At the end of 2023 I was looking to learn a new skill, bartending, mixology, making drinks. My liver numbers were good (chronic health condition, always watching) and I like learning new, creative skills. My wish list for that year had a ton of bartending gadgets, gizmos, samplers, and general gear to help me get outfitted for the hobby.

Sometime just before Christmas, I did new bloodwork. Turns out my liver numbers were bad again. Not too bad, but bad enough that I didn't really want to drink except under very special occasions. Then Christmas happened and people were very supportive of my new hobby. What was I gonna do with all this gear? How was I gonna enjoy this hobby if I couldn't drink the final product?

What now?

The answer came to me one night when I was depressed about the investment of time, money and wish list space that I had put into this and was just gonna box it all up (not really something I'm new to. I have ADHD. Hobbies come and go). That answer was non-alcoholic drinks. Some call them mocktails, some call them spirit-free drinks and some just say, non-alcoholic options.

So, I got online and bought some alternatives for spirits I had been using. That was fun and I kept making and learning the drinks everyone knows about but with spirit free alternatives. Some worked better than others, but genuinely still tasty and fun.

But, there is more out there in the realm of NA beverages. There are brands that make non-alcoholic spirits that aren't really based on any existing spirit per se. Instead, they offer an interesting flavor profile. They'll usually have their own drink recipes on their website. But more often than not, I've been taking pictures of menus at restaurants and trying to recreate what I (or my wife) like.

The Lustre

One of the main base ingredients, that I've really loved is Lustre by Wilderton™. It has a wonderful floral flavor and you can drink it by itself (on the rocks anyone?). But it's been easy to mix in recipes without needing to know the exact recipe and it still comes out decent.

The Liveliness

One base ingredient that I haven't done much with is the Livener by Three Spirit™. It's a strong spicy flavor and marketed to be drank to keep you as the life of the party (awake?). I've had some success with some of their recipes on the website, but the strong spice flavor is not my usual cup of tea (BTW, use herbal teas with some of your drinks).

The Experiment

I've grown tired of just making existing recipes and started to do some research on flavor profiles and taste to understand how I might want to think about mixing my own drinks with these ingredients. This led me to the following successful experiment...

The Lustrous Livener

Ingredients

2 oz. Wilderton™ Lustre
1 oz. Three Spirit™ Livener
1/2 oz. Mojito Syrup by Portland Syrups™

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice
Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds
Pour out (you can strain it, but it isn't necessary) into a martini glass (or any glass of similar size)

Voila! A tasty drink with a hint of spice for some kick but really just tasty. But here is this extra bit of fun advice, use any flavored syrup. You can garnish based on the syrup you choose. I got a sampler of syrups from Portland Syrups that I'm still going through. It is a good base for any flavor you want to mix it with. So, try it at home and enjoy.

Non-alcoholic drink experiment: Lustrous Livener