Sisters In Sobriety

Mocktail Hour is back! In this episode of Sisters in Sobriety, Sonia and Kathleen are helping you navigate the world of non-alcoholic beverages with their honest review of St. Agrestis mocktails, including the Phony Negroni and Amaro Falso. They’ll roll up their sleeves, sip, critique, and share their favorites, all while keeping things fun and relatable.

Ever wondered how the Phony Negroni stacks up against its alcoholic counterpart? Or what makes Amaro Falso a wintery, herbal delight? Sonia and Kathleen dive into the flavor profiles, discuss pairings, and tease out the differences in mouthfeel and aftertaste. They’ll answer questions like: How does the bitterness compare? Can these mocktails hold their own as aperitifs or digestifs? And most importantly, are they worth a spot in your fridge?

This episode is packed with insights for the sober-curious and mocktail enthusiasts alike. You’ll learn about the perfect pairings, creative additions to elevate the drinks, and whether these options are right for your next dinner party or cozy night in. Sonia and Kathleen leave no bottle uncorked, providing a thorough breakdown that’s as entertaining as it is educational.

This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our Substack for extra tips, tricks, and resources.

Time-Stamps:
  • 00:00:00 – Mocktail Hour kicks off with Sonia and Kathleen’s signature honesty.
  • 00:01:00 – Introduction to St. Agrestis Phony Negroni and its origins.
  • 00:02:05 – First impressions: color, smell, and initial taste test.
  • 00:03:00 – Breaking down the flavor: juniper berry notes and orange peel accents.
  • 00:04:00 – Discussing how the Phony Negroni feels like a “sophisticated” drink.
  • 00:05:00 – Ideal serving occasions for the Phony Negroni.
  • 00:05:54 – Rating the Phony Negroni on a scale of 1 to 10.
  • 00:06:00 – Introduction to St. Agrestis Amaro Falso and its unique qualities.
  • 00:06:42 – Flavor comparison: herbal and citrus notes of Amaro Falso.
  • 00:07:22 – Sonia experiments by adding ginger ale to Amaro Falso.
  • 00:08:20 – Describing Amaro Falso as a wintery, moody drink.
  • 00:09:00 – Aesthetic appeal: the elegant design of the St. Agrestis bottles.
  • 00:09:28 – Rating the Amaro Falso and who might enjoy it.
  • 00:10:14 – Comparing aftertastes and complexity between the two drinks.
  • 00:10:40 – Sonia reflects on mocktails mimicking alcoholic beverages.
  • 00:11:00 – Kathleen shares how the Phony Negroni evokes gin nostalgia.
  • 00:11:20 – Head-to-head verdict: Phony Negroni wins as a pre-dinner favorite.
  • 00:11:40 – Amaro Falso as a digestif: best for post-dinner sipping.
  • 00:12:00 – Plans to explore more of St. Agrestis’ non-alcoholic offerings.
  • 00:12:12 – Closing thoughts and a thank-you to listeners.
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What is Sisters In Sobriety?

You know that sinking feeling when you wake up with a hangover and think: “I’m never doing this again”? We’ve all been there. But what happens when you follow through? Sonia Kahlon and Kathleen Killen can tell you, because they did it! They went from sisters-in-law, to Sisters in Sobriety.

In this podcast, Sonia and Kathleen invite you into their world, as they navigate the ups and downs of sobriety, explore stories of personal growth and share their journey of wellness and recovery.

Get ready for some real, honest conversations about sobriety, addiction, and everything in between. Episodes will cover topics such as: reaching emotional sobriety, how to make the decision to get sober, adopting a more mindful lifestyle, socializing without alcohol, and much more.

Whether you’re sober-curious, seeking inspiration and self-care through sobriety, or embracing the alcohol-free lifestyle already… Tune in for a weekly dose of vulnerability, mutual support and much needed comic relief. Together, let’s celebrate the transformative power of sisterhood in substance recovery!

Kathleen Killen is a registered psychotherapist (qualifying) and certified coach based in Ontario, Canada. Her practice is centered on relational therapy and she specializes in couples and working with individuals who are navigating their personal relationships.

Having been through many life transitions herself, Kathleen has made it her mission to help others find the support and communication they need in their closest relationships. To find out more about Kathleen’s work, check out her website.

Sonia Kahlon is a recovery coach and former addict. She grappled with high-functioning alcohol use disorder throughout her life, before getting sober in 2016.

Over the last five years, she has appeared on successful sobriety platforms, such as the Story Exchange, the Sobriety Diaries podcast and the Sober Curator, to tell her story of empowerment and addiction recovery, discuss health and midlife sobriety, and share how she is thriving without alcohol.

Your sobriety success story starts today, with Kathleen and Sonia. Just press play!

[00:00:00] Sonia: Welcome to our favorite part of the show, our Mocktail Hour, and this is where we [00:01:00] roll up our sleeves and test out non alcoholic beverages and give you our honest thoughts. So, whether it's fizzy, fruity, or Herbal or just confusing, sit back, relax, and let us spare you the, ew, that's gross moments because somebody's got to do the dirty work and we're happy to take one for the team. So we are going to start with the Phony Negroni by St. Agrestus and people get this for me when I go to their house.as like a non alcoholic beverage. It's like a pre made cocktail. I really appreciate it when people do it. And only thing is I never really had a Negroni when I was drinking. So I don't know how accurate it is, but okay.

[00:01:46] Sonia: Kathleen.

[00:01:47] Kathleen: So I don't either, because I never had a Negroni either.

[00:01:50] Sonia: Well, what's the difference between a Negroni and an Aperol spritz?

[00:01:55] Kathleen: I don't know. I just made a mess. Just a second. Okay.[00:02:00]

[00:02:00] Kathleen: Okay. P. S. It's like 8. 30 a. m. as we record this, so.

[00:02:05] Kathleen: know, mocktails for breakfast. Hmm. I like the smell of it.

[00:02:11] Sonia: Okay. I like the color. It's pink and I, you know, I love a,

[00:02:16] Kathleen: Oh, that's good. I love it.

[00:02:18] Sonia: Really?

[00:02:20] Kathleen: Yeah, I do. There's like this bitter sweet taste, but I agree. You said before we started recording that you dilute it and I would dilute it also, but this is tasty.

[00:02:35] Sonia: Okay. Okay.

[00:02:35] Kathleen: bring me some for Christmas?

[00:02:37] Sonia: Yes, I will. I will bring

[00:02:39] Kathleen: Mmm. Can

[00:02:40] Kathleen: we do Negronis on Christmas Eve?

[00:02:43] Sonia: Yeah. I mean, let's try it. We'll try the next one. But yeah,

[00:02:46] Kathleen: I'm like, I am like a fan. I am a fan of this.

[00:02:49] Kathleen: it feels very sophisticated. so let's try to describe flavors. I feel like it tastes a little bit like [00:03:00] There's gin in here. There's not. I taste like the juniper berry. do. I taste the juniper berry. It almost tastes like almost like there would be like a twist of orange or something in there too. What is it? And an actual Negroni.

[00:03:17] Sonia: Yeah, so I actually, when I have this, I will, put an orange, like

[00:03:23] Kathleen: Oh, really?

[00:03:24] Sonia: peel in it. But I also, well, we'll get into what, what we pair it with, but

[00:03:30] Kathleen: this is amazing. I'm looking at what like the actual is. It's gin, Campari, vermouth, and orange peel. But I really taste like,

[00:03:37] Sonia: What's

[00:03:37] Kathleen: I taste that. I don't know. I, I know the bottle to see it in my mind. Gosh, we're really like,

[00:03:45] Sonia: I know it's a.

[00:03:46] Kathleen: our listeners are going to be like, they know nothing about drinking. How are they?

[00:03:51] Sonia: It is a Italian bitter.

[00:03:54] Kathleen: Yes. Okay. I, Oh, this

[00:03:59] Sonia: I, I [00:04:00] totally agree. This is bitter citrus.

[00:04:02] Kathleen: is better citrus for sure.

[00:04:04] Sonia: Okay. So mouthfeel.

[00:04:07] Kathleen: Smooth and a little bit tingly.

[00:04:10] Sonia: Yep. It's, I would say it has like a, a medium tingle, a medium fizz.

[00:04:16] Kathleen: Medium fizz for sure. Not overly fizzy. And that's why I'm like, it's smooth with a touch of fizzy.

[00:04:21] Kathleen: This is like, I think this might be my favorite mocktail yet.

[00:04:25] Sonia: I will say, my friends got it for me last New Year's Eve and I really felt like I was drinking something.

[00:04:31] Kathleen: Yeah,

[00:04:32] Sonia: really,

[00:04:32] Kathleen: does feel like it. It does, it does feel like it for sure. Um, sorry, I'm just gonna pause and get a different glass. Just a sec.

[00:04:41] Kathleen: Map, you like it. I'll just drink it from the bottle or are we kidding?

[00:04:46] Kathleen: Okay, so when you drink this?

[00:04:51] Sonia: I like it as sort of like a cocktail hour type drink. I don't know if need to drink it with my meal. [00:05:00] Um, I like it as a pre or post dinner, I think. What about you?

[00:05:04] Kathleen: Definitely pre dinner. I would never drink this with a meal.

[00:05:08] Sonia: Okay?

[00:05:09] Kathleen: I feel like this is definitely, I can see like a dinner party happening and you're having like mocktails beforehand. This is a lovely option. I think this would be really good for Christmas to be honest. Um, maybe it's because I want it for Christmas, but yeah, I think it's a definitely a pre meal situation.

[00:05:33] Sonia: Um, I'll just go briefly into, there's 11 grams of added sugar in half of the bottle and the bottle is two servings.

[00:05:41] Kathleen: Okay,

[00:05:42] Sonia: Okay. Um, okay. Recommendation 1 to 10. On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely to recommend this to a friend or family member? Okay.

[00:05:54] Kathleen: I'm 10 on this one.

[00:05:57] Sonia: Okay. So next we're going to [00:06:00] try the Amaro Falso, also by St. Agrestis, also another take on an beverage. Okay. Are you,

[00:06:14] Sonia: I am going to try it. It What? Okay. This one is brown and I would say a lot more fizzy. So reminds me of digestive bitters my Swiss grandfather used to drink, can you explain that a little bit more? What is that flavor?

[00:06:42] Sonia: like bitter herbs. Tastes like very herbal. It feels like I'm drinking a tincture. Okay, I am going to try this with some ginger ale, um, some Diet Canada dry, and I'm gonna let you know [00:07:00] if it improves. So what are, okay, so you're tasting, it's really herby. You're not tasting any citrus, you're not tasting anything

[00:07:06] Kathleen: Um, I'm tasting a little bit of citrus, but it's very like heavy on the herbs.

[00:07:12] Kathleen: Okay, what do you think about the texture, mouthfeel? I, I don't actually think it's fizzier than the Negroni. I think it's, um, the same, like it's,

[00:07:22] Sonia: I think It

[00:07:24] Kathleen: it's fizzier. I think it's the same. I will say on the third sip, it tastes better to me. Uh, it's funny because I, I just did Google it and it's like, it's a, it's an aperitif or a digestive.

[00:07:40] Kathleen: As well. So yeah. Digestive.

[00:07:43] Sonia: Um, I've been, uh, I switched from learning Hindi to French.

[00:07:48] Kathleen: Oh. Okay. All right.

[00:07:52] Sonia: well, because I took French up until the 12th grade, I actually can read it and write it,

[00:07:59] Kathleen: Yeah. [00:08:00] Okay.

[00:08:00] Sonia: yeah, I feel,

[00:08:01] Kathleen: we should talk French then.

[00:08:03] Sonia: we should,

[00:08:04] Kathleen: Yeah.

[00:08:05] Sonia: I'm on the 7th lesson. Okay, so, I put some Canada Dry in it, and it, it for sure is easier to drink, but that seems like there's no big point to that, because it just makes it taste less, it doesn't make it taste good.

[00:08:19] Sonia: Okay.

[00:08:20] Sonia: Right. I do think, I think this is really like an acquired, like it's growing on me. I'm going to say it's growing on me, but I feel like, I feel like this is a winter drink. Don't you? yeah, it's dark,

[00:08:38] Kathleen: Moody. It's a little moody.

[00:08:40] Sonia: a root beer. It seems moody. Another thing to add is these bottles are beautiful.

[00:08:46] Kathleen: They are beautiful.

[00:08:47] Kathleen: They are like conical and they have like Some metallic vibes to them. They're really beautiful. Um, yeah, I [00:09:00] okay. So on a scale of 1 to 10. So on a scale of one to 10, here's the thing. If I was looking for like a digestive, uh, like a digestive drink, like with that herbal taste, I would, I'd say it's quite good actually for that. I am not a fan of that, so I'm going to give it a seven, but I think if you're a fan of it, I think that this is a really strong, Cocktail, like, sorry, mocktail.

[00:09:28] Kathleen: Like it's a very good one, but it just, it's not something I would drink.

[00:09:33] Sonia: it is head to head. It is way less bitter than the Negroni.

[00:09:39] Kathleen: Mm hmm.

[00:09:40] Sonia: so that if you're looking for some, if you're not into the bitter, but you want something complex. Ben, I can see enjoying this.

[00:09:50] Kathleen: Mm hmm. Um,

[00:09:52] Sonia: think there's someone that you think would like this? Like, would your mom like this?

[00:09:56]

[00:09:58]

[00:09:58] Kathleen: my, my [00:10:00] grandfather would have liked this rest in peace. He would have liked this for sure. Like, again, it is, it feels really like a digestive bitter, like to have after a meal. I don't know if anyone in my life would like this, but yes,

[00:10:14] Sonia: They both also have a very strong aftertaste.

[00:10:18] Kathleen: yes.

[00:10:19] Sonia: I can taste both of them

[00:10:22] Kathleen: Mm-Hmm. . I really like, I just took another sip of the Negroni and it really does taste like gin. It's kind of a bit of a mind warp for me 'cause I haven't had gin in a very, very long time and I'm seeing clients today, so I'm gonna have to definitely brush my teeth after I finish this. Mm-Hmm.

[00:10:40] Sonia: I'll say, like, you know, I don't love, um, beverages that mimic alcohol.

[00:10:46] Kathleen: Yeah. Mm-Hmm?

[00:10:47] Kathleen: for some reason I do really like this, even though I know it tastes a bit like gin. I don't find this one triggering, but it really is a personal thing. Was gin your drink though? 'cause gin was my drink.[00:11:00]

[00:11:00] Sonia: Oh, no, no. I almost never drank gin.

[00:11:02] Kathleen: Yeah.

[00:11:02] Kathleen: I, um, gin and tonic was my thing.

[00:11:05] Sonia: Yeah. I mean, I would, had I been a gin drinker and I sip this, I would have asked somebody like, is there alcohol in

[00:11:10] Kathleen: Yeah, for sure. A hundred percent. I would too. Yeah.

[00:11:13] Sonia: yeah. Okay. So head to head, definitely the Phony Negroni,

[00:11:20] Kathleen: Yes.

[00:11:21] Kathleen: definitely a pre dinner cocktail hour appetizers. Mm hmm. I see. I think it's after dinner drink,

[00:11:33] Kathleen: Oh, okay. Okay. but that's just me.

[00:11:38] Sonia: Yeah. And the Amaro falso.

[00:11:40] Kathleen: Oh yeah. And I'm looking here. Amaro is an Italian herbal liqueur that is commonly consumed after dinner as an after dinner digestif.

[00:11:49] Sonia: It's an after breakfast digestif right now. I think that I will say I've loved this company. I hope they come out. I think they have [00:12:00] one more beverage that I will order. Um, so I will order maybe more Negronis and whatever else they have, and we will skip the Amaro falso Because our group will probably not go for it.

[00:12:12] Kathleen: So true. Well, thank you all for listening to Sisters in Sobriety and we will see you next week.