Sober Not Somber Hour

Hello and Happy Tuesday at 4:00, sober, not somber hour. We're going to be cheersing today. Is everybody ready? Hi, I'm Jen Varale and we're going to be talking about all things non alcoholic beverages and mindful drinking over this brief time I have with you. And I chose a little cocktail today that I'm very excited to share with you. It's a company out in New York and the brand is actually Saint Agrestis. A couple of Italian guys who I've talked to and met last year, I think when we first connected and I was like, I love Italy.

Tell me more, tell me how you developed your product. And this one in particular is the phony espresso negroni. So there's actually like 100 milligrams of caffeine in here. Hey, speak wonder. Hey Shannon. Yeah, and it's actually an acquired taste. So today I want to talk about acquired taste with beverages. So chime in if you know, if you are a drinker and you have a favorite beverage that you love, let me know if you have tried some N A products that you really love and were surprised by, let me know that I will tell you my taste.

So I've been sober for 10 years. My taste buds have changed drastically and just something to be aware of. I didn't realize this, but alcohol is ethanol, right? So it has a flavor to it, a taste to it, an aftertaste, a burn that I didn't even realize I was experiencing while drinking. And the reason I distinctly know this is because I was actually gifted from a bartender who, his intentions were fantastic. He wanted to give me a non alcoholic wine and he gave me a bottle of alcoholic wine. And this is also to the kind of idea of the labels, right?

So the labels between alcoholic and non alcoholic products can look so super similar. Like how do you know? I mean under here it says non alcoholic. I didn't have my glasses on. I went to try this gifted wine and thinking it was non alcoholic and this was just last week and I poured myself a big glass of this geese and wine and I thought it was like a, it was a Sauvignon blanc. I thought it was non alcoholic. And I sat down and I had quite a huge sip. I was like, I'm ready for dinner and drinks here and discovered that it was alcoholic.

And I just, the burn and the sensation that I felt was so telling. And my mind immediately went to, this is like tainted, this is like bad wine. Like it went on is that I was so used to the Taste of, you know, ethanol and that burn that you sometimes that you get with alcohol that I didn't even realize how much my taste buds have kind of come back around after 10 years. It tasted toxic to me. So I don't know if any of you have had that. Yeah. Cause the body does not feel good. I can't tell you how many women especially have told me that.

Yeah, I had a glass. One glass of red wine with dinner, and the entire next day, I feel like crap. So there. There's your. Your proof that it's. It's gonna show up. You're gonna pay for the alcohol consumption in one way or another. And mindful drinkers, you could all make that choice. But. Yeah. And speak wonder. Yeah, for sure. Mocktails are stepping up their game. So I'm just gonna pour this because I just like. Oh, I love the sound of it. It's bubbly. And look at this beautiful glass. Look at this beautiful glass.

I had these glasses tucked away in my cupboard for years. And then through divorce, as I'm moving out, I'm like, rediscovered them. And they're from Czechoslovakia. And now, like, in my own apartment, I have all my glassware for all my different na. Cocktails and drinks. And you know what? It's really fun. So this one's gonna get me, like, going again for my second work session of the day. And I will say to this, I just want to highlight some of the different flavor palettes if you are interested in understanding what a Negroni is.

This one happens to be espresso. So there is espresso in it, which is not for everyone. It's a little bit of a stepped up. And then I will say this one, if you like soda, like, for example, Coca Cola, this Amaro Falso is fantastic. It's like a Coca Cola, but not. And I usually pair this, like if I have a burger or something that I typically would want to Coke with. This one's fantastic. I'm not going to open that. And then speaking to acquired tastes, all of these in this line are bitters. So if you are new to not drinking, a lot of people aren't a fan of any bitter flavor.

But as you step away from alcohol and into these more botanical and different varieties, you may find that you actually start to appreciate the bitters more. There's something about it that can really pair with food and just works really well. So this one, however. Has anyone ever had Mezcal? Have you guys had Mezcal? Give it a heart or a Heck yes. If you have this one does not work well with my taste buds. Mezcal, for example, is just one of those flavors where people who dislike it often say it's overpoweringly smoky flavored, it tastes like a campfire, even like gasoline or diesel feel with a bitter or harsh aftertaste.

That's not a, you know, resounding recommendation for me. I just don't like it. But it is also good to be aware if you are starting to sample some new N A products like what's out there and you might not hit it right the first time. Something that you try might be just not a fan favorite. So that was it for me and I happened to have I was gifted these for an event by Saint Agrestis. They sent me a whole box. I love the two varieties but if anyone wants like a dozen or so, phone in a grody Mezcals, hit me up.

I will get them to your door because they are not my favorite. Yeah this one though, I love the bitters so my taste buds have definitely changed and I would encourage you to try some new NA products if you have not been into an NA bottle shop recently and pick some up. The Negroni is, yeah, I would say an acquired taste and it's also fun because most of them are Italian. This one is award winning. They've been in the the game, the N A game since the beginning. So seven or eight years ago I believe they launched.

So yeah, give that a try. It definitely peps up my happy hour. I don't know if I don't think the caffeine from this one is kicked in yet, but if you need a little like happy hour caffeine boost while getting a cocktail, this is a fantastic solution. This hour was just fun. I have no other insights other than to say go and explore the world of NA for your sober, not somber hours. Let me know if you listen to this after if there's any favorites or even or if you have any questions. And I always say it's 5 o'clock somewhere.

We don't even need it to be with Na and Na. Cheers. Have a fantastic evening. Yeah. Tuesday, March 20.