I’ll take a half-drink, please.
How going halfsies on your second drink with non-al alternatives boosts your health.
“Last night I went out with some colleagues and drank both a sidecar and a pickleback. This morning my brain was a shriveled cucumber floating in a dead sea of brine,” wrote journalist Ali Francis in an article for Bon Appetit. In her article, Francis calls for people to consider drinking “a cheeky little top off” — ordering a half-drink — before purchasing a second standard-sized cocktail.
Francis brings up some valid concerns. Restaurants don’t have a half-drink menu. People don’t really order things in halves — who buys a shoe and a half? So, Francis leaves her readers with this plea — “Bars and restaurants… pioneer the half menu: the wines, the cocktails, the frozen sangrias. I promise there is a whole untapped market of us halfie-hunters out there.”
Photo Courtesy of CLEARHEADED
BENEFITS OF NON-AL SPIRITS
If your brain is starting to feel like a “shriveled up cucumber in a dead sea of brine” after a night out, you don’t have to double down and buy another drink — just mix your cocktail with non-al spirits. Eventually, you might want to cut out the hangover altogether. But, becoming a ‘a halfie-hunter’ is a great place to start.
When you start using non-al spirits, you’ll of course notice that you feel a little less like you can feel your heartbeat in your head. But, there are some other benefits to going halfsies on your second drink. According to Ritual Zero Proof, a non-al spirit company, “more than two servings for men and one for women decrease sleep quality by a whopping 39.2%. But when you opt for a non-alcoholic alternative like Ritual, you maximize your REM sleep.”
Not only are you slashing the empty calories that come from alcohol when you reduce your intake, but non-al spirits have gut-healing benefits. Ritual Zero Proof, Ghia, Aplós, and more have natural ingredients that not only ditch the hangover, but calm your nerves with hemp, or give you a natural glow with prebiotics. Using a non-al option will give you the energy you need, without taking your energy away from you the next morning.
Photo Courtesy of CLEARHEADED
FOR THE ‘HALFIE-HUNTERS’
Next time you’re contemplating dipping into that second drink — these non-al options will save you from having to stomach a whole second cocktail. These alternatives have your back and taste delicious mixed with or without alcohol to get you a little closer to taking the alcohol off your bar cart altogether.
Akin to Campari, the Spirit of Milano is made with functional ingredients and vitamins that boost your overall wellness and mood, it’s a vibe-lifting, perfectly burnt orange pour.
Ghia is packed with only pure, natural extracts. Potent plants. Heady herbals. Blithe botanicals. Everything inside the bottle was picked because of its completely natural ability to soothe and to stimulate.
Crafted using a reverse distillation process, the spirit removes alcohol content while retaining oils and tannins that honor the taste and feel of bourbon.
Non-alc leader Lyre's gives us a balanced and rich alternative for spiced rum with their alcohol-free Spiced Cane Spirit. It is full-flavored on the palate with high notes of caramel, molasses, and toasted nuts.
Bold, botanical and spicy, sip slowly to pick up on wellness-boosting ingredients: dandelion, lemon balm, bergamot, yerba mate, grape seed and gentian.
Any of these options can help you pioneer the half-drink menu and pioneer mindful drinking the next time you're tempted to order a second glass. They also have natural ingredients that will have you feeling refreshed the next day.
