There’s nothing quite like a crisp, cool beer on a hot, summer’s day or a glass of vino to keep you warm and toasty on a chilly autumn night, but on the list of things you have to give up when you’re expecting, alcohol rises to the top.
In the beginning stages of pregnancy when we didn’t want to reveal our expecting status, I sipped on alcohol look-alikes. FYI: Canada Dry’s Green Tea Ginger Ale makes for an excellent sparkling white wine imposter, and sparkling water on the rocks + a wedge of lime is a dead ringer for gin and tonic.
But I’m a beer girl and beer isn’t so easily duped. Not a fan of O’Doul’s, I figured I’d just have to deal without having a hoppy substitution… until lo and behold a trip to my local Total Wine & More revealed a whole slew of non-alcoholic beer options. Bitburger, Erdinger Weissbier, St. Pauli, oh my! At this point I’ve only tried the Erdinger, but I will say I was pleasantly surprised. While the flavor isn’t quite spot on to my favorite Hefeweizen it gives me a taste of that hoppy-microbrew-goodness.
As for mocktails, Pinterest will lead you to recipes galore including this one for Virgin Grapefruit Mojito. Yum! But if you don’t want to go through that much effort there’s always Bloody Mary mix (spice things up with some pickled asparagus spears and green olives). Make sure to buy B.M. mix with low sodium- I managed to down half a bottle on my first day. #NewPregnancyCraving
Lastly, there’s “alcohol-removed wine”, or as I like to call it, grape juice. From Chardonnay to Cabernet to Champagne you can mimic the taste with non-alcoholic options from the likes of St. Regis and Fre brand wines. While the few varietals I’ve sampled haven’t exactly impressed me, I hear there are some pretty good Riesling knockoffs.
So there you have it, alchohol-free bevies to get you through the summer, holidays, and every other event for the next nine (ten) months.
I am enjoying your blog so much already, it’s so funny and relaxing all at the same time. I look forward to reading more!!