The Lemon and Pepper

MODSUB#87

Wotcha!

I’ve been staring at my bedroom ceiling for three days, in between fever dreams about which drinks I would share with you this week.

Head colds are irritating.

Anyway here are some fab drinks to enjoy this week.

Cheers, Myles

In this week’s edition:

NAN
New NA Drink News

SPIRIT
Aplós - Arise

BEER
Blue Moon - Non-Alcoholic Belgian White

Read time: 4 minutes 56 seconds

NAN
New Non-Alcoholic Drink News

NORTH AMERICA

• BEER: Bend, Oregon’s Crux Fermentation Project added Bright Skies Pils to their line-up of non-alcoholic beers. (Link)

• FUNCTIONAL BEER: Float House, out of Connecticut, debuted THC Lite and THC IPA. (Link)

• FUNCTIONAL COCKTAIL: Also in the low-dose THC realm, Virginia’s Bingo Beer Company launched High Score to debut two THC cocktails—Grapefruit Paloma and Ginger Mule. (Link)

• COCKTAIL: Molson Coors are distributing Australia’s Naked Life’s range of five non-alcoholic cocktails in the U.S. (Link)

WORLDWIDE

• BEER: Over in the UK, Days Brewing has a brand new recipe for their Lager. (Link)

• COCKTAIL: As if last week’s Ottolenghi collab wasn’t enough excitement for one month, Botivo have just announced another new product. This time it’s a ready-to-drink Sparkling Botanical Aperitivo. (Link)

From our sponsor

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Masters of Ceremony are Sam Bail, founder of Third Place Bar, and Laura Silverman, founder of Zero Proof Nation, and the panel of judges are industry experts. 

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SPIRIT

The ModSub thoughts: They say time flies when you're having fun. So perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised to find out I had written about Aplós Calme some 14 months ago. It feels like just a few weeks back. Since then, the Florida-based non-alcoholic spirits company have been busy launching four ready-to-drink cocktails featuring their functional spirits.

All this to say: It’s high time I took a look at Aplós Arise and play around with the recipe collection from this premium spirit maker. I’ve heard good things—let’s dig in.

Neat
Much like Calme, Arise is more than acceptable sipped neat. On the nose, the lemon verbena is powerful—not a million miles from cracking open a bottle of limoncello. But once you take your first sip, you’re in a whole different ballgame. The lemon is joined by a host of botanicals, creating a herbal mid-range that’s both bitter and sweet. Then comes the addition of Black Sarawak, a bold black peppercorn grown in Malaysia. It far from overpowers the drink, but it definitely delivers a hefty kick. I coughed a couple of times as the pepper worked its magic. It’s a wonderful addition, and when all the ingredients come together, the finish is strikingly reminiscent of that warm, breathy aftertaste you get from sipping regular spirits neat. Definitely one to add to the sipping list.

Aplós & Grapefruit
Delightfully refreshing, Aplós & Grapefruit is a delicious spritz-like cocktail. It takes seconds to make and will win over those of you who prefer your cocktails on the less-sweet side. The lemon and grapefruit don’t jostle for attention; they simply shine in each other’s presence. Add in a bit of herbal bitterness and the ever-present peppery tingle, and you’ve got yourself a 4 o’clock cocktail that few will turn their nose up at.

Later-in-Life Friends
Intriguingly named and beautifully photographed on the Aplós website, I couldn’t resist making this one. Are heading to the beach with friends in the next few months? You might want to pre-make a batch of Later-in-Life Friends and surprise everyone as the sun goes down. If a Pineapple Mint Caipirinha had a fling with a Grilled Pineapple Mojito, you’d probably end up with this cocktail. It’s a little sweet—but nothing you’ll regret—thanks to the lime juice and the spirit, which give the drink a fine balance. The combination of ingredients also tempers the strength of the pepper, leaving just the slightest trace on the finish. 

I could have spent all day making these recipes, and now I’m even more excited to track down the RTDs, which I’ve yet to try. Go find yourself a bottle of Arise. You’ll have a lot of fun with it.

How does Aplós describe Arise: A bold blend of citrus and herbal botanicals is infused with our proprietary blend of adaptogens to create a spirit that stimulates and elevates without the negative effects of alcohol. Serve alongside lively conversation or celebration.

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BEER

The ModSub thoughts: The story goes that Blue Moon Belgium White was originally named Bellyside Wit until someone amongst the beer's legion of fans in the basement of Coors Field exclaimed, “A beer this good only comes around once in a blue moon,” and the rest, as they say … well, you know.

Once in a blue moon? Well, now twice. To say that Blue Moon Non-Alcoholic Belgian White has knocked it out of the park with this NA version of their flagship beer is an understatement of the tallest order.

I know I can get enthusiastic about these drinks, but holy heck, this is about as close to NA beer perfection as I think it’s possible to get. And I’m not really even a huge fan of Belgian-style beers.

But this. This, is something else. Beautifully smooth, a perfect balance of spice (coriander) and citrus (Valencia orange peel), a little malty at the backend, and just a hint of bitterness on the way out. Some may find it a little sweet, but hey, there’s always a little room for some sweetness in our lives.

I don’t usually give any of these drinks a rating, but I’ll make an exception for this. 10/10.

How Blue Moon describes Belgian White Non-Alcoholic: A balanced and refreshing non-alcoholic Belgian-style wheat brew, crafted with Valencia orange peel and coriander

COMMENTS
Share Your Thoughts

Let’s get the conversation going. Hit REPLY to share your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Have you had any 10/10 non-alc drinks recently you could share with the ModSub community?

2. It’s a bummer we can’t get Botivo over here in the U.S. (yet) but they have been on quite the roll lately. What other brands are nailing it in 2025?

3. Have you tried Blue Moon NA Belgian White? How do you think it compares with the original?

4. Are their any favorite cocktails you’d like to see a non-alcoholic version of?

Have other questions? Let me know. Hit REPLY.

READS
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