Best nonalcoholic drinks for dry January?

[Anonymous]

I have kombucha once a week.

You can make homemade Jamaica (mexican hibiscus drink)-- it's got a fair amount of sugar but it's a fun drink.

I usually just do a sparkling water with a splash of fruit juice or mashed up berries -- you could "muddle" in mint too.

I also really love the Italian sodas, like the grapefruit or lemon or blood orange sodas, but those do have a fair amount of sugar so don't do those very often. YOu can get them at the Italian import stores, or TJ sells them under their label.

I think it's kind of pointless to do the non-alcoholic alcohol if the goal is to create different habits. But I guess if you really drink a lot of alchohol, any bridge is worth it.

I also just drink herbal tea every night after dinner. I'm not a huge "plain water" drinker.

[Anonymous]

I'm one of those who just doesn't get why you need a drink with dinner or in the evening at all. I drank when I was younger and enjoyed it, but when I stopped (just because as I aged it didn't sit well with me) I didn't feel the need to replace it with anything.
If I were going out a lot and didn't drink, then I could see having a non-alcoholic cocktail or beer just for fun, but not at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm one of those who just doesn't get why you need a drink with dinner or in the evening at all. I drank when I was younger and enjoyed it, but when I stopped (just because as I aged it didn't sit well with me) I didn't feel the need to replace it with anything.
If I were going out a lot and didn't drink, then I could see having a non-alcoholic cocktail or beer just for fun, but not at home.

I'm one of those who just doesn't get why you would open a thread about "best nonalcoholic drinks" in the Food forum and then lecture people about why they want to drink anything at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm one of those who just doesn't get why you need a drink with dinner or in the evening at all. I drank when I was younger and enjoyed it, but when I stopped (just because as I aged it didn't sit well with me) I didn't feel the need to replace it with anything.
If I were going out a lot and didn't drink, then I could see having a non-alcoholic cocktail or beer just for fun, but not at home.

+1. Especially at lunch I don’t get why people always NEED any beverage, including ice water. Is it just out of habit or like an anxiety thing so you can sip when there’s a lull in the conversation? I get plenty of hydration throughout the day, I don’t need to guzzle coffee, tea, soda, juice, mocktail or fake beer, sparkling or still water, etc. every single time I eat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm one of those who just doesn't get why you need a drink with dinner or in the evening at all. I drank when I was younger and enjoyed it, but when I stopped (just because as I aged it didn't sit well with me) I didn't feel the need to replace it with anything.
If I were going out a lot and didn't drink, then I could see having a non-alcoholic cocktail or beer just for fun, but not at home.

+1. Especially at lunch I don’t get why people always NEED any beverage, including ice water. Is it just out of habit or like an anxiety thing so you can sip when there’s a lull in the conversation? I get plenty of hydration throughout the day, I don’t need to guzzle coffee, tea, soda, juice, mocktail or fake beer, sparkling or still water, etc. every single time I eat.

I don't generally drink at meals, but I think it's actually recommended for better digestion to have a liquid while you're eating. Also, with certain foods, I do think it helps you appreciate the taste, as the beverage acts as a palate cleanser (particularly with spicy or fatty foods). Also, it helps people feel more full, so they generally eat less. Also some people just like it.
Just a few things since you said you don't get it.

[Anonymous]

For anyone who likes a mocktail, I’ve been making variations of something I’m calling a “jale-piña mule”:

V8 spicy jalapeño pineapple juice
Ginger beer
Lime
Toss in a crystallized ginger cube if you’ve got one
Cut with sparkling water if too sweet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm one of those who just doesn't get why you need a drink with dinner or in the evening at all. I drank when I was younger and enjoyed it, but when I stopped (just because as I aged it didn't sit well with me) I didn't feel the need to replace it with anything.
If I were going out a lot and didn't drink, then I could see having a non-alcoholic cocktail or beer just for fun, but not at home.

+1. Especially at lunch I don’t get why people always NEED any beverage, including ice water. Is it just out of habit or like an anxiety thing so you can sip when there’s a lull in the conversation? I get plenty of hydration throughout the day, I don’t need to guzzle coffee, tea, soda, juice, mocktail or fake beer, sparkling or still water, etc. every single time I eat.

I don't generally drink at meals, but I think it's actually recommended for better digestion to have a liquid while you're eating. Also, with certain foods, I do think it helps you appreciate the taste, as the beverage acts as a palate cleanser (particularly with spicy or fatty foods). Also, it helps people feel more full, so they generally eat less. Also some people just like it.
Just a few things since you said you don't get it.

For the last ten maybe twenty years it seems like everyone is carrying around a water bottle all day. You would think the ritualistic need to hydrate at a meal, especially lunch, is less than ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Diet tonic water with a lime slice on the rocks.

You are trying to trick yourself that you're sipping on a gin & tonic? This is like compulsively puffing on an unlit cigarette after quitting cigs. It's addiction behavior.

No. Never had a G&T in my life. I have always been dry. Tried a tonic and lime on a flight once. I guess I like the taste of quinine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fresca with crushed strawberries.

That's good. Or Fresca with grapefruit juice.