The holiday season is a time when you\u2019re expected to indulge in a second serving of Christmas dinner \u2014 with little concern for how many cookies you\u2019ve eaten, or champurrados you\u2019ve sipped. But the festivities can get overwhelming, especially for those who are sober or trying to maintain a healthy relationship with alcohol.<\/p>\n
In the last several years, nonalcoholic beverages have become more commonplace in the United States. Many bars have increased their alcohol-free menus. There are pop-up events around the city, like Bar Nuda<\/a>, or brick-and-mortar bars like Free Spirited<\/a> in Alhambra, which only serve nonalcoholic drinks. Even celebrities have ventured into the world of nonalcoholic drinks with their own personalized brands \u2014 like Tom Holland (who co-founded Bero Beer), Bella Hadid (Kin) and Lewis Hamilton (Almave).<\/p>\n Most nonalcoholic brands, shops and pop-ups are in the midst of their busiest season, with their winter business peaking in January. After the chaos of the holidays, many people decide to partake in Dry January,<\/a> a month without any alcohol, and test out the waters with a few nonalcoholic drinks.<\/p>\n De Los spoke with a few Latino owners of nonalcoholic brands to get some advice for those moderating their drinking during the holidays.<\/p>\n The New Bar<\/p>\n Brianda Gonzalez, the founder of the New Bar, sees nonalcoholic beverages as a way to make holiday fun more sustainable. The New Bar<\/a>, an L.A.-based nonalcoholic retailer, started in 2022 as a more accessible way for consumers to browse their options \u2014 selling anything from nonalcoholic wines to bottled negronis. Throughout the season, Gonzalez says that people tend to overindulge and start what she calls a \u201ccrash and burn cycle\u201d \u2014 they feel bad about overdoing it, then they restrict in the new year and eventually repeat the cycle.<\/p>\n \u201cA ton of people also realize they can indulge in the holiday season without completely wrecking themselves and not entering day one of the new year feeling like a battered person,\u201d said Gonzalez. \u201cThe holidays are such an alcohol-prevalent moment, and if you are trying to drink a little bit less, or if you\u2019re not drinking at all, but you really do crave some sort of indulgence, nonalcoholic options are amazing for that.\u201d<\/p>\n Gonzalez\u2019s holiday advice:<\/b> \u201cIf you\u2019re hosting a party, make sure to have nonalcoholic options available. It makes the season feel so much more manageable for me. Whether you\u2019re drinking or abstaining entirely, you want to be able to show up in a better way. Switch to [a nonalcoholic drink] for your nightcap instead.\u201d<\/p>\n Trejo\u2019s Spirits<\/p>\n When Danny Trejo started to open up his line of restaurants around L.A., including Trejo\u2019s Tacos and Trejo\u2019s Coffee & Donuts, he was courted by tequila companies to start his own brand. But seeing as the L.A.-born actor has been sober for over 50 years<\/a>, he and his business partner, Ash Shah, instead launched Trejo\u2019s Spirits<\/a>: a nonalcoholic line of spirits. In light of the festive season, both Trejo and Shah are happy to help provide more choices to people who are curious about having a night out, being included in the holiday fun and not drinking.<\/p>\n Trejo\u2019s holiday advice:<\/b> \u201cEverybody should try to stay on mock liquor for the holidays \u2014 that way you can make it home safely and wake up without a hangover. But if I\u2019m at a party, a lot of times people will want you to drink and they\u2019ll try to give you a glass. So I make sure I\u2019m always holding a glass, so they don\u2019t even ask me.\u201d<\/p>\n Jas<\/p>\n Jas is where nonalcoholic drinks, Mexican flavors and functional ingredients come together. Co-founded by Cecilia Rios Murrieta, the brand focuses on including adaptogens like ashwagandha and lion\u2019s mane mushrooms in canned cocktails. During the holiday season, Rios Murrieta says everything is about intention. As a former drinker, she recalls not being able to find nonalcoholic \u201coptions that didn\u2019t feel like an afterthought,\u201d so it was harder for her to decide whether to drink or not.<\/p>\n \u201cIf an option feels intentional, it tastes good and it feels like you\u2019re not missing out \u2014 that can make the whole difference. Now you\u2019re able to make the decision,\u201d said Rios Murrieta. \u201cIt just makes it so much easier.\u201d<\/p>\n Rios Murrieta\u2019s holiday advice:<\/b> \u201cWe want to empower people to make good choices. It\u2019s always about being very self aware and conscious about how a drink makes you feel. It\u2019s hard because of peer pressure, but if you\u2019re able to have a nonalcoholic drink that feels special, you\u2019re able to be yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Entre Nos<\/p>\n Inside Northgate\u2019s Mercado Gonz\u00e1lez, Entre Nos<\/a> provides all shoppers with either a well-deserved cerveza or a fruity mocktail. The full-service bar, in the Costa Mesa market, serves both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages and recently debuted its winter menu. This year, the star of the nonalcoholic menu is its homemade ponche.<\/p>\n According to Bryant Joel Orozco, the bartender who runs the cocktail program, many customers come in skeptical of their version of the traditional beverage, as Entre Nos trades raisins for dried cranberries. But Orozco says their version, a \u201cnostalgic, holiday-laden\u201d beverage, tends to win customers over \u2014 especially those looking to avoid alcohol this season.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people are almost grateful to see a nonalcoholic section on our menu. There\u2019s that sense of inclusivity with people who are sober or who don\u2019t feel like drinking,\u201d said Orozco. \u201cFor me, inclusivity goes hand in hand with hospitality. You want to welcome your guests and include them in your menus. Be mindful of people who don\u2019t drink and of people who don\u2019t want to get trashed that night.\u201d<\/p>\n Orozco\u2019s holiday advice:<\/b> \u201cWe all want to party. You want to wear the ugly Christmas sweaters and all of that, but don\u2019t forget to hang out with your family. There\u2019s such a sense of community and warmth there. You don\u2019t want to overdo it [with alcohol].\u201d<\/p>\n Bar Nuda<\/p>\n Bar Nuda<\/a>, the traveling nonalcoholic pop-up party, is currently gearing up for its busiest month of the year: Dry January. While planning the upcoming launch of a nonalcoholic beer called Ceroveza, co-founder Pablo Murillo thinks of the holidays as a way to rewrite the season\u2019s typically alcohol-filled narrative.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s such a polarizing time that so many of us are able and fortunate enough to have our families to celebrate with. And unfortunately, not everybody has that,\u201d said Murillo. \u201cIt can be easy to just pick up a drink and drink away your sorrows. Bar Nuda can change the narrative and help people realize that they can have a beer or a glass of wine, but it doesn\u2019t have to have any alcohol in it.\u201d<\/p>\n Murillo\u2019s holiday advice:<\/b> \u201cLean on those you love and those who aren\u2019t going to judge you for not drinking a beer or taking a shot. Especially during the holidays. One of the toughest things you could ever do is to say no to a family member or a friend who\u2019s offering you a beautiful sip of mezcal, but stand your ground.\u201d<\/p>\n Parch Spirits Co.<\/p>\n When it comes to alcohol and the holidays, Parch<\/a> co-founder Rudy Aldana says he\u2019s reminded of the prevalence of alcoholism<\/a> in Latino culture. But thanks to ongoing wellness trends, as well as the increase of nonalcoholic options, Aldana hopes things might shift a bit. A few years ago, the entrepreneur took matters into his own hands when he founded Parch: a line of nonalcoholic agave cocktails inspired by the flavors of the Sonoran Desert.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that the modern drinker is the one that is looking for alternatives,\u201d said Aldana. \u201cThe holidays can be beautiful, but also intense. There\u2019s family expectations, and having a nonalcoholic option with you gives you the ability to be present, that gives you the ability to enjoy that time even more.\u201d<\/p>\n Aldana\u2019s holiday advice:<\/b> \u201cParticipate in a celebratory ritual with a glass that you know is not going to give you a hangover. Ever since I\u2019ve been alcohol-free, I\u2019ll take my own [beverages] and keep them in my car, or take them with me to a party. I cannot rely on somebody else having some option for me all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The holiday season is a time when you\u2019re expected to indulge in a second serving of Christmas dinner…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":467348,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[600,2106,212563,212560,1582,276,32609,18518,11090,2961,212562,4536,224,5337,27894,212561,212559,61537,14164,1628],"class_list":{"0":"post-467347","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-advice","9":"tag-alcohol","10":"tag-brianda-gonzalez","11":"tag-busy-season","12":"tag-ca","13":"tag-california","14":"tag-danny-trejo","15":"tag-glass","16":"tag-holiday","17":"tag-la","18":"tag-latino-nonalcoholic-brand","19":"tag-line","20":"tag-los-angeles","21":"tag-losangeles","22":"tag-many-people","23":"tag-nonalcoholic-beverage","24":"tag-nonalcoholic-drink","25":"tag-option","26":"tag-way","27":"tag-year"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115770796846599765","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467347\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/467348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}