There’s never been a better time to be a non-drinker.
Julia Bainbridge, American writer and editor specializing in the food and beverage industry, very popular in the USA, has just published a book entitled “Good Drinks: Alcohol-Free Recipes for When You’re Not Drinking for Whatever Reason.”
On the occasion of its publication, Julia has given an interview to Jess Mayhugh of the American magazine thrillist in its online version in which she explains her experiences with non-alcoholic beverages and opens up about her own complicated relationship with alcohol.
The book obviously includes recipes for some of the most delicious non-alcoholic beverages and is structured by level of difficulty and time of day. Like any good cocktail book, there are tips on tools and techniques — with special sections dedicated to ice, glassware, and syrups.
“People deserve to have something that is a level up from juice or fizzy water.”
The author says that she has felt “so privileged to pursue something in my work life that I’m dealing with personally. It’s not the first non-alcoholic book to ever exist, but I wanted to capitalize on the innovation and energy I was seeing.” at this time in the non-alcoholic sector.
As a former editor at Bon Appétit, Bainbridge is no stranger to the importance of recipe testing, and she felt a special kind of obligation to ensure that these were the most well-balanced drinks they could be — to prove that non-alcoholic creations were, in fact, good drinks.
Even more important in her mind was to provide an elegant resource for those choosing to abstain from alcohol, especially at a time when dependencies might be heightened due to COVID-19 stress
Normalize the consumption of non-alcoholic beverages
Her goal, like that of The Blue Dolphin Store, is to normalize the consumption of dealcoholized beverages and that “eventually, people can feel ok ordering non-alcoholic drinks no matter the time of year. Calling these drinks cocktails and not placing them on the back of a menu in the corner because that has a psychological impact — that’s a good start.”
Bainbridge has realizes that there are countless reasons people don’t drink and an equal amount of false assumptions — whether it’s that a woman must be pregnant, or someone is labeled as straight edge or in the program. “It’s not as black and white as you’re an alcoholic or you’re not,” she says. “But I believe there’s never been a better time to be a non-drinker. The more these products come onto the market and are legitimately delicious, this whole thing becomes easier to discuss.”
She points to non-alcoholic brands like Athletic Brewing Company and Seedlip (which you can find in our online store), books like Zero Proof by Elva Ramirez, and NA cocktails at spots like The Aviary in Chicago as promising signs.
The article ends by pointing out that “sometimes it’s just one drink that can change people’s minds. Bainbridge still remembers the “aha” moment she had at Tribeca restaurant Atera five years ago when she tried the Cham-Pine: “It was the first non-alcoholic thing I had that tasted adult and wasn’t syrup and soda with a stripey straw sticking out of the glass”.
“People deserve to have something that is a level up from juice or fizzy water. This has been kind of a revolutionary undertaking — gathering these recipes and just simply calling them drinks.”Amen.
If you want to read the full article, click here.
