The non-alcoholic movement has taken social media by a storm in recent years, and while there’s nothing wrong with an occasional alcoholic beverage, we love that there are more options for folks interested in exploring the alcohol-free movement. For women in menopause, this can be a great choice, as the relationship between alcohol and menopause can be, well…complicated.
For one, our alcohol tolerance as women may decrease as we age — which could explain why two glasses of wine hits differently at 50 than it did at 25. Like too many areas of women’s health, the relationship between alcohol tolerance and menopause is understudied, but many women report this effect anecdotally. Plus, alcohol may exacerbate symptoms like hot flashes/night sweats, weight gain, and sleep issues.
Fortunately, that doesn’t mean we have to say goodbye to the ritual of a fun drink. We put together a list of our favorite alcohol-alternative beverages, including recipes from the Elektra team.
Ritual Non-Alcoholic Gin Alternative
The G&T is a classic for a reason, and we know we’re coming in *hot* with this N/A version as our first pick…but take it from us that Ritual’s zero proof gin actually pulls its weight in terms of taste and that gin bite we love.
Monday’s Mezcal might be alcohol-free, but trust us when we say it delivers on the smoke, florals, and heat we love about mezcal. Mix yourself up a paloma, sunrise, or good ol’ margarita with this small-batch anti-booze.
We love a nice glass of rosé as much next as the next gal(s), but for the nights we want to stay booze-free, this N/A version from De Soi does the trick. It’s tart, earthy, and balanced — plus it’s made with adaptogenic lion’s mane and reishi mushrooms, so you get a nice buzz, alcohol-free.
Summer might almost be over but we’re not ready to give up our Spritz’ just yet, and this alcohol-free apéritif gives us the perfect excuse to keep sipping. It’s bright, botanical, and *just* bitter enough to enable our Amalfi Coast vacay fantasies.
Curious No. 6 Coconut Pineapple Painkiller
Coconut, citrus fruit, chicory root, oat milk, and lemon balm are hard at work in this N/A painkiller recipe to deliver a bright, zero-proof version of our favorite tropical cocktail. Its canned packaging makes it a great choice for picnics and beach days.
Elektra Originals
Jannine’s Pomegranate Fizz
Elektra CEO Jannine Versi has been loving this zingy ginger pomegranate fizz for an evening beverage.
Ingredients:
1 cup pomegranate juice
2 tsp grated ginger
Seltzer water
Peel and grate ginger, and combine with pomegranate juice and ice in a cocktail shaker. Mix until frothy. Strain into glass and top with seltzer water.
For an extra ginger-y version, swap seltzer for ginger beer!
Serves 4
Caitlin’s Blueberry Limeade
Product Manager Caitlin Klauer has been mixing up this blueberry limeade all summer long — it’s refreshing, bright, and makes for a great batch cocktail.
Ingredients:
Juice of 10-15 limes
Blueberry simple syrup:
1 container of blueberries
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of water
Place blueberries, sugar, and water in a small pot and let simmer at a low temp until mixture starts bubbling and becoming fragrant. Squish the blueberries and let simmer for another 30 min for extra flavor. Pour syrup through a mesh strainer into a glass bottle. Let cool at room temp and then mix with lime juice over ice.
Serves 12 (with extra simple syrup)
