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WHATARE SOME OF YOUR F AVORITE BRANDS THATYOU OFFER WITH SPEAKEASY COCKTAILS ? I ’ m learning all about alcohol substitutes . They ’ re not like those unpleasant , alcohol-free beers of the past . There are delicious products out there .
Athletic Brewing is a brand that makes non-alcoholic beers that replicate regular beer , like an IPA or a stout . There are some imitation wines that are just mixtures of teas and juices . But there are other wines that are made like normal wine and the alcohol gets taken out ; we ’ re more focused on this kind of product . We source from brands that are making complex drinks that provide that adult beverage experience . Something that ’ s better sipped and enjoyed .
“ It ’ s trial and error , because there are so many products out there . I sample all of it . That ’ s really fun . We hope to expand our offerings in the future .
CAN NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS REALLYMAKE YOURELAX IN THE WAYATYPICAL COCKTAIL DOES ? I got really into the art of cocktailmaking
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and the importance of the ritual — taking a moment to myself , getting into a relaxing mental space while making the cocktail , pouring it into afancy glass . Your body is trained to relax through that ritual , like Pavlovian dogs . Ihad an Old Fashioned the other day with nonalcoholic whiskey , and I definitely felt the placebo effect .
Another great brand is Kin . They have compounds in their cocktails to help your mood , like abit of caffeine to make you feel jovial or melatonin to make you feel relaxed . We also love a CBD seltzer called Recess . It just flies off the shelf . My husband loves it , too . I never thought I ’ d see the day when my husband wasn ’ t drinking abeer at the end ofthe day .
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR MIXOLOGY SERIES We wanted to make an adult social event that doesn ’ t focus on alcohol . We hosted a virtual tasting called Zero Proof Mixology : A Speakeasy Series . We created cocktail kits with three airplane-sized bottles of non-alcoholic spirits : whiskey , gin and tequila . It included all the mixers you needed . Everyone picked up their
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kits at the store . During the tasting , we shared some history about each of the cocktails , which included a Mule and a Tom Collins . We ’ ll keep doing these monthly and hopefully be able to do some in person later .
“ The kits are almost like a science kit for adults . We don ’ t premix the drinks . The simple syrup is made by the bakery in the General Store , Three Daughters . We added a little jar of bitters , ginger beer and other ingredients . We encouraged people to pour their drinks into the kind of glasses that would be used at abar — like acopper mug for aMule .
HOW HAS THE GENERAL STORE HELPED YOULAUNCH SPEAKEASY COCKTAILS ? The General Store has been invaluable . I ’ ve only ever incubated other people ’ s brands . This was a chance for Deb and I to incubate our own idea . It ’ s helped me flesh out our model for how we incubate for other brands , as well . ■
The General Store Cooperative , 1875 Springfield Ave ., Maplewood ; ( 973 ) 250-6160 , generalstorecooperative . com
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COURTESY OF AMY HOWLETT |
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40 MAY 2021 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE |