NAN

Non-alcoholic News my Nan would approve of!

• 🍺 BEER: Always excited to hear about a new release from Untitled Art. They just put out a Grapefruit Radler. (Link) 🇺🇸

• 🍹COCKTAILS: New kids on the block A Mockery Mocktails have debuted four cocktails; Spiced Mangorita, Watermelon Tartquila, Old Lemony Lav and Berry Good Bramble. (Link) 🇺🇸

• 💦 HOP WATER: Daypack Apricot Peach is the a new hop water from Athletic Brewing. (Link) 🇺🇸

• 🍹 COCKTAILS: Negroni, Whiskey Sour and Old Fashioned are the three new RTD cocktails from Minnesota’s Per Se. (Link) 🇺🇸

• 🍺 BEER: Another small batch release from Uncool Brewing. Get the Spicy Soberita while stocks last. (Link) 🇺🇸

• 🍷 WINE: London’s Amie have put out their first wine with the release of Amie Non-Alc, a sparkling rosé. (Link) 🇬🇧

• 🍷 WINE: Nova Zero has just been launched by Nova Scotia’s Benjamin Bridge winery. (Link) 🇨🇦

ON THE BAR

In each edition of The Modern Substitute, ON THE BAR focuses on three drinks you should be on the look out for. We’ll give you a quick rundown of our thoughts on the drink, who makes it, where to buy it or, in the case of mocktails, how to make it.

Please note: due to popularity or limited runs, some drinks may be out of stock - please check with the beverage companies for updates.

PROXIES - SPARKLING ROSÉ

• Ontario, Canada

• Calories: 40

• Sugar: 8g

• Serving: 8.45 fl.oz.

• ABV: 0%

• Buy: drinkproxies.com • widely available online

• Price: $33.00 (6-pack)

The ModSub thoughts: While wineries across the globe grapple with how to produce alcohol-free wine that will appeal to an ever-growing audience, some companies are approaching it from a different angle.

Rather than following the path of de-alcoholization, a handful of companies are building their “wines” from scratch. Some are aiming to mimic more traditional and popular wine styles, while others are creating something completely unique.

One such company, Proxies, has a mission to create extraordinary alternatives to traditional wines, designed to be paired with food. This reimagining of what it means to experience wine has given them carte blanche to create essentially whatever they want.

Sure, almost every one of their recipes features a grape variety or verjus, but it is just one component of many that make up Proxies' exciting line of wine alternatives. Teas create body and tannin, citrus and vinegars encourage acidity, spices and herbs emulate terroir, and of course, fruit drives the flavor. They are free to experiment with pretty much anything they can find.

Take the Sparkling Rosé, for instance—because that’s what I have in front of me—a delicious blend of Riesling grape, strawberry, black currant, lemon, lime zest, pomegranate, vanilla, lavender and white peony tea. Yes, I copied that word-for-word directly from Proxies’ website because that collection of ingredients all put together in one sentence sounds pretty amazing. In a glass, let me tell you, it’s quite sublime.

It’s this type of innovation that truly excites me about the adult non-alcoholic beverage industry, where experimentation is leading us to entirely new experiences. Where a hard and fast definition of a drinks category is no longer confined to hundreds of years of traditional crafting and new interpretations, like Proxies, are proudly finding their place on the menus of many of the most prestigious restaurants in the country.

Old and new both undoubtedly have their place. But let’s be honest, sometimes new is way more exciting. 

Proxies currently sell a core line of full size bottles and three single serve cans. They also regularly collaborate with winemakers, sommeliers and restaurant owners to create highly sought-after limited runs.

How does Proxies describe their Sparkling Rosé: Our best-reviewed product ever, these single-serve, portable Proxies are back in slim can 6-packs. A crisp and crushable combo of Riesling and red fruit, this bright blend is the rosé you actually can—and want to—drink all year long.

Learn more about Proxies at drinkproxies.com

(PARENTHESES)

• New York, NY

• Calories: Unknown

• Sugar: Unknown

• Serving: 12.7 fl.oz. (1-1.5 fl.oz. per individual serving)

• ABV: 0.5%

• Buy: drinkparentheses.com • also avilable at the following bottle shops: Spirited Away, Minus Moonshine, Dray Drinks, Beyond The Bar, More Or Less, Dry Cellar and Hopscotch.

• Price: $27.00

The ModSub thoughts: One of the busiest people in the non-alcoholic drinks scene is Tawny Lara. Author of Dry Humping and the newsletter Beyond Liquid Courage, co-author of The Sobriety Deck, and co-host of the Recovery Rocks podcast. She has somehow found time between writing and podcasting to start (parentheses), a vinegar-based botanical spirit company. Her partner in this new venture is husband, Nick Mechak, a sommelier and owner of the artisanal cooking vinegar company, Sour Humanoid.

As a former whiskey drinker, Tawny found that nothing on the adult non-alcoholic market was packing the same punch she was used to. Along with her husband, she got to work creating something that filled that vacuum. Leaning on all the knowledge Nick had acquired from building his cooking vinegar business, they began to experiment.

There are, of course, a wealth of drinking vinegars, also known as shrubs, already out there. Virtually all of them made with apple cider vinegar, fruit and sugar, delivering a drink that tempers the sour and tart flavors, and sweetening the drinks to appeal to a wide audience. They have their place—I’m personally a big fan—but that’s not what (parentheses) was aiming for.

They researched traditional herbal medicine, with kelp vinegar replacing apple cider vinegar to embold the base flavor. Botanicals were grouped together and infused, and additional natural flavors introduced to create balance.

What the couple emerged with was a strong sipping spirit with layers of flavor individually revealing themselves as they coat your tastebuds, lingering before they dissipate with as much noise as they entered with. It is as complex as it is punchy, and boy is it punchy.

That’s how it is neat (see below). Much like any quality spirit though, it not only plays a role on the rocks but perhaps blossoms as much if not more as the base for a cocktail. The recipes from Third Place Bar, were outstanding, bringing out different characteristics from each spirit. I’ll say it one more time—they were outstanding. 

(parentheses) is beautifully brazen.

BEFORE

Neat (notes): Floral on the way in, bitter on the way out with a gentle burn in the throat as it goes down. Grapefruit, herbal, peppery.

With Novara (notes): Tones down the sourness from the vinegar, adds a little sweetness while increasing the bitterness and herbiness. Less of a peppery exit too. This was absolutely lovely.

Breakfast Sour (notes): The orange from the marmalade is emboldened by the vinegar with the botanicals taking more of a back seat. The sichuan pepper is last to leave and mixed with vinegar aftertaste it’s a delightfully breathy exit. Impressive is an understatement.

How does (parentheses) describe Before: Take a deep breath and enjoy this botanical beverage. The herbs in this drink have been traditionally used to stimulate the senses or prepare one's palate for a meal. Enjoy neat, with your favorite tincture, over ice, with a splash of soda, or in a cocktail. Great with salty snacks, fried appetizers, mild cheese, and more. Sip slowly and mindfully.

AFTER

Neat (notes): There’s a real woody earthiness to the elevated sourness. It brings to mind the peat of some whiskeys. Not becuase it is trying to mimic the flavor but it will likely cause similar division. You’ll either love or you won’t.

Honey Spritz (notes): For me, adding After to this cocktail was the highlight of the entire (parentheses) journey. The mix of honey syrup and citrus (I confess adding a grapefruit twist) with the botanicals, orange bitters and just a hint of the vinegar, resulted in one of the best cocktails I have had this year. Fantastic!

How does (parentheses) describe After: Unwind from the grind with this botanical beverage. The herbs in this drink have been traditionally used to calm the nerves and aid digestion. Enjoy neat, with your favorite tincture, over ice, with a splash of soda, or in a cocktail. Great with dark chocolate, roasted nuts, strong cheese, and more. Sip slowly and mindfully.

Learn more about (parentheses) at drinkparentheses.com