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Journal

 Ruby Warrington never imagined her book Sober Curious would kick off a new social movement.

Published in late 2018, the book was inspired by Ruby's experiences confronting her own drinking habits, and it empowers readers to reconsider their relationship with alcohol.

"A year on from the book coming out, it's now being called 'the sober curious movement'," she says.

"It's just everywhere. I have a Google alert for 'sober curious' and about seven or eight articles come up every day mentioning the term.

"I think I gave a language to something that a lot of people had been thinking, but didn't really know how to talk about without going, 'hey, I've got an alcohol problem', and all of the stigma that comes with that.

"'Sober curious' just gave people permission to experiment and explore and start to ask some of those questions in a really judgment-free way," she says.

Ruby says she reached a point some time ago where she felt she no longer needed alcohol in any situation.

"I enjoy socializing more without it. I even enjoy dancing in nightclubs more without it, and I never thought that would happen," she says.

But she can easily remember how difficult it was to contemplate socializing alcohol-free when she first began exploring her sober curiosity.

"I talk about FOMA, Fear Of Missing Alcohol," she says.

"When you're quitting, there are certain situations it's really hard to imagine without alcohol, like weddings, birthday parties, holidays, nightclubs…you just can't imagine it."

Ruby says the arrival of proper alternatives to alcohol, such as Lyre's Non-Alcoholic Spirits, has made socializing much easier for the sober curious.

"Another big deterrent to socializing sober is, 'what am I going to drink?'" she says.

"So often it's just going to be water, which is really miserable. But if I know I can make myself some great non-alcoholic drinks, it just makes it so much more of a positive choice.

"Rather than feeling like I'm missing out on anything, I feel like I'm adding something new and different and exciting."

Ruby has particularly enjoyed being able to reprise an old favorite from her drinking days, the espresso martini, using Lyre's Coffee Originale and White Cane Spirit.

"That was a favorite end of the night drink for me, always," she says.

"But I also I really love the Italian Orange, just served on ice.That's a really great aperitif while I'm making dinner or something–it feels really grown up.

"What I like about the Lyre's drinks is they're not too sweet. You can drink them on the rocks, which is so easy and great, or with a splash of soda or something.

"But I just love a cosmopolitan as well, so I'm excited to try a Lyre's Cosmo."

Ruby has keenly witnessed the arrival of alcohol-free drinking venues, such as Getaway Bar in her home town of Brooklyn, NYC.

"That has never existed before. I think the fact that these places exist shows that there has been an uptick in people wanting this and actually demanding and asking for it," she says.

"Getaway Bar is fantastic. They have such a delicious line-up of drinks, and the interesting thing about it is that every time I've been there, I've met really interesting people, which didn't used to happen when I used to go to regular bars.

"Going to Getaway, people are much more likely to talk to people outside of their group and actually make new connections, which I found really interesting."

But she is just as excited about the increasing availability of alcohol-free spirits in traditional venues.

"What I particularly like about Lyre's is that they want to offer a new choice for peoplein regular bars and restaurants, so that you don't have to be an outsider or find a whole different social life just because you're choosing not to drink alcohol," she says.

"I think that's really such a brilliant bridge for people who are on this path, and I think it makes it such a no brainer for them to be able to choose a direct substitute for what they drank previously.

"It's like, I can just have the same drink I love, but without alcohol.It makes it really simple."

Ruby has also come with her own signature drink using Lyre’s, a twist on the Amaretti sour showcasing the versatility of Lyre’s and the drink creativity that can be enjoyed in a sober curious way.

SOBER CURIOUS COCONUT SOUR

  • 50mL Lyre's Amaretti
  • 25mL fresh lime juice
  • 25mL coconut milk

Shake with ice, strain, and serve over fresh ice. Delicious!

Lyre’s non alcoholic spirits returns as a supporter of Ruby’s Sober Curious Podcast commencing June 2020, in which Ruby will be making and trying more of the Lyre’s range and even making her own signature drinks.

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