Dry January 2022


This is my 7th year doing Dry January which is a great way to reset for the new year. Skipping alcohol for 30 days is a breeze I find. The research says after one month sober you will have a mood boost and sleep better. You might lose some weight and lose some bloat/redness from your face which will make your skin look brighter. Pausing your alcohol consumption may help you to  create a new relationship with alcohol. With so many alcohol free alternative beverages on the market these days, you'll still can have something special to drink at night.  Here's a roundup of all the new beverages I tried this month. I drank all of these in a cocktail glass. In past years I used to have to order everything online but my local Foxtrot  (they are located in Chicago, DC and Dallas) had everything in store.  At the bottom of my post I share some podcasts episodes about Dry January.


Figlia $40 -  750ml 27oz

Figlia is a non-alcoholic aperitivo that is delicious. All natural ingredients, no added sugars, no preservatives and it tastes like ginger, citrus, black currant with some rosemary and elderflower. You can drink it straight up in a cocktail glass or mix it with ginger beer. Cons: The glass topper was difficult to open and then later hard to close. It's overpriced for a non-alcohol and almost double the price of the next two items on my list of the same size. 

Chateau ISH Sparkling Rose $24 - 750ml 

A dry sparkling wine with some light sweetness. I was surprised that both of the alcohol free wines actually tasted like wine and not sparkling grape juice. 

Surely Sauvignon Blanc $25 - 24 fl oz

Tastes like a crisp sparkling white wine with notes of green apple and lime. 


Recess Mood $4

Sparkling water with magnesium and adoptogens that comes in four fruity flavors. Recess also makes a drink with hemp. I don't recommend the Margarita flavor. 

Unspiked $2

A canned mocktail made with carbonated water, juice, agave, and herbs. This is the only alcohol alternative that is priced fairly. My favorite flavor was the Grapefruit Rosemary that tasted like a Paloma without the tequila. The rosemary gives it an interesting texture so you're not just drinking grapefruit juice. One can is only 25 calories with 12g of sugar. 

Ghia Le Spritz Ginger - 4pk $18

I reviewed Ghia last year and found it too earthy for me as the natural herbs result in a bitter beverage. They just released this new version mixing the original with ginger beer.

SpritzISH $5.50 per can

Made by a Danish brand who makes 3 premade alcohol free ready to drink cocktails in a can. The Spritz flavor was so delicious and tastes like an aperol spritz!  Made from natural ingredients such as orange, lemon,  quassia, cinnamon and gentian root. It has a complex bitterness plus a little of that sweetness found in a traditional aperol spritz. One can has 7g sugar and 30 calories. 


W*under  $5

This is a CBD sparkling beverage. I loved the Cucumber Lime flavor, it was so refreshing! It's labeled Fast Times because it has adaptogens to help sustain energy and focus. You know I love a cucumber martini.

Heywell $4

A sparkling adaptogenic water with incredible ingredients like L-Theanine and Ashwagandha. This is a caffeinated beverage.

VYBES CBD $7

Vybes makes both a CBD beverage and an adaptogen beverage.  I tried the Peach Ginger flavor which is made from peach puree, lemon juice, ginger, and hemp extract. It's like a peach lemonade but a little thicker. It was good.



GTS Kombucha is my favorite kombucha brand! I drink a half a bottle every morning.  My pregnant friend turned me on to the blue flavor which I had never tried before. It's made from raw coconut water with blue spirulina and fresh-pressed ginger, it almost tastes like a Blue Hawaiian or Pina Colada. One bottle has two servings each of 30 calories and 8g of sugar.



Trader Joes 4pk coconut water yuzu $3.99
The Yuzu flavor is heavy on the coconut water.  I loved the rhubarb strawberry flavor! The elderflower soda is good too.

I've heard some people like to do a dry February because it's the shortest month of the year so you can still give this a try! lol  Check out my previous Dry January posts linked below to see additional beverage reviews.

Podcasts


Alcohol Tipping Point: Dry January Tips for Success
Research published in the British Medical Journal showed one month off alcohol lowers blood pressure, reduces diabetes risk, lowers cholesterol and reduces levels of cancer-related proteins in the blood.

Recommends downloading an app to track your dry days and the books: The Accidental SoberistaThe Sober Diaries and This Naked Mind which I read during my first Dry January, it's very informative! 

Suggests changing your work laptop password to whatever your goal is;  it will be so helpful to keep repeating that and typing it in day after day. 

Sober Powered: Benefits of Dry January
You’ll learn the physical and mental health benefits of giving up alcohol for 30 days. A study has shown that, "People who participated in Dry January were more likely to exercise more and improve their diet." 

The Champagne Problems: Dry-ish January 
"I hear a lot of people describe the 5 o'clock beer as their new commute."

The Hello Someday: Start the New Year Alcohol Free (Start at the 16 minute mark)
Tips to make your Dry January fun, exciting, easy and (most importantly) a success. 

"Dry January is the best time to try new activities, to catch up on things you have been putting off and try those non-alcoholic beverages that you may have not considered in the past."

Take A Break from Drinking: When Not Drinking Feels Like Punishment

Sober Awkward: Alcohol and the Pandemic

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