Two Founders, Two Drinks, One Solution

MODSUB#58

Wotcha!

Monday is my birthday.

57 times around the sun. 

You know what would be a SUPER COOL BIRTHDAY GIFT 🎁? 

To wake up on Monday morning to a notification from my email platform informing me, I have 57 new subscribers! 

So … want to help make my birthday start off with a “Wahoo!"

Click the “letter” icon (✉️) on the right side just above this section. It will open up your email so you can forward it to friend or family member. Easy peasy!

Go on, make an old bloke happy. 

Okay, onto this week’s drinks!

In this week’s edition:

NAN
New NA Drink News

SPIRIT
Dr Zero Zero - Amarno

BEER
Atmosphere - 0.0 Pils

Read time: 6 minutes 22 seconds

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NAN
New NA Drink News

NORTH AMERICA

• COCKTAIL: Here’s a very special message regarding HUGS from The Free Spirit Company. (Link)

• BEER: Oskar Blues Brewery has a new Designated Dales NA Pils coming out this month. (Link)

• WINE: Spain’s Raventós Codorníu wine group is launching a Rosado and a Blanco from the Raimat winery in Catalonia. (Link)

• WINE: Good Twin are soon to be debuting their Sparkling Blanc. (Link)

• BEER: Canada’s Collective Arts have a limited release Good Time Gin & Tonic available exclusively through Well.ca. (Link)

• COCKTAIL: There’s a holiday theme to De Soi’s new limited edition seasonal release—St. Moritz Mule. The classic Moscow Mule gets all cozy with pomegranate, cranberry, ginger and rosemary. Well Happy Holidays to me!  (Link)

• BEER: Exciting news for Good Time Brewing fans. They just announced they’ve been hard at work creating a PILS and it is now ready for you try. (Link)

• BEER: Uncool Brewing has been a little quiet lately but they are celebrating pumpkin season with the release of a new Chocolate Peanut Butter Pumpkin beer. (Link)

• WINE: I’m excited to try this new one from SOVI, bringing their popular Free Spirited Red Blend featuring a blend of Tempranillo, Petite Sirah and Merlot, from bottle to single-serve can. (Link).

WORLDWIDE

• SPIRIT: Not strictly a new drink but Crossip has created something I wish other NA spirit manufacturers would consider. They have just announced a £5 sample pack of their 4 spirits - Fresh Citrus, Dandy Smoke, Pure Hibiscus and Blazing Pineapple for people to try before committing to a full bottle. Bravo! (Link)

SPIRIT

ModSub: I’m always filled with a deep sense of excitement when I head back to my native England. Seeing family and friends, catching a few football matches, savoring a Cornish pasty from the local bakery and walking in the Somerset countryside—it’s a checklist I go through with every visit. These rituals help ground me as an Englishman who has spent decades in America.

In recent years, as I’ve embarked on this sober journey and discovered a world of non-alcoholic drinks, I’ve added new items to that list. Now, when I hop on a plane back across the pond, my mind is filled with all the fabulous drinks I might find. 

When I planned my visit to Club Soda in London this past May, I made sure to leave a bottle-sized space in my luggage for something special I couldn’t easily find back in the Pacific Northwest. I expected it to be tricky to choose, given the abundance of quality drinks available in the UK.

As I browsed the shelves at the Drury Lane store, it took me all of 30 seconds to make up my mind. You may recall that I was just getting into the world of Italian cocktails and aperitifs—especially those on the bitter end of the spectrum—when I decided to give up alcohol. So, when I came across Dr. Zero Zero’s AmarNo, it instantly caught my attention.

The bottle itself will likely grab your attention too. It is, quite honestly, gorgeous. The drink is pretty stunning too. Let’s pause for a second, though. If you’re not too familiar with what an Amaro is, I won’t go into lengthy explanations. Just watch Coach Vino give his take, though note that he discusses alcoholic brands.

AmarNo is made in Trieste, Italy though the founder and the original concept to make it, comes from Alessandro Cozzi and his family in Brooklyn, New York. While other Amaro spirits like The Pathfinder lean slightly more to the sweeter side of the palate, Dr. Zero Zero heads the other way toward bitterness. Warm, earthy and herbal, the orange and rhubarb embracing in their roles of opposites attracting, the wormwood taking the baton and running for the finish line. It is ... perfect. 

As I type away at this, I’ve been digging into the handful of cocktail recipes on Dr. Zero Zero’s site. The Fixer Upper is a Amaro-ginger beer-coffee treat which is both easy to make and extremely hard to not guzzle. While slightly more involved, The Stresa Sour was a cocktail worthy of inclusion on any quality drinks menu and while I didn’t get to the somewhat unusual Buongiorno recipe, my imagination has already given the cocktail full approval. 

You’ll have to forgive me. This recommendation got quite lengthy. Sometimes though the good ones need a little extra time to savor. Bello.

How does Dr. Zero Zero describe their AmarNo: Introducing AmarNo, the Non Alcoholic evolution of Italy’s traditional Amari. For centuries Italians have appreciated the flavor and digestive properties of bitter herbs, the key ingredients of the Amaros. AmarNo contains extracts of sage, Chinese Rhubarb, wormwood, and quassia, considered by many as digestive stimulants as well as tonics benefitting energy levels. An exquisite after-dinner botanical bitter, crafted by master “Amarologists” in Italy, yet without the alcohol content of other Amari and is an ideal complementary component to creative cocktails.

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BEER

ModSub: I first cracked open a can of Atmosphere 0.0 Pils with a small group of friends outside Autzen Stadium, about an hour before the Oregon Ducks kicked off against Illinois. You know you’re onto something special when there's a collective “oh wow” among the group, and everyone is scanning the can in their hands, trying to figure out what these little masterpieces are.

I don’t claim to know everything about the adult non-alcoholic space, but I’m baffled that this extraordinary beer somehow passed me by. I’m equally mystified as to why there isn’t more talk about this Pils, why I’m not seeing it in every store that sells NA beer, and why it’s not making those “10 NA Beers You’ll Actually Like” articles that pop up periodically.

Atmosphere Brewing was started by Jonathan “Johnny Atmosphere” Zimmerman in Brooklyn, New York. Sometime around 2019, he began gravitating toward NA beers for various reasons, and while he liked the few options he could find, he couldn’t find a good Pilsner, especially one that was 0.0%. So, he decided to make his own.

After failed attempts to find someone to brew his Pilsner in the States, he turned to Germany on the advice of a friend. There, he partnered with a 400-year-old brewery and embraced the 16th-century Reinheitsgebot purity laws, which limit ingredients to barley, hops and water.

The result is one of the best NA Pilsners I’ve tasted thus far—honestly, as good as any alcoholic Pilsner I remember from before I quit drinking, which wasn’t that long ago. The combination of Herkules and Perle hops delivers a double hit of bitterness, noticeable almost immediately on the front end and lingering long after. A sweet, citrusy and lightly floral maltiness provides a solid backbone to the beer, but it’s the hops and that distinctive bitterness that will leave a lasting impression.

If you’re an NA beer enthusiast and, like me, Atmosphere 0.0 Pils has somehow slipped under your radar, do yourself a favor: Buy some and have your own “oh wow” moment.

How does Atmosphere describe their Pils: A classic Pilsner brewed in a 400-year-old German brewery designed to Brooklyn specs.

🎁 

Okay, back to my birthday!

Before you get to the Reads + Listens section, now is a good time to forward this newsletter to that friend (by clicking the ✉️ at the top of the page) you’ve been thinking about since I asked you to help me out for my birthday.

I’m going to make it even easier for you. I’m going to even give you some copy to cut and paste into the email.

These newsletter take aboout 10 hours to put together each week, it will take you about 30 seconds to forward this. It will mean the world to me.

“Dear XXXX,

I’ve been really enjoying this weekly newsletter aboout non-alcoholic drinks. You should check it out. I think you’d really like it.

Take care/Cheers/Love/Kind regards

YOU”

THANK YOU!

READS + LISTENS
Last Week’s Edition + Other Suggestions

I’ve been really enjoying this podcast from Michelle O’Brien. Here’s a few episode suggestions: Amanda Giles, Jessa Frances, Laura Silverman, Tim Barber and Rebecca Forewood.