We're Not Drinking Tonight
We're Not Drinking Tonight
003- Can 'alcohol free' actually be vibes? The Ladies Try Kin Euphorics.
What are the chances that a community totally centered around not drinking can actually be fun? Is it possible that a community centered around not drinking can actually be a vibe? Today, the ladies try Kin Euphorics, a brand that calls itself "a non-alcoholic experience designed to transform the world's oldest social ritual, drinking, into an act of concious connection."
Inspired by magic and science, Kin has a tight knit community and a beverage for every time of day, and it's the reason Bella Hadid gave up drinking. It's also the only brand we've tried so far that has an astrological sign. But does any of that make it drinkable? And do you actually feel euphoric? Or is it all hype.
Listen along as the ladies rate the experience from start to finish. Along the way they talk cutting alcohol for your workouts, nootropics vs. adaptogens, digital brand integration, and whether taste or smell is more important in an alcohol alternative.
I'm Ciara and I'm Shantel and we're, we're not drinking tonight.<laugh>
Speaker 2:Welcome to, we are not drinking tonight. The podcast that asks, what do you drink when you're not drinking? This podcast is an exploration of what happens when two friends and former party girls try to find alternatives to alcohol while staying social, we wanna make it clear. We're not alcohol free. We do drink. We love to get back with a drink, a shot glass of wine. You name it, but sometimes life calls for you to sip socially without the spirits. And that's what we're here to talk about. Join us as we explore cannabis, low alcohol, no alcohol and functional beverages as alternatives. We're gonna get into the latest and we wanna take you along on the journey. Now let's start the show.
Speaker 1:This is a fun one. I'm excited. I'm excited about today's. Yeah, I think we're both excited cuz the boxes darn pretty.<laugh> pretty.
Speaker 3:We're excited about this one. You guys. Yeah. So this is episode four.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Guys, just give us grace on this episode, we don't know. We don't know these numbers real, but, and just clear backstory here. It's just me. It's just Sierra and I, you know, just the two of us, no team yet. Right? So this is episode where we'll talk about Ken. How about that? We won't even throw a number on it. There you go. Bring them. Maybe we just drop the whole number. I think you you'll be able to tell when you see the listing. I'm sure there will we'll have the number on. There will be a number. There will be a number<laugh> so I think today's like, okay, so fun fact. It's not just because a box is so pretty, but I think Ken has like a lead up to it's like they're giving so many, like there's social media is really awesome. And then like their website itself is very informative. Well, they're getting a lot of traction, so I'm just excited.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Well, if you haven't figured it out yet,<laugh> today, we're gonna be talking about, can you for it, if you are joining us for the first time or um, you know, you have been on the drug with us, we are working through finding alcohol alter alternatives. Mm-hmm<affirmative> we are looking for social drinks that we can enjoy feel social and really feel like adult beverages. Yeah. But they don't contain alcohol. So that can include C, B, D botanical. Neutropics we're looking for some combination of that. And we have been on a journey to try a lot of different options that are out there on the market to form opinions on them and just to see where we can put any of this into our routine. Yeah. Um, and that's because we feel like, you know, we do have to live our lives. We have lives of obligations. Um, and you all, you sometimes wanna feel, you sometimes wanna feel pretty.
Speaker 1:Yeah. You wanna, you wanna be, you wanna have a, you wanna have a good night. Yep. But you also need to be refreshed and not stumbling and not slurred. So it's like responsible drinking it's somewhere between like, we are not trying to drink water or fruit punch, but we're also, maybe this isn't a night that calls like a dirty martini or something of that nature. Yeah. So we're like trying to find a sweet little drink in between something that we can organically add into our routine that doesn't feel like, you know, like we're drinking water. We want a good vibe as Zender. Yeah. We want the vibes. That's what it, without the hangover you. Yeah. Yeah. Which is why we kind of started on this down this path of finding alternatives. And I will say it's been fun. Like we've been having fun. We've been having fun because like, I don't think that we ever, I don't know that I've ever gone into a store and, and actively been looking for like a drink replacement because it's normally like water or alcohol or whatever, you know, like if, you know, maybe it's hot chocolate or tea or something like whatever. But I don't think that I've ever actively tried to find a adult replacement to alcohol. It's just always, yeah, I never have. Um, so this has been really cool. And if you have not listened to episode zero, I Chantel, um, you know, I am very much to drink her. I enjoy a good drink, uh, or a good night, a good party night in Sierra's a, you know, you do. Yeah.
Speaker 3:I, I do enjoy a good drinking night too. My body doesn't handle it as well. If Chantel's probably does, because I've seen her drink all night and then be productive the next day. But for me, it's a lot harder. It's the<laugh> the next day can be a lot harder. So
Speaker 1:It's the hangover for me.<laugh> I no longer want<laugh> I don't want that. Me
Speaker 3:Too. The first time you spend a weekend kinda like knocked out. Maybe like not one day, but like into the second day, you're like, oh, okay. Yeah. I think I maybe need to like find something. I don't know if is really productive for breed to spend two days in a row just like chill it all day. Oh,
Speaker 1:No memory<laugh>. Um, but yeah, so we're looking for some healthy alternatives and there just, that really does not mean that we're like, oh no, nobody should ever drink. We're not, that's not the case whatsoever. Not at all. We are genuinely looking for like alternatives, like, or if
Speaker 3:You workout additives. Yeah. Yeah. If you wanna work out a lot and maybe you feel like you wanna drink, that was so I had a trainer before, like years ago and I always used to fight him on this mm-hmm<affirmative> he would be like, okay, can you think about like, not drinking? And I was like, blast
Speaker 1:<laugh> look, I can cut chocolate. I'm gonna get rid of these card. Right. I'm gonna do all these things. I will even sign up for five days of your service to work me out. But cut alcohol. I don't don't agree. Like, okay.
Speaker 3:Maybe Monday through Friday, but like, or Monday through Thursday, Sunday. Yeah. Never. And he was like, no, not never, but just like less. And I wasn't drinking a lot either. I was, I felt very restricted cuz I was drinking maybe twice a week and I was recording all my, like all of my intake at the time. Yeah. So I was recording like, you know, whatever drinks I was drinking. And you actually mentioned this before and through the course of our conversations that the calories and the sugar are really high. Yeah. So if I was having two or three margaritas
Speaker 1:There, you, there goes a whole day. I was having thousands of calories<laugh> and that's the thing. So like, uh, like you drink your diet, which like you can literally drink your diet away so you can behave all day, like literally 16 hours of good behavior. You're doing your fasting, you're eating your carrots. Mm-hmm<affirmative> and then it's someone's birthday. Yep. And the next thing, you know, your three margaritas deep and you've consumed your entire day worth of calories and three hours. Like that's I mean yep. And so I think, you know, that's does come with maturity of saying like, Hey look, I can't continue to, this is counterproductive. It's counterproductive. Right? Yeah. So I'm like working out and working really hard. But I think the thing, the pushback that everyone is like, I do, I am an adult. I wanna relax. I wanna do. Sometimes I work hard. I deserve deserve some downtime. Exactly. So we're looking for responsible ways or responsible feels so up. And that feels like a boring word, but it's
Speaker 3:Really not like we're difficult for balance. I think balance is probably the word. That's a better word. You sometimes everybody knows, you know, once you're out of college, like once you're in your career, you sometimes you wanna drink. Sometimes you don't, if you have a social night, like, and social doesn't always mean party, it could be a night of networking. Mm-hmm<affirmative>, which is how we decided to that's how we met. Right? Like
Speaker 1:That's how there's so many stances. It's been a lot time network. Yeah. It's, it's almost like socially acceptable to like, you need to have a cocktail in hand. And especially for both of us who are, you know, we went to business school together or both in corporate America. Right. For lack of better word. So, um, you know, like happy hours and Christmas parties and blah, blah, blah, the deal closings. Like we were joking, nobody ever closes a deal and it's like, let's go have ice cream. Never, never. And it should happen more cool. You know, I wanna go with the team and I do wanna have a good time. And it's like, but maybe in, you know, in my case, like I, I wanna go have this cocktail, but then I've got like, I don't know a parenting thing afterwards or, or whatever. You know what I mean? Like I don't, I can't, I, I can't trade off one for the other. I've gotta be responsible in that setting. And it doesn't mean that I'm gonna drink water because that's not fair. Like why should I have to drink water? Why's not have to do that. Just because that's the only other alternative behind the bar or whatever. So there's a lot of different places, times events where I think every adult wants to have an adult drink, but not feel like they're being put at the kids' table. Like Don offer me a Shirley temple. I don't, when I say, do you have a non, an alcoholic beverage? Yeah. That that's the opposite of what I want.<laugh> um, and so far we've actually, we've tried some really great drinks. And I think the thing that we pointed out before is like, most of them are low to no calories. Mm-hmm<affirmative>, which is dope because Hey, like I don't throw away my entire day by having this drink. Yep. Um, you know, some are more tasteful than other, some have been more tasteful for the others and that's fine. I think we're still, we're very much again, trying to find the thing that I would have stopped in my house and would advocate all my friends, looking for an alternative and add something to add to their, you know, drinking repertoire. We're still trying to, to find it. Yeah. Things that
Speaker 3:We would order at a bar, like that's what we're trying to do. So yeah. Today we're jumping into, can you for it? Love the
Speaker 1:Box we're OK. OK. It's bright yellow it's so my God. So yeah. Let me tell you what we ordered. So we ordered
Speaker 3:Two different, two different skews. Am I using,
Speaker 1:Sorry. Well, we, yeah, they have a two skews of can looking for it. So they do have what looks more like a traditional, uh, liquor that comes in like a bottle it's
Speaker 3:Very cute. Stylish. We order high road,
Speaker 1:Social hours. Yes. We, we ordered high road. They do have another one, which is dream, dream light, dream light. Yeah.
Speaker 3:And the difference between these two is the amount of C B, D in each. Okay. Yeah. So dream light, I think has 500 milligrams of CBD, which basically it's called Greenlight. Cause
Speaker 1:It wants to put you to sleep. Exactly. And so I think that was the reason why we both opted against it opted. Cause as you all have heard multiple times, we are not trying to go to bed. We trying to be social, be a perfect. So, you know, to test something like dream light would kind of go against what our goal, what we're trying to find. So can, again, this box, I mean, it's just a beautiful yellow and then the actual bottle that you like the, the high road, when it comes out of there that has this like, right. Like isn't texture on it. It's just really nice. Yeah. It's, it's fancy.
Speaker 3:It's a so, okay. You're right. It is such a experience to open up skin, like, okay. First of all, the bottle or not the bottle, the package is bright yellow. You open it and there's like a Q R code on the inside. Oh yeah. That says first. And then we sit<laugh> and then it also says the future of revel is in our hands and there's a hashtag hashtag rise wisely. So I mean, it's, this was very millennial, like it's, I D
Speaker 1:They're just, they're definitely appealing to us. This is an experience. And of course, like, okay, so rightfully so behind the bar. You're not gonna see all of this, but as someone who's looking for an alternative from my home, like my home life receiving this, it's just like getting an apple product. Like everybody that I know they keep at least one or two apple product boxes because it that's a part of the experience like opening this all white package and the heavy like paper that they put in there. All of that's a part of the experience. So for me, I'm super excited about opening up this bright yellow box. And I did, I think it's very thoughtful. I think it's very, very thoughtful. Something about can is also it's it's called can you for, for mankind. So it's just, can we keep calling it Ken, but their full name is euphoric can euphoric from mankind and they pride themselves on ha like delivering like a lifted mind, a relaxed body in a kindred spirit. Mm-hmm,<affirmative>, it's a very on their website. You'll see. They're very spiritual in a sense they're very, very spiritual, meaningful
Speaker 3:Goal to people. It seems like it's very
Speaker 1:Much about it's it's intentional,
Speaker 3:Even on the back of the bottle, it says that it's the soul of the party. Like it's just very, it has a very
Speaker 1:I'm here for it.
Speaker 3:I mean, I like it. So their goal is to part conscious connection and social gatherings after dark. So it's very clear that this is made to be drunk in a social context, which is something that I really like. I think that what, from what we've seen so far, the, the spirits, they, they signal that from their shape and like what they're doing with the way the bottle looks, but they don't really specifically state what they're trying to accomplish. Well, that's the high road social hour, but we also ordered a second,
Speaker 1:Another one of their products. I was also gonna say another skew, not<laugh> sorry. Yeah. Uh, so we also order the kin spritz where, which are these really cute little eight fluid ounces. It's definitely a spritzer. So there's carbonation in the string. I think the biggest difference between the two is that the, the sprinters are meant to be kind of like consumed on goal. Yeah. Consumed on a go. This is, you know, this might be the lead up to you actually pouring like high road or something of that nature. Or it could just be like, you know, something, you, you have one of these on a random day. You just keep it moving versus high rose meant to be like a, a real cocktail.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I think spritz is like a all day kind of cocktail. Like I don't, I don't wanna actually call it a cocktail cuz it, it has 50 milligrams of
Speaker 1:Caffeine in it. Yes. So that is a, and this is okay. So we talked about this before, but like it is super important for brands like these to talk about their ingredient on the can on the bottle. Because as a, as a, a new consumer of this particular beverage, like I need to know exactly what's in it. What's it gonna do? It's not a vodka. We know what vodka's gonna do. Mm-hmm it's not tequila. We know tequila's gonna gonna do. And in this case I do love that they put on the spritzer that there are 50 milligrams of caffeine in here. Pretty much telling the, the consumer right away that this is like a daytime, like you're gonna get a little lift from this. It's not absolutely. Um, this
Speaker 3:Is something you could drink at work probably. Yeah,
Speaker 1:Exactly. But I think it's important to put that on there because dear God, if I'm someone who's like sensitive to caffeine or something, I dunno. And like I drink a spritzer and I'm like, wait a minute. This is not what I expected. So I do, I really appreciate the full details and transparency of what's in their drink. Mm-hmm<affirmative> did
Speaker 3:You like, I mean, what did you think about the packaging for the Kints like, oh
Speaker 1:Yeah. Oh my gosh. Okay. So thank you talked about this before one. Yes. One, there is a peek Abu window. And so yes. As someone obsessed with packaging, I love when you can get a pre you of the product prior to actually opening the box, something about that it's like seeing and smelling your food before you taste it, like how that all plays into the experience. Yeah. I think seeing my drink before, I'm about to have, it is like exciting for me. And then, so we talked about the bright yellow box, which is really fun, but then they have this like ombre of purple and orange and red on the spritzer box, which again, it's playful. It's daytime. It's signaling to me that this is not, this is probably not what I'm going for. Like at the end of the evening, but more of like an afternoon or picnic vibes or I don't know. It just, it, this to me feels playful. It is good for it. It feels playful
Speaker 3:To me. Like it looks like this is something you could take to a party, something where there will be a little gathering and like share with other people who are on some of the same thing as you. And yeah. I mean, it definitely feels like a total experience. Mm-hmm<affirmative> as far as all of the packages that we've opened so far, I think Ken is my favorite. Yeah. I really like ritual, but ritual feels very adult. Very Kim feels
Speaker 1:Way more playful. You know what? This feels like this. So we talked about ritual, feeling like G a giftable mm-hmm<affirmative> like something you replace your gifts with. This actually feels like something I bring to the picnic and it becomes a conversation starter. Yeah, definitely. This, this is something that you unpack with your friends and people are like, Ooh, what? What's that? Yeah. And I think you do need that type of appeal, especially when you're introducing something new to someone who's like replacing alcohol and like there's already the educational, like learning curve that you've gotta take people on. And it's like, Ugh. All right, everyone understands it pretty can. And a nice taste. So people wanna drink
Speaker 3:It just because it's cute. Yeah. It's cute. Super cute. Like, oh, I'll try that. I think we talked about this. Like the first time I tried<laugh> what is it? The straw burrito
Speaker 1:<laugh> yeah, they were cute. I tried it cause it was cute and it
Speaker 3:Was a little cute
Speaker 1:Bottle and it was an alternative to actual hard liquor. Yeah. Like that was my story for why I ever tried, um, Amarita straw, whatever you call. It was because I was at an event and there was only beer and it had to be like beer and some other hard drink. And I was like, oh my God, like, I'm not trying to today. And typically like, I, I've never been like a huge beer drinker. So like, if I see beer, I'm like, eh, I'm not really here. But then someone similarly brought, um, freaking straws and I was like, oh, those look cute. I know it's a beer, but it doesn't taste like, yeah, it doesn't taste like a beer. So again, packaging and how that just changes. So one's reception to a good drink and that's becoming like their lead category, but we're not going into that for that. Yeah.
Speaker 3:I mean, I'm surprised that, that it really did change that way, but that's not what we're here to talk about. That's we were talking about, we're
Speaker 1:Talking about non alcohol. So I think we can kind of start talking about like, we're, we're gonna of course start drinking this, but before we get there, I think it's worth talking about the three things that they are boasting Inkin forks. They talk about adaptogens neutropics and botanicals. And again, going back to the educational part of this, of like what in the heck, what
Speaker 3:Those things like. OK. So can, it is a very interesting, I think of all of the, all of the alternatives we've tried, Ken has a very strong sense of its own brand identity. Mm-hmm<affirmative> um, it is the only one that we've tried so far that has a very active community. It is weirdly spiritual. Like it feels like they have a bigger purpose to bring people together. Yeah. They're not just saying that. It seems like they're,
Speaker 1:They're intentional in their ingredients. Mm-hmm<affirmative> their, everything, their like their ingredients, the education on the ingredients, like the, the social aspect of their website. Like if you join their texting, they like, they text often. If you join their like, um, email, I mean, sorry. Their text chain. I don't know. What's the formal word for that. Oh, I know what the, but that's like, they do a really good job of actually doing what they're saying, which is building community.
Speaker 3:Right. Even when, even when you open the package for the first time, I think I mentioned this really quickly. There's a QR code. And if you scan it, it takes you to their website. So like they're really literally inviting you to their, to their space. And it's, it's very clear just to remind you what you're doing. There's like candles, you can purchase. It's like a whole, it's like, like a book, a card you can pull. Like they're like, I don't know. It's it's a whole
Speaker 1:Making alternative, drinking fun though. It's fine. It's cause it's the wall. Exactly. It's like the whole thing about like, I don't wanna go to a bar and be standing on the side, like, cuz we know it. Like when someone says I'm not drinking, oh are you pregnant? Like, like pregnant. Yeah. Do you really shot? Like, no I didn't. No, it wasn't a case to say
Speaker 3:What I said, I study on purpose. Like I'm not drinking
Speaker 1:Tonight. I'm about drinking that doesn't like that doesn't change the context of why I'm here. I'm still social. Yeah. I still came here to hang out and whatever, you know, but I'm not drinking, but this
Speaker 3:Even takes you. Yeah, no, totally. And this doesn't even take you. This takes you, you to,
Speaker 1:This is the QR code from the back. Yeah. From the inside of the box, which is yes. The
Speaker 3:QR code is what I'm talking about. I didn't realize, I don't even know if this is a real page on their website or if this is specifically because you scan the QR code because it takes you to some specific like coupons, it gives you 50% off, off dream light. I don't know if that's on their
Speaker 1:Website right now. I don't think so. I think it's probably curated to build, repeat business. Yeah. I mean, which is fine because they know. And so like they're well they don't know, but their, their hypothesis, their assumption here is that like, if you have one of their drinks, you're probably someone on a journey or you're like liking it or whatever you like it. Or don't like, it they're like trying to lead you back to the site to find something that you do. Like cuz they have mul, they have a lot of options. Like you could do a spritzer, you could do the high road. You could do dream light there's things there that you can try out. You can, you could do a
Speaker 3:All
Speaker 1:Do. Oh my gosh. Yeah.
Speaker 3:So what are we? So we were really surprised and delighted by all of this. But what we think is important here is to share with you what any of these words mean because they sound like jargon or made up. If you're not<laugh> if you don't know what they are. Because when we first started doing this, we kept coming across the word neutropics and if you've been listening to us for a while, you've probably heard us say it like a hundred times. I don't think we've explained what it it is before now. But neutropics we, we kept coming across this word and we were like, what are neutropics? Like, what does this word mean?<laugh> yeah. And so we're
Speaker 1:Gonna dive into them just of it. So yeah, before we start drinking<laugh> so neutropics big word, very simple definit in it's literally anything that enhances your cognitive function. So essentially it like targets specific neurotransmitters, which woo big word, uh, in your brain<laugh> that, uh, it, it helps to like enhance like your ability to, you know, to think clearly to feel good. It's actually like targeting the effect in your brain. Mm-hmm<affirmative> similar to like, and I don't wanna like go too far, but there's a lot of medications that specifically target like dopamine and serotonin, which are two pieces, like newer transmits in your brain. Right. Um, and so there's certain medications that are made to go and highlight those particular areas because they deliver a specific feeling mm-hmm and so right out of the gate, knowing that they have a neutropic in there, I know that I'm gonna have some type of Hmm. Mental response, like yeah. So before I even think about what my body's gonna do, per se, I know that like I'm gonna have some type of euphoric. Oh Lord. I just fell into their marketing.<laugh> I? So right into their marketing. No. OK. Yeah. You can sponsor this podcast. Wait a minute. Yes. Do feel free. Oh my like a marketer's dream. So already know when I see neutropics I know that it's gonna have some type of impact on my brain. So whether or not I have like, you know, this body relaxation or whatever. I know that there's something in here that is going to have an effect. So in addition to neutropics there's also adapts
Speaker 3:And adaptogens are non talk, nontoxic plants. They are marketed as helping resist all kinds of stressors for the body. Yeah. So the goal here is to reduce stress. And I think that's really important in a social drinking setting, at least in this category of, of social. I, I keep wanna say social tos, which I feel like I'm picking up their
Speaker 1:Terrify, getting at work. I know, I know,
Speaker 3:Again, Ken, if you wanna sponsor us, you
Speaker 1:Know, feel free, you know, we've already done all this on our own and, and for everyone listening, like we, we definitely like go, we, we fall into like the brands, social medias. We go to their websites. Like, because truly we are trying to educate ourselves. Like we don't know what's out there. And like the last thing I need is to consume something that is going to have a worse effect on my body. Like, well, that's not the goal.
Speaker 3:I agree. And I think it's natural to be curious, because you said this before is the alcohol is, you know, for all of, of purposes, a type of poison. Yeah. So, you know, if, if, if a category of brands is emerging, that is, uh, that is positioning itself as good for you kind of tonic or good for you, but also social feel, you know, we wanna know what that means.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I, so I need to know explicitly what you're talking about. And so what's cool about, um, can combining the neutropics and the adaptogens, which is them saying it explicitly makes it clear that this is what they're trying to do. Some of the other brands, they either say neutropic or adaptogens or, or hemp, or they'll say some proprietary mix and then they'll list the ingredients and not really identify, which is which so like, you don't know, like, is, am I consuming something that's gonna have a brain effect or a body effect? Or what am I looking for? I think for them, I like that they spell it out because what they're saying by combining neutropics and adaptogens, you're alleviating stress, but also facilitating the feeling of bliss. So the are doing both at the same time. So it's like, let your guard down, but also we're letting your brain know that it's party time.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Mm-hmm<affirmative>. And so Kim does this, it does have a vitamin blend. It has folate folic acid, Nin vitamin B six, zero sugars. And then it does have a proprietary blend, but more so than other brands that we've tried. I don't think we have seen it yet. Do they specifically list, uh, C B, D as an ingredient mm-hmm<affirmative> and Kim does. And so that, that's why we, I definitely feel like this is the most effective social beverage that we consume. That is non-alcoholic. Oh, and I think we've talked a little bit about, you know, feeling like that replacement mm-hmm<affirmative> maybe that replacement effect, but this really does feel like a relaxation now would okay. So I think we, I think we're there, like yeah.
Speaker 1:Into it. Yeah, absolutely. And for, for today, we are mainly, you know, we're drinking right now.<laugh> we're drinking high road. I think we said this before for like an alternative, it, you either play two games, you play one or two games. You're either recreating the taste of a tale or you're venturing out into the unknown and you're just creating your own taste. But I think you have to pick one or two, like you can't, uh, because you you're priming your audience to expect something depending on what you put on the bottle. So with ritual whiskey, tequila, gin, we kind of knew what we were expecting. We were expecting to taste. Yeah. Instead of for kin, we know that it's not replicating anything, but just based on the ingredients, we know we're gonna get some like heavy botanicals, a very unique taste. So
Speaker 3:It definitely tastes botanical. The, I can't really describe the, I can't really describe the flavor except for, I mean like almost like licorice.
Speaker 1:Okay. Does that, that kind of feels I'm gonna be 100% honest. I don't know what the heck it tastes like. Okay. So it<laugh>, I mean, this thing I could come up with before. Yeah. I know. I, so if I had to say it tastes like something, it tastes like kin because from here on out, if I ever, if I were ever to encounter that taste again, like, I'd be like, Ugh, it's that's Ken, because Lord knows. I have no idea what that tastes like. So your point that not
Speaker 3:Bad sense, it's not bad.
Speaker 1:It just, I can't, I don't know what it tastes like.
Speaker 3:No, but to your point, that's a good thing because there's no set expectation. No. When we reviewed ritual, we knew we did see that, you know, there was a little bit of disappointment from, from one of, from the whiskey for me, because I know what to expect from the taste of whiskey mm-hmm<affirmative>. And so if it doesn't, if, if it's D find as this kind of alternative
Speaker 1:And it doesn't. Yeah, yeah. It
Speaker 3:Feels like you're not needing an expectation that you defined. Exactly. But because Ken just like, this is a social tonic drink during social,
Speaker 1:You know, almost feels like, you know, when your friends like, Ooh, I got this great cocktail and then they just go make it and bring it back to you. And you're like, I dunno what to expect, but it tastes like a drink. Yeah. So that, I mean, no complaint, no complaints about that. You know, a little splash of ginger, it feels like a cocktail. I would say like it feels adult.
Speaker 3:It does feel adult mm-hmm<affirmative> I didn't love the taste of kin. Like I said, it does taste kinda like licorice to me. Mm-hmm<affirmative> but once I mix it, I think it mixes the best. I think this is the most cocktail of the mixes we've had. Like, if you mix it with, with
Speaker 1:A mixer, cause it still taste it's it's like Ken, you can take a cocktail. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. So this is another thing, like with some of the other brands, you put it in a drink and the thing is gone. Absolutely. The actual taste of the, the alternative is gone. Right? So it's just whatever juices or mixer you put on top of it. Ken holds its own. Absolutely. Ken is like, Ken's in there.
Speaker 3:Well then mixers. I mean, not the mixers, the, um, alcohol alternatives tend to, to properly meet the expectation of smell mm-hmm<affirmative> but taste is just falls, flat falls a little bit short. Yeah. Because you're expecting the taste of alcohol in your brain. If you've been drinking vodka for 10 years,
Speaker 1:Then you're like, you still know what you're looking for. Vodka
Speaker 3:Tastes like, well, vodka doesn't taste like anything, but you know it, you know what to expect, you know, to expect the smell and the feel mm-hmm<affirmative> of alcohol. And you know, if you're not getting that, your brain is like, your brain is already Reddit and knows what to expect from what it is. So your brain is like, what, what is the, this is not an alternative mm-hmm<affirmative> alternative means what exactly. So,
Speaker 1:Yeah. Yeah. So I have to have to be a tad bit transparent here in the fact that we we've been sipping on this for a while. I mean, it has a, it creates a vibe. Like I there's no question. I think in another drink, it kind of like, oh, I think I, I guess I feel, yeah. I, I feel social like you do. And when I say social, I feel like, like when I have, I dunno, I wanna like hang out. I don't know. I feel up, I feel up and I, I feel dare. I say, not like I was sad before, but I feel hap like a dose of happiness. Like, you know, I'm trying to think of like, what's the closest thing to this where you take it and you're like, oh yeah, I feel better. I don't know how to describe that. Like a red,
Speaker 3:I don't know.
Speaker 1:Maybe it's not a red bull. It's not red bull. It's something else. It's like, I do feel relaxed. I feel relaxed, but I feel up like, yeah, I don't feel, uh, stuck. Is that the, yeah, like I don't<laugh> if it's up, then it's stuck. Still dunno what that really means. But no,<laugh> no, seriously. I don't, I don't feel stuck to the chair. I feel like if music we're playing now, if you and I were to like close this out and go play some music. Yeah. I I'd dance. I would too. I'd dance. And normally that type of stuff happens when you drink alcohol. It's like your body's now feeling something. And you're like, Ooh. Yeah.<laugh> well, shimmy, shimmy action.<laugh> that's what I've got going on over here. Sorry, not,
Speaker 3:I think you're exactly right. I think we feel, I feel like social, but not floppy. You know? I don't feel, not that I feel sloppy when I drink, but like I am my drinking tolerance. Like as soon as I drink, I can definitely feel a change. Yeah. So I know that I'm not drinking<affirmative> but I feel, and I feel extremely like
Speaker 1:Chill, you know, it's kind of like, so for me, I do have a really high tolerance. And so it does take a little, like, even if I have like an alcoholic drink, it takes a while for like my body to be like, oh, it's alcoholic clock<laugh>. But with this, I know I'm not drinking alcohol, but I don't know. It's like having coffee for the first time after you've not had coffee for a while. Mm-hmm<affirmative>. And like that first sip is like, yeah,
Speaker 3:You feel like, but
Speaker 1:Yeah. Butkins doesn't even have, and that's the funny part. The spritzer actually has 50 milligrams of caffeine in it. Right. So I expect to feel lifted, elevated alert from that the, the high road, some somehow the mix in here. I don't know. I just, I feel like I'm
Speaker 3:I do too. I think you,
Speaker 1:But not a caffeinated hat.
Speaker 3:Yeah. It's not caffeinated. I don't know. It's like 10. I didn't realize, I didn't think that 10 milligrams of<affirmative> C, B, D<laugh> was gonna have any effect
Speaker 1:Full shimmy, shimmy. Um, I could do a shimmy. Well, do do<laugh> OK.
Speaker 3:So what I dunno about is why I, this, the only thing that makes me like, what is, you're not supposed to have more than four servings, 24 hours. Why I,
Speaker 1:Because I think they're trying to control because listen to us, think about it. The other drinks, none of them put any like warning of serving size and that's because to be fair, none of them made any real, like, notable effect. Right. So I think if we just did a two, two ounces pour with a little bit of some in there, we're already like, oh, this is cool. I think they're trying to make sure that you don't Chu this like a juice. And then the next thing, you know, instead of having that social euphoric experience, you're having the exact thing you were trying to avoid. Mm-hmm<affirmative> and then you can't function, you know, either that night or the next day. So I, I think that they, they did the right thing by making their drink, have an effect like let's, let's go ahead and throw that out there. Like I Chantel tell love that there is a feeling associated with the strength. However, I think they did the right thing by putting a serving size and then, and then educating you to like, Hey bro, don't like, don't drink this whole bottle.<laugh> right. Like, like you may think this is an alcohol alternative. Cool, great. That doesn't also drink at all. Don't drink at all. Uh, you may or may not be able to still be social and fun. You might have some other effect and we don't know, cuz guess what? I'm not gonna do. I'm not gonna break their serving requirement. I'm not gonna break. I'm not gonna push on what they just told me. Right. If they say don't consume more than four servings, guess what? I'm not gonna do come than four than four. I'm not. I'm just, I'm not interested in that. Cuz again, just the two outspo was sufficient. So
Speaker 3:I agree. I think that this was probably the best it for me, this pulls together the purpose of this category of drinks more than any other beverage we've tried. Yeah. I feel like in terms of taste and expectation, I think you're right. It's creating its only mm-hmm<affirmative>, which I think is really exciting.
Speaker 1:It's exciting.
Speaker 3:This is a new category of beverage. To me. It doesn't seem, I know it is an alcohol alternative, but it doesn't seem like it's trying to position itself as an alcohol alternative, but more is just like creating a new segment in the market. So like, it
Speaker 1:Feels like a, like a functional beverage. They're like creating their own lane in the functional beverage category as opposed to like alcohol alternative because functional beverages don't have to you like, but before I had a kombucha, like no one could describe that taste to me. Right. But they said, Hey, here's this thing. That's really great for your body. Yeah. Go drink it. Right. Mm-hmm<affirmative> and so a lot of times functional be beverages you don't actually know or there's not really a way to plan for what it's gonna taste like cuz it doesn't taste like anything that else that you've ever had. And I think that's kind of like the experience you get with Ken. Absolutely. I think the one downside to that though is like, it, it, it, you have to have a certain taste profile, right? Like if, if, if this drink didn't have some form of effect, would it be the thing that I would just go to the like go and pick up it has a unique taste. I don't know. I don't know. I don't. Cause I don't know that I enjoy drinking kombucha because I necessarily like the taste. I like it because of what I know that it's doing on the inside. Right? Oh
Speaker 3:I like kombucha cuz I like the taste of kombucha, but oh, well I, I think you nailed the hammer on the head. Oh Lord.
Speaker 1:You hit the nail on the, I think you did.
Speaker 3:No, no. I think you, I think you did because I don't think I would seek out this taste. Yes. But the effect is strong enough that if I wanted alcohol alternative, I will reach for it and they didn't have to call it an alcohol alternative for me to think that no, for me to
Speaker 1:Know that this is replacing my other social beverage. Yeah. Like,
Speaker 3:So in terms of community, in terms of a community of people who are likeminded, I mean Ken wins hands down in terms of, you know, creating a functional beverage that is efficacious. Ken
Speaker 1:Wins, Ken they're there's a nonnegotiable on this one is that they're absolutely delivering a, an experience. Like I, I, like I said, I feel very up in like, let's go do something. Right. I don't know. Cause I mean, transparent, we're sitting still, we're just like having a conversation, but we feel good.
Speaker 3:But the energy on our conversation is good. Mm-hmm<affirmative> because we are enjoying like, if you're around people that you like and you feel and you're drinking, something makes you feel relaxed. It's only gonna enhance the nature yes. Of your conversation. Absolutely. So I think that's what we're doing here. I mean I think, yeah. So what I mean, I don't know. I think that's that really carved out their own space and made themselves a leader. And I would try this again. Would you, I mean, where, where would you rate this on a scale of one to five, one being thrown away<laugh>
Speaker 1:I'm like stupid and
Speaker 3:Then five being like
Speaker 1:<laugh> so, oh my gosh. I'm so on the fence with this one, because I literal like immediately I wanna give it a five. Right. And, and the why is because as a person who consumes alcohol and like is accustomed to a certain feeling, I feel good. Yeah. And that is the whole goal of like going out and like, like I, I don't wanna feel groggy. I don't wanna feel like I have to take X amount of shots to get to a certain place. So for me, the sheer fact that I drank it and I feel good is almost worth giving them a five out of the gate. Like to me, that's just my own, my own internal scale. The only thing that I take away from that is that if it did not have this level of efficacy, like if I did not feel something, the taste would put me off a little bit because it is a, it's a unique taste. I still can't put my finger on it. I don't know what it tastes. Like you said licorice to me, it tastes like kin. I, I, I dunno where to go with it. It just, it tastes like kin, but other redeeming features, love the boxing, loved all of those aspects of it. I love the educational content again, because I'm a of person I need to know what I'm putting in my body. I don't wanna like go into this blindly. Like have we not known this? Have we not known what they put in there? Would we be so easy to like, explain like, this is kind of what I'm feeling. Okay. Yeah. So maybe it's some of it where they're telling us and then maybe we're reflecting what we bring toll either way it worked. So<laugh> right. I am gonna probably give a 4.9, seven, eight, seriously speaking. It's a taste. Right. And it's a taste and no one can see my face<laugh> but the taste. Yeah. The taste is like, it gives you some pause. Right? That's all, that's all it gives. The, the taste gives you some pause, but they, whatever they're lacking in, in me having like a immediate response to their taste, they up in all of aspects. Ken's you, you guys you're my girls. You're my guys. You're my day thems. I, I like you guys. I like them. I mean, y'all, y'all my people, lot people peoples. All right, so you right, Sierra, where are we at? Oh,
Speaker 3:Well, you know, Kim, for me<laugh>, it's the Kim for me.
Speaker 1:I love it. It's so funny. We both, yeah, no, this is good. This is good.
Speaker 3:Like it is the can for me guys. I mean, look, I would say I, I also, I too don't wanna give it like an outright five, but like 4.5, 4.75 is like where I'm at because, and the only thing again is the, the, the, the, the taste sort of the distinctiveness of the taste is the only down five mm-hmm, but you get used to it. And I do think it mixes the best. Yeah. With anything, like, if you wanna create your own cocktail, it not kinda imitating no own own thing. Yeah. So it's its own experience. It's its own segment. It's, it's, it's its own it's its own thing. And I just feel like, I mean, if I were a person who was very into, I don't feel like my personality necessarily aligns with, you know, the, the Ken community. I don't know. Maybe it does. I feel like it's kind of very open and accepting. So maybe it does. Yeah. But it feels like the kind of beverage that has a higher purpose, it feels like it's really drawing together. I think it's achieving what some beverages try to achieve. Right. So like the community
Speaker 1:Aspect.
Speaker 3:Well, yeah, like, you know, Coca-Cola, uh, it has its whole and I love Coke.
Speaker 1:Share Coke. Yeah.
Speaker 3:They're sharing. They're trying to make it like a community. And I think that's good. I think that's a way to keep, I think that's a way to keep the equity alive for, for Koch. And they, you know, they have to do that, but Ken is building something from scratch and very early mm-hmm<affirmative> I think that it is really, it is something very special and unique to it. And I think that even though the taste is a little bit unique and you have to get used to it once you're mixing it into your stuff. Yeah. It's gonna taste like a kin cocktail mm-hmm<affirmative> and that's gonna be what you want, because
Speaker 1:You can taste you, can, you, you get the feeling, you, you feel like you're doing something<laugh> and you're enjoying the social, the relaxed, social, yeah. Feeling, you know, something's going on. You definitely Don, it's not your brain. You're not like, is this, am I relaxing? There's you know, it's not like a voice talking to your ring about it over<laugh>. Um, but you, do you feel something which is nice. So I think, I think we're both probably having a very, this similar experience. I would say for a fact I would stock Ken on my shelf, like in my home, for sure. In my home. Would you order it in a bar? If I saw this at a bar? Heck yeah. I would order it at a bar. Yeah. If I saw like, if I literally did a quick scan of what was on, it's like, oh, I'll get akin. Yeah. Cocktail, give akin campaign, bring that here. You got that out. Cool. So I might drink it on the rocks, but you wanna get sometimes like, please, if you want to make me akin cocktail, please do have at it. Yeah. So yeah, absolutely would stock it in my house because I mean, if I want to go pour something, it does have an adult feel. I do have this like immediate kind of response to it, which is really great. Would love to see like, you know, how the rest of the night proceeds. Like mm-hmm,<affirmative> hopefully there isn't some weird, I don't know, like downside or something. I, but for now I think Ken, they did a really great job hands down so far, one of the best we've had, uh, definitely I'm looking forward to seeing what else they bring to market mm-hmm<affirmative> in the coming years. So I'll be following Ken for sure. I don't. I mean, I, I definitely think it's worth it. If, if anyone is like, you know, on the kin team and you hear this, help us understand what this taste is supposed to be, please<laugh> we dunno what its exactly educate our palettes cuz we are missing something, but we still, it really great, really great job. So. Okay. I mean, I guess with that, with that, we're done for we're done. This is good. Great job, Ken, hands down. We love it. We, you know, we went from not drinking too. Absolutely consuming this guy. This is for sure. Yeah. We're we're all about this.
Speaker 4:Thanks for listening to we're not drinking tonight. We love up to hear from y'all. What are you drinking or not drinking? Are you doing a dry January? Are you pregnant? Maybe on a health journey. Just not trying to be hangover. Tell us about it. If you like what you've heard, then please give us a five star rating. Write a review comment and subscribe to download the latest epic SOS we're on IG at spirited sips. So if you try one of the beverages we've discussed today at us and let us know what you think. Thanks for listening. See you next time. Bye.
