As a plant-based registered dietitian with a serious love of botanicals, Desiree Nielsen is passionate about showing people the joy and pleasure of welcoming more plants into their kitchen. She’s written three Canadian bestselling plant-based cookbooks, and has grown everything from calendula to cucamelons in her small Vancouver garden.
Desiree is also the host of The All Sorts Podcast, an evidence-informed wellness podcast that shares useful, practical, and non-dogmatic information to help people feel their best.
When it comes to non-alc, she gravitates towards more botanical-focused blends. She loves floral, tart, and bitter profiles—anything that feels like a proper drink.
Here are Desiree’s current non-alc picks:
Everything that Curious Elixirs does is so good, but rhodiola is one of my favorite adaptogens because it’s not just de-stressing but mildly stimulating. So, it’s great to take the edge off and help you feel more social. They actually include 400mg of it per bottle, which is a decent dose.
I’m a margarita gal through and through so I have to give a shout out to Ole, a Canadian company, for making a ready-to-drink margarita with a nice balance between the acidity of lime, a hint of salt, and just a tiny bit of sugar (NOT zero calorie sweetener). Most zero proof margs are so sweet and that’s just not my thing.
There aren’t a ton of spirits that I enjoy just drinking over ice, but Wilfred’s really stands out. It’s great for a spritz—and there’s enough complexity with the rhubarb, rosemary, and clove that it holds up on the rocks.
I’m a huge Ghia fan! The bite of the ginger here really grabs your attention. It’s as enjoyable out of the can as it is on the rocks.
As you can see, I love bubbles… and I also love anything with rose. Between the bitter and floral notes, the complexity makes this feel like a proper drink.
