Thirsty Vibes
What to drink, and what to do instead.
Real answers to what you told us after the launch: drinks worth double checking, mocktails actually worth making, and things to fill your evenings with that aren't a countdown to the next drink.
Thirsty Vibes pick
Zest of Intention
One proper drink. One good book. An evening you chose on purpose.
Why a drink in your hand
A lot of us loved the ritual as much as the alcohol: the glass, the ice, the pause at the end of the day. You can keep the ritual. You just choose what goes in it.
Why orange, and why Oros
Oros is bright, sweet and tastes like every South African summer, so it feels like a treat, not a substitute. Not in South Africa? Any orange squash works, or use fresh orange juice.
Why a book
A drink and a book turn a quiet evening into something you picked, not a gap to get through. The one in the photo is Atomic Habits by James Clear, a book about building the life you want through small choices made on purpose. Sound familiar?
The pour
You'll need: 50ml Oros (or any orange squash), 200ml cold sparkling water, plenty of ice, an orange slice, a mint leaf if you have one
Show the steps
- Fill a tall glass with ice.
- Pour in the Oros.
- Top up slowly with the sparkling water so it keeps its fizz.
- Stir once, gently, then add the orange slice and mint.
- Take it to your favourite spot with your book.
Make it stronger or lighter to taste. Squash brands differ, so start with less and add more.
Drinks worth double checking
Not a list to fear, just things worth knowing, especially early on.
Kombucha
Kombucha is fermented, and fermentation naturally produces a small amount of alcohol as a byproduct. Most commercial kombucha sold in bottles is under 0.5% ABV, low enough that many countries classify it as non-alcoholic. But homemade kombucha, or batches left to ferment too long or stored somewhere warm, can run much higher, sometimes 2 to 3% ABV, closer to a light beer than a soft drink.
The bigger issue isn't really the alcohol content on the label. Even a trace amount of ethanol can activate the same reward pathways in the brain that alcohol does, which can trigger cravings for someone who's recently stopped drinking, regardless of how "healthy" the drink is marketed as. If you're early in your journey, it's worth reading labels carefully or skipping kombucha for now, not because it's dangerous, but because your brain doesn't always know the difference between a trace and a trigger.
Sources: NIAAA, "Neuroscience: The Brain in Addiction and Recovery"; "Cue reactivity and its relation to craving and relapse in alcohol dependence," Psychopharmacology.
"Non-alcoholic" beer
Most non-alcoholic beers aren't actually 0%, most legal definitions allow up to 0.5% ABV to still carry the "non-alcoholic" label. For most people that's genuinely negligible, but if you know a specific drink or a specific ritual (the taste, the can, the moment) is a trigger for you, it's worth being honest with yourself about whether the trace alcohol matters less than the habit it's tied to.
Mocktails actually worth making
Simple, real recipes, nothing that needs a bar's worth of equipment.
Mint & lime lemonade
You'll need: 200ml lemonade, 200ml soda water, juice of half a lime, 6-8 fresh mint leaves, ice
Show the steps
- Muddle the mint leaves gently at the bottom of a glass.
- Fill the glass with ice.
- Pour in the lemonade and soda water in equal parts.
- Stir once, gently, and garnish with lime slices.
Cranberry Appletizer
You'll need: 100ml pure cranberry juice, 150ml Appletizer, crushed ice
Show the steps
- Fill a glass with crushed ice.
- Pour in the cranberry juice.
- Top slowly with Appletizer to keep the fizz.
- Stir once, gently.
Sparkling bellini
You'll need: 50ml peach juice, 100ml soda water, 100ml lemonade, ice
Show the steps
- Fill a glass with ice.
- Pour in the peach juice first.
- Slowly top with soda water, then lemonade.
- Stir once, gently, so it doesn't lose its fizz.
Frozen watermelon crush
You'll need: 2 cups frozen watermelon chunks (frozen overnight), a squeeze of lime, optional
Show the steps
- Freeze the watermelon chunks the night before.
- Blend until smooth, no liquid needed.
- Pour into a glass, add a squeeze of lime if you like it sharper.
- Serve immediately with a straw.
Blackberry & lemon fizz
You'll need: 6-8 fresh blackberries, juice of half a lemon, 200ml chilled sparkling water, ice
Show the steps
- Muddle the blackberries at the bottom of a glass.
- Add the fresh lemon juice.
- Fill with ice, then top with sparkling water.
- Garnish with a lemon wheel or extra berries.
Honey citrus seltzer
You'll need: juice of 1 orange, 1 teaspoon honey, 200ml chilled seltzer, ice
Show the steps
- Stir the orange juice and honey together in a glass until the honey fully dissolves.
- Add ice.
- Top with chilled seltzer.
- Stir once, gently.
Things to actually do with your evenings
The hours that used to belong to drinking need somewhere real to go.
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01
Move your body, even briefly
A walk, a run, a stretch, anything. It doesn't need to be a workout, it needs to interrupt the loop.
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02
Journal, even three lines
Not a diary entry, just enough to get what's actually going on out of your head and onto paper.
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03
Cook something that takes real time
Something with steps, chopping, waiting, stirring. It fills the exact stretch of evening that used to disappear into a glass.
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04
Call someone, don't text
An actual voice on the other end does something a message thread can't.
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05
Start something with your hands
Drawing, a puzzle, a plant that needs repotting. Anything that occupies your hands tends to quiet everything else.
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06
Read the myths or what alcohol does to your body
Understanding the "why" behind the decision makes it easier to hold onto on the harder nights.