Alcohol is not a part of my life. But delicious drinks, company, and celebration are.

Plus, my four favorite mocktails ft. The Zero Proof.

As of today, I’ve been sober for 6.55 years.

Life without drugs and alcohol has become second nature to me at this point.

For the first few years of being sober, I chose not to drink anything that even resembled a cocktail. I made this a “rule” and embraced it. I was plenty satisfied with beverages like coffee, tea, La Croix, and soda.

I hate the word “sobriety”. I’m careful how I share about that part of my life on here. I’ve never wanted to be a “sobriety content creator”. For me, the choice not to drink or do drugs was a promise to myself and to God. It’s that simple.

My sobriety vow also (not surprisingly) coincided with my going off Instagram. My sobriety date is January 8, 2019, and I logged off IG for my hiatus a few weeks later on February 7th.

The timing was no coincidence. Both vows (no substances, no social media) triggered a cosmic shift. I had to let go of old patterns, identities, and illusions of who I thought I needed to be. (This was also the bowl cut era.)

I continued my social life and often, if I wanted to go out with friends, I would drink 4-5 cups of seltzer water over the course of a night. I tried sprucing it up with lemon, lime, even going crazy with cranberry juice every now and then (WILD!!). But over time, this not only hurt my belly, I just became incredibly bored.

Over the last year and change, in a reclamation of self trust and a loosening of my own “rules”, I’ve been exploring the N/A beverage space, and it’s a burgeoning one. Connecticut-based N/A brewing brand Athletic Brewing closed a $50 million financing round with General Atlantic last year. It’s a good time to be a person who doesn’t drink.

When I first started dabbling, I walked into a cute wine shop near me in Cobble Hill and asked if they carried N/A wines or spirits. The lovely owner told me they weren’t allowed to sell them. Another store nearby, Boisson, which was fully non-alcoholic, had just closed. It was confusing. If there were all these amazing N/A products hitting the market, why weren’t they more accessible?

Enter The Zero Proof, who are supporting my book launch party after The Strand next week. They have everything non-alcoholic in one place, all the brands you’ve heard of (like Ghia and Lapos), but also niche sparkling N/A rosés and functional pours for bedtime.

This post isn’t sponsored (though I make a small amount if you purchase using the links below), but it felt right to share a few of the mocktail recipes I’ve been loving and some of the recipes I created for The Zero Proof to pour at my party.

One of my favorite things to do on a Friday and or Saturday evening around 4:00 is fix myself one of these delicious mocktails/elixirs. To me, they signify celebration, relaxation, and deliciousness: freedom in a cup. I’m excited to share these recipes with you, and hope you can find a moment of joy in them as well.

xx Lee

My summertime mocktail lineup! From left: Cactus Flower, Offline Spritz, Melon Memory, Lemon Balm Calm Cooler

Offline Spritz

A refreshingly bittersweet mocktail that instantly cools the body and calms the mind. Reminiscent of a negroni with hints of grapefruit, woody herbs and minerals.

• 2 oz Lapo’s Negroni (they also sell cans)

• Grapefruit juice or juice of a wedge

• Seltzer

• Ice

• Garnish: orange slice + rosemary sprig

1. Pour all ingredients over a large ice cube in a fancy glass.

2. Add garanishes. Best shared with a loved one around 5 PM on a hot summer Friday afternoon. Sip and relax!

Melon Memory

A frozen slush of watermelon, N/A rosé, lime, and basil…sun-soaked, flirty, and straight off the coast of Deià.

• 1 cup frozen watermelon cubes (just frozen cubed watermelon!)

• 3-4 oz ISH Sparkling Rosé

• Splash of coconut water

• Handful basil leaves

• Squeeze of lime

• Garnish: basil

1. Place all your ingredients in a Vitamix and get your tamper ready.

2. Blend on high and tamper the watermelon down until smooth and slushy. Add more or less liquid (coconut water, lime, or rosé) depending on how thick and slushy you like it!

3. Garnish with basil and enjoy ASAP.

Cactus Flower

A sparkling, earthy-sweet spritz with notes of prickly pear, lime, and hibiscus. Finished with a chili-salt rim and a lime wheel, it’s spicy and floral, like desert rain in a glass.

• 1 can of Parch Desert Margarita, chilled

• 1/2 cup of cold brew steeped hibiscus tea, room temperate (I love Ojai-based Ruby Moon tea)

• Ice

• Garnish: lime wheel + flaky chile salt rim or Tajin

1. To make the cold brew hibiscus tea, you’ll want to add 2 tbsp of dried hibiscus tea to 2 cups of water and let it sit in the sun to brew. Drain and store in fridge for up to a week!

2. Wet the rim of a nice thick glass cup (I like the vintage french 500 working glasses) and roll in a shallow bowl of Tajin

3. Pour the can and tea over ice. Garnish with lime. Enjoy.

Lemon Balm Calm Cooler

Nervine herbs and citrus meet mineral water for a calm, clear-minded reset. Pour the most quality mineral water you can find.

• 8 oz. lemon balm tea (if you can’t find it, I love this lemon balm tincture which is alcohol-free)

• 1 tsp maple syrup

• Splash of mineral water

• Dash of All the Bitter Alcohol-Free Lavendar Bitters

• Ice

• Optional garnish: lavendar flower

1. Brew yourself some lemon balm tea or, if using tincture, add suggested dosage amount to 8 oz. mineral water

2. Add maple syrup to taste.

3. Add a few dashes of your lavendar bitters

4. Drink by candlelight.

That’s all for now.. please remember to pre-order my memoir because we are just a little over two weeks out!!!!! AUGUST 12 BABY!!!!