The Loop explores a teetotal yuletide
The holiday season is synonymous with alcohol.
Rum-spiked eggnog and wine at the holiday party, it seems like there is a cup of Christmas cheer at every corner. But with more Edmontonians experimenting with sobriety, what are the alternatives? This week, Min Dhariwal learns about the booming business of alcohol-free adult beverages, and Clare Bonnyman speaks with the creator of Mock-Ups Mocktails.
JoAnne Pearce started Mock-Ups Mocktails after a 90-day sobriety challenge sparked her interest in ingredients. She shared her experience navigating sobriety and challenging the notion of what a mocktail can be.
This transcript has been edited for clarity and length.
JoAnne Pearce: I've always kind of been a potions witch. I love infusion, I loved making simple syrups even when I was drinking. And then I put my marketing to use, put my sense of design to use there, started photographing my mocktails, made books. Well first of all I put them on social media. That's where the validation came in. I was really shy about it at first. I was like, oh, people are going to think that I'm an alcoholic.
Clare Bonnyman: That shyness… where did that come from? Just that stigma? What was it that had you nervous to even start sharing the fact that you were doing mocktails?
JP: Alcohol is a funny one, right? It's the only one where you stop doing it and people assume there's something wrong with you. You say 'oh I quit smoking cannabis'. People are like, yeah, you probably wanted to be more clear headed. That's fair. You're like, 'oh, I quit drinking. You know, it's carcinogenic and causes anxiety' and people will be like, 'oh, I'm sorry, does it run in your family?'
They pathologize you immediately and you feel vulnerable I think and we're not like that with any other drug.I felt shy about sharing this nerdy passion with the world. But, you know, the validation came hard and fast and people were really into it. And I didn't mean to stumble into this at this moment, but it was, it felt so good. It kind of replaced the drinking.
And now I know too much. Like I can't go back. I know too much about what alcohol does. I know too much about my tendency to become an everyday drinker. And I think I would fall back into that. But I'm pushing forward.
