoy!

In this week’s edition:

NAN
New NA Drink News

INTERVIEW
How I Built My Non-Alcoholic Bar
Interview with Erika Lafata

Read time: 10 minutes 59 seconds

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NAN
New NA Drink News

NORTH AMERICA

• BEER: Tom Holland has been all over the news this week after it was announced that he was launching a line of non-alcoholic beers. Bero will initially put out three beers—Kingston Golden Pils, Edgehill Hazy IPA and Noon Wheat. (Link)

• COCKTAIL: What do you get when you mix chocolate with non-alcoholic Negroni? The Non-Alcoholic Phony Cacao Negroni from St. Agrestis that’s what! Available for a limited time. (Link)

• COCKTAIL: She’s Marvelous is the new edition to the Busty Lush family and it sounds fabulous: a hibiscus + chili mezcalita infused with adaptogens! (Link)

• BEER: Coolest can design of week goes to Roaming Nobles who have just launched a Piney IPA in collaboration with the Oregon Agricultural Trust. (Link)

• SPIRITS: Trejos Spirits have added an American Whiskey Alternative to their line of non-alc spirits. (Link)

• COCKTAIL: Lastly, some really exciting news from one of my faves, For Bitter For Worse are making their fantastic Saskatoon available in cans! (Link)

INTERVIEW

How I Built My Non-Alcoholic Bar

In one of the ModSub editions earlier this summer, I featured one of my favorite spirits, Kava Haven. Among the handful of emails I received from readers that weekend, one stood out from Erika Lafata.

She, too, was a huge fan of the spirit and included a photo of her bar cart, with Kava Haven proudly displayed front and center. I was immediately blown away by the sheer size of her spirit collection.

I had to know more. Erika kindly agreed to let me interview her about her journey with non-alcoholic drinks. Whether you're just getting started with NA spirits or looking to expand your bar, there’s some fantastic advice below.

What’s your story and what got you into non-alcoholic spirits? 

I’ve worked in travel for many years; our industry glamorizes alcohol, especially during conferences/events where hotel and other suppliers keep the booze flowing for us buyers. Just the concept of an “all-inclusive resort” itself is based on eating and drinking as much alcohol as someone can consume, because it’s already paid for. Because one of my destinations of expertise is Mexico, I am there a lot for work and I got introduced to their iconic, agave-based spirit, and instead of leaving the nightly habit there, I brought it home with me, and I knew it was getting out of hand for this almost 53-year-old. 

Right before re-evaluating my nightly tequila habit a little over a year ago, I had an incident with a TSA officer at my home airport in Dallas, Texas. I was on auto-pilot going through security when the officer made a comment poking fun at me, saying “Oooh, someone’s starting early on their vacation,” insinuating they smelled alcohol on me. It was 10:00am on a Tuesday! In my mind, it had been 12 hours since my last drink, and I was absolutely mortified to have someone say this to me, but apparently my pores still reeked of tequila. That was my wake-up call.

This embarrassing episode led to my taking a break from alcohol for almost two months, just to see if I could do it. In addition to being borderline diabetic for many years and having fatty liver, my last lab results showed I had even more inflammation in my body than before. I wanted to do this experiment to find out if it was the alcohol causing the inflammation, or something worse.

So in order to satiate my nightly drinking ritual, sans booze, I dove head first into the NA beverage market, and for my personality, that meant googling for hours, days, even weeks; going down endless rabbit holes, learning all I could. But it paid off. My lab results were nothing short of stellar after cutting significantly down on alcohol those two months. I was no longer in the dangerous high glucose zone and inflammation in my body was normal again. My skin looked amazing. My head was clearer. Everything was better … and still is.

Earlier this year, I starting subscribing to any publication I could find about NA alternatives, like your fantastic newsletter, getting recommendations of things to try and learning about this new industry I am so fascinated with. I have tried hundreds of different NA beverages, including mood enhancers with adaptogens, THC and CBD.

You have an enviable collection of spirits on that bar cart. Was there a particular brand or bottle that started it all?

Thank you! Someone told me, “Think about the money you’ll save by not drinking,” but it’s been the opposite for me! I just want to try everything I can get my hands on to be able to share my thoughts/perspective with others looking for alternatives to alcohol, for whatever reason.

I also love sharing pics of my NA cocktails on my socials so my friends and family can see them. It has never been about trying to influence people to quit drinking alcohol; that is a very personal decision and nobody’s business. To me, it’s about having OPTIONS. Having NA spirit alternatives has helped me cut my drinking significantly, by about 80% and I am much healthier for it.

Aplós Calme was the first NA spirit I bought, and then the U Relax brand in pineapple, which is kava. Both worked well for me with the flavor profiles I enjoy and also gave me a relaxed “chill” feeling (especially the kava). This helped greatly to appease that need for tequila because I could make margaritas with both – both brands had easy recipes which were super helpful to this novice mixologist.

Additionally, since the U Relax came in powdered packets, they became my go-to when I traveled. My third purchase was Ritual Tequila Alternative, and it convinced me that I could truly enjoy the flavor and “bite” of tequila without the booze.

Do you have one unique or rare bottle that you aren’t willing to share with anyone?!

Oh gosh, I absolutely love sharing anything I have on hand with friends and family who show interest. I get so giddy about it all!

But here are two that have my heart and would be difficult to part with:

• Botivo. UK-produced botanical apertivo with a rosemary/wormwood/thyme/orange/gentian combination is so my style. There’s no added sugar which is a huge plus!

• Zeronimo Leonis Blend (red). It’s the world’s first 98-point wine to be de-alcoholized. Produced in an Austrian winery, it’s aged two years in French oak. It’s my “special occasion” wine because of the price point, which is warranted. My gosh, can you imagine the winemaker’s stress deciding to de-alcoholize a beautiful 98-point wine? Thankfully it worked, and well!

Any hidden gems that you weren’t expecting to blow you away? 

Yes, for sure!

• Eleven Madison NA Vermouth – To me, it’s the perfect NA vermouth for a dry martini.  

• Tomonotomo – If you like smoky aroma mezcals, specifically Tobala, this is for you. There is absolutely nothing else like it on the NA market that I’m aware of. It has the bite and mouthfeel of a mezcal; I was never a fan of that agave product until this one. You’d never know there was no alcohol in it. It’s distilled in Oaxaca, adding to the authenticity.

• The Pathfinder Hemp & Root – This was never my choice of flavors prior to a year ago, but now I don’t think I could live without it! I get mild anxiety when I am about to run out. It is SO versatile and makes an incredible Negroni.

• Whistlepig Dank & Dry Old Fashioned – The latest NA batch from this iconic Vermont distillery is good on its own, but when you mix it with All the Bitter orange bitters & The Pathfinder … magic.

• Mighty Kind Cannabis Seltzer – Lemon and Peach (10mg THC) – There are tons of these types of drinks out on the market. What blew me away with Mighty Kind is that with some of their flavors, there is no cannabis smell unlike so many out there; it literally tastes like flavored seltzer water to me, with zero sugar.

• Gather Beverage Company – Functional, botanical CBD elixirs for mixing NA cocktails. Their range of products include options with or without CBD. I was able to do a private tasting earlier this year and was blown away by the unique flavor profiles and passionate wellness approach the owners take with each product they’ve created.

• Ariel Cabernet Sauvignon – I saw this at an overstock-type discount home goods store, so had low expectations. I was surprised at how good it was, especially for the low price point.  

If you woke up tomorrow morning and were told you were only allowed to keep three bottles, which ones would they be? 

Free Sprits Spirit of Tequila, Botivo, Kentucky 74 Whiskey – these are all bases from which to build so many great drinks!

What advice would you give to someone who is just starting to explore non-alcoholic spirits and wants to build their own bar? 

• Find a Facebook bartending group to learn more about mixology basics from the pros that do this every day; I love trying to recreate NA versions of classic cocktails (which I knew nothing about until a year ago).

• Follow influencers who have simple but flavorful NA recipes – there are some amazing ones, like Deb Podlogar, (@Mocktail.Mom), Lief Frederick (@TheVariantCo), Derick Santiago (@MocktailWiz), Josh James (@JoshTheNonAlcoholic), Christine Wayne (@OnTheMocks), Chelsea Mitchell (@PresentMindDrinking), just to name a few of my favorites. Support their efforts by purchasing their mocktail recipe books (if they have one).

• Make your own herbal simple syrups and juice your own produce; not only will it be kinder to your pocketbook, but you’ll get the freshest, best results. Dehydrate produce also for garnishments.

• Along that line, If you are mindful of low sugar options, use monkfruit or a bit of agave nectar with a low glycemic index for your syrups.

• Invest in a few pretty drinking glass pieces – a coupe, a martini glass, seasonal glassware – HomeGoods here in the U.S. is great because you can buy just one and not the whole set. They also many times carry NA spirits/wine at a very reduced price.

• If you like the “bite” of balsamic or apple cider vinegar, learn how to make shrubs. Easy and budget-friendly, they can really elevate a drink!

• Must have staples include the entire line of All The Bitter bitters – love supporting someone who is so passionate about the NA space and they have an amazing product with zero alcohol, unlike others.

• Most of the NA spirits are not meant to be served on the rocks or neat, so think of them as a base to build on and learn to embrace mixology. I was a straight tequila drinker and still am shocked at how I’ve expanded my palate to truly enjoy NA versions of classic cocktails.

• Don’t throw away a bottle of NA wine if you don’t like the first sip. Aerate it if you can for bit. No, it’s not going to taste the same as what you used to drink; but try using bitters to enhance the flavor. Thank you, Ian Blessing (a former sommelier at The French Laundry and Opus One Winery) for this amazing tip that really works!

• Add Apothekary Wine Down drops to your NA red wine – it’s an tincture featuring relaxation and sleep-inducing herbal ingredients like poppy, elderberry and L-theanine.

• If you don’t like a bottle of one of your NA spirits, before pouring it out, try infusing it to see if it helps.

Have you noticed any gaps in the non-alcoholic spirits market that you wish more producers would address? 

An agave-based tequila with more spicey notes. There is one celebrity-backed brand with a great mouth-feel, but there is zero “bite” to it, so I always have to infuse it with jalapeno or serrano, depending on how spicy I want it.

I wish more U.S. bourbon distilleries would get on board, de-alcoholizing their spirits to make them NA.

If you could create your own non-alcoholic spirit, what would it taste like? 

I feel like the current crop of NA beverage innovators are doing a fantastic job, and products are getting better and even more sophisticated. For example, I was not a fan at all of Free Spirits Spirit of Tequila. They revamped their recipe, and now it’s as close to a real tequila experience without the alcohol, in my opinion.

It still doesn’t have the mouth feel of agave because it’s basically distilled water with botanicals added, so if I had an opportunity to create one, it would be a 100% agave-based spirit that has a real bite to it that you can enjoy drink neat or on the rocks. I feel like Tomonotomo has successfully done this with mezcal, but I’d love to see it for tequila.

Erika’s current favorite cocktails:

Botivo Sour

1 oz - Botivo apertivo alternative
1 3/4 oz - Wilfred’s Bittersweet Apertivo alternative
1.5 oz - fresh grapefruit juice
¾ oz - ginger syrup
¼ oz - egg white or aquafaba
Garnish: Rosemary sprig, dehydrated grapefruit moon

Dry shake all for 10 seconds, add ice and hard shake another 10. Strain into a coupe glass, garnish with rosemary or dehydrated grapefruit.

Nostra Paloma

2 oz. - Little Saints St. Ember
½ oz - DHŌS Orange non-alcoholic liqueur
½ oz - fresh grapefruit juice
¼ oz - agave nectar
½ oz - fresh lime juice

Rim: Mix Salud Hibiscus Hydration + Immunity packet with edible flower salt (to your taste); brush side of glass with agave and dip/roll to coat part of the glass. Put in freezer to chill until ready to make.

Garnish: Dehydrated orange or grapefruit moon

Add all liquid ingredients to ice-filled cocktail glass and stir for 10 seconds. Garnish with orange or grapefruit.

Green With Envy Margarita

2 oz La Planta tequila alternative 
1.5 oz cucumber-jalapeno juice 
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz non-alcoholic orange sec alternative (like Lyre’s of DHOS)
1/2 to 3/4 oz agave or simple syrup 
Pinch of sea salt

Rim: lime juice and tajin or salt, if that’s your jam. Or not. Add ice. Stick it in the freezer to chill while mixing your beverage.

Garnish: lime wheel or jalapeno/cucumber slices

Pour everything into a shaker including the salt, add ice, and shake shake shake 10-ish seconds until cold. Strain into the glass & garnish.

Erika Lafata is a Sober-ish award-winning Travel Advisor specializing in group travel, is a wannabe-mixologist, & non-alcoholic spirits evangelizer to anyone who’ll listen. She’s passionate about advocating for respectable alcohol-free drink options for those who choose not to drink for whatever reason, whether today, tomorrow or forever.

She’s a married mom to six adult kids, ages 32 to 21 and loves spending time in the coastal areas of Mexico and Gloucester, Massachusetts when she’s not enjoying her backyard oasis in North Texas.

She can be found at www.twoheartstravel.com, on Facebook at @ErikaLafata and Instagram at @TwoHeartsTravelTX

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