Guide to Dry January Options, Part Two
Do you have any idea how MANY options there are out there?
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
Welcome back to a timely series I’m working on - reviews and suggestions for a sober January. There are SO many options in this space now (woot!) that I thought I would try to help narrow it down with the ones I’ve tried and my honest opinion.
Also, I routinely pin products and recipes for “mocktails” on my Pinterest page - you can follow along here. I also have a “Dry January” collection on my ShopMy page if you want to get right down to brass tacks and buy.
You can see the first part in this series here. So far, out of all the NA options I’ve tried that have a “relaxing element” to them, Recess is still the reigning champ. If you want to try that one, best buying options are here:
Recess
Buy a variety 12-pack on Amazon for $30 here
Buy the “Happy Hour Sampler” on the brand’s site for $30 here
Buy the Mood Powder on Amazon - $14 for a pack of ten here
Shop all Recess Mood Powders on the brand’s site here
The next option I tried was the Leilo Kava - my friend Laura told me that was her favorite.
LEILO
Buy a variety 6-pack on Amazon for $35 here
Let’s chat a bit about the star ingredient in these drinks: kava. According to the website, Kava is a plant from the Pacific islands that has been used for centuries as traditional medicine, as well as a social beverage and ceremonial offering. What’s in the drinks is actually Kava Root, ground down. The brand’s blog has an extensive introductory 101 course on kava (to which my PR mind says, “bravo!”), but here are the highlights:
Kava contains active ingredients called kavalactones which interact with the brain, while kava works on the nervous system to achieve that “ahhhhh” relaxation sensation.
There are 18 different kavalactones, but just six of them are the main players. Each of the brand’s flavors feature a unique combination of these main kavalactones, which lead to varying results when drinking, ranging from uplifting to relaxing and sleep aiding.
The brand claims that kava can even be used as an aid to recover from workouts and sore muscles by helping to restore electrolyte balance while dialing back the stress hormones that inevitably surface during more intense physical activity.
I did not read about how the different drinks would have different applications before I tried them, but in writing this post, I did look into each one separately. I wish the website did a slightly better job elaborating on which flavors serve which purpose, but for the most part, it’s pretty subtle. For example, if you navigate to the Pina Colada page, it does say “12 Cans of Pure Relaxation.” So, I’m pretty sure that means this one is for downtime.
The Margarita flavor, on the other hand, is much clearer. It states: “Discover a world of pure relaxation!
Alcohol-Free Relaxation: The classic margarita taste you love, with no alcohol. Powered by Kava: Natural ingredients that promote relaxation, allowing you to unwind while staying fully in the moment.” Easy enough - that one is definitely zoned for calming down. Unfortunately, we didn’t have this flavor to try. Considering that a sour, spicy, salty margarita was my go to beverage back when I drank alcohol, I’m highly considering ordering these to try separately. Will report back if I do so.
The first flavor I tried was Pina Colada. This was a tactical error, because … I don’t like Pina Coladas (or getting caught in the rain, honestly). The taste was not good (for me - my husband said it was fine), but I did immediately feel much more relaxed. The other flavors I tried were better, but none of them were as good as the taste of Recess. This is great news, in my opinion, because these are more expensive than Recess anyway! My favorite out of the pack we had was the Tango Berry, but I would also love to taste the Blackberry Orange. Laura got that one, but it sounded good to me!
Overall impression: REALLY recommend these. Relaxing and tasty (for the most part). I would like to test more flavors to find my “go to,” but I would absolutely buy these again and sip on them for the relaxation benefits.
Now - for some non magic drinks without relaxation properties.
Hella Cocktails
Shop Hella Cocktails on Amazon - $13 for a 4-pack here
This brand sells both alcoholic canned cocktails AND nonalcoholic options, so if you’re hosting an event with mixed company in that regard, it could be a good option to get some of each all in one order.
The bummer about this option (at least, compared to the others I’ve been reviewing) is that there are no magical relaxation qualities to enjoy. This is simply a tasty treat to provide a little punch in your glass if you are choosing not to partake in alcoholic beverages (though you could easily take this can and mix it with alcohol as well, according to the label on the can).
The brand makes a few bonus health claims - that the drink can support healthy digestion - easing gas, bloating and indigestion, based on the botanicals featured on the ingredient label (Clove, Allspice, Rose Hips, Star Anise, Chamomile, Gentian Root, Black Peppercorn, Caraway and Cinnamon Sticks). This is not an area I generally struggle with (let me tell you about how much I love fiber), so I didn’t notice anything along these lines, but that doesn’t mean others wouldn’t.
How does it taste? It’s not my fave. I never REALLY liked bitters that much even when I drank cocktails, so isolating the flavor in its own can wasn’t bound to be a huge hit for me. My husband likes the taste and I find it to be tolerable, but for my money, I’d rather just have a club soda or Olipop than one of these. At the very least, they are low calorie and have zero sugar, so I’m not completely opposed to drinking them. I would just rather spend my money elsewhere.
Betty Buzz
Shop Betty Buzz on Amazon - $35 for a 12-pack here
This brand comes to us from the celebrity you either love or hate right now (at least, if you’re paying attention to the headlines in entertainment news) - Blake Lively. The premise is that we should all be paying equal attention to the quality of our beverages as we do our food. That’s a sentiment I can get behind (which is why usually what I consume throughout the day is plain old filtered water). The flavor we had to test was Sparkling Lemon Lime - the ingredients for this one are:Carbonated Water, Agave Syrup, Lime Juice, Meyer Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavors and Sea Salt. No artificial colors or sweeteners. One thing I’ll say right off the bat is that I have been warned repeatedly about “natural flavors.” If you’re morbidly curious about how this term might relate to “eating beaver butt,” please check out this article/video from Food Babe. But, of course, I make exceptions to heeding this warning all the time (especially when I’m cheaping out on my club soda purchase because it’s on sale), so I tried the drink anyway.
The taste is solid - natural lime flavor - not that “fake” lime taste you might get with certain club sodas as referenced above. It’s not as fizzy as a canned club soda either - more like slightly carbonated, fresh squeezed lime juice. Which is all fine and good, but again, for me? Not worth the money to purchase these on a regular basis. That being said, I think this brand has other, more interesting flavor options that might be a better use of time and money. I’d love to try Oak Smoked Lemonade, for instance. But other than a fun experimentation, I doubt I’d really dive into these unless I wanted to use them for mocktail mixing with a NA spirit, like Ritual.
More reviews to come, but if you want to do some shopping in the meantime while Dry January is still young …
Shop Ish Mojito Cans - $20 for a 4-pack here
Try Hiyo Social Tonic - $38 for a 12-pack here
Shop Ghia Le Spritz - $24 for a 4-pack here
Get Kowa Mood Boost - $36 for a 12-pack here
Shop Heywell Adaptogenic Water - $46 for a 12-pack here
Try Curious Elixirs Pomegranate Negroni Sbagliato - $49 for 8 servings here
Shop Trip Mindful Blend - $33 for a 12-pack here
Shop Juni Sparkling Adaptogenic Tea - $32 for a 12-pack here
Shop Moment Adaptogen Drink - $40 for a 12-pack here