Sober curious? A new non-alcoholic bottle shop in South Pasadena might be of service

With dry January just around the corner, many of us are reigniting some of our curiosity with cutting back on alcohol. For some, that might mean seeking out alcohol alternatives — like non-alcoholic spirits, wines, and beers.

However, diving into non-alcoholic (NA) spaces — whether it's a bar, bottle shop, or community event — can be a tad overwhelming, especially if you’re just beginning to explore that sober curious journey and you’re not entirely sure what to look out for.

“It’s definitely intimidating,” says Obreanna McReynolds, co-owner of the new non-alcoholic bottle shop Burden of Proof in South Pasadena. “To walk in and see all the products and to think, ‘If I’m here, does that mean I can never drink again? Or I’m gonna be judged?’”

The Burden of Proof

For McReynolds and her husband Dean Peterson, opening up San Gabriel Valley’s first non-alcoholic bottle shop was a convergence of personal explorations and noticing a need in the industry.

Obreanna McReynolds and Dean Peterson, co-owners of Burden of Proof

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The two met in the summer of 2020 during the height of the pandemic and had their first date on ZOOM. For them, a typical night consisted of up to two bottles of wine.

“I prided myself going into the pandemic. I had my box of red, my box of rose, and my box of white. So, like many people, we turned to alcohol. And then coming out of [the pandemic], those drinking habits stayed.” Looking back on it now, McReynolds says she was slightly hungover for a couple of years.

However, their habits quickly changed in 2022 when Dean was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation — a type of irregular heartbeat — and was rushed into an emergency heart surgery. When told alcohol was an exacerbating factor in his condition, Dean gave up drinking overnight. In solidarity, Obreanna decided to cut back herself.

“ I think we both kind of expected that [this] would mean the end to going out — or having a fun drink at parties would be kind of like [having] a juice and a non-alcoholic beer here or there.”

It wasn’t until they ran into Minus Moonshine, a non-alcoholic bottle shop in Brooklyn, New York, that the pair realized the plethora of alternative options available to them — and it wasn’t just having a glass of juice. In those aisles, everything clicked.

“ We had always wished that LA had something like this, especially on the east side, where I think there are so many sort of older millennials like us who are not able to drink like we did in our 20s, maybe moving on to different life phases.”

Burden of Proof, McReynolds says, is that endeavor.

Mocktail anyone?

When it comes to alternatives, there are a few options. One is simply the non-alcoholic version of your favorite beverage that brewers have dealcoholized as part of its process. For some NA products, this extra step is where the sometimes surprising cost of these beverages stem from, McReynolds says.

The second, she says, are spirits that aren’t trying to replicate its alcoholic relative at all. “ There are a lot of spirits that are just built from the ground up to kind of fit the vibe of maybe a whiskey, so something spiced and warming that you sip slowly, neat or on the rocks.”

Then there are what’s called ‘functional’ ingredients or drinks — beverages that contain herbal and medicinal substances called nootropics or adaptogens that “make you feel a little something,” McReynold claims, “which is what people really miss about drinking oftentimes.”

Some non-alcoholic beverages can be used to cut the alcohol content of your traditional cocktail.

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Taylor Kealy/Taylor Kealy

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Back on the shelves of Burden of Proof, some NA spirits are sold not just as replacements but as a way to cut an alcoholic cocktail. That way, McReynolds suggests, you feel like you have a little more control over the percentage of alcohol in your beverage.

“ So it's really not necessarily an either or thing. It's a matter of more choices, more options.”

Start with what you know

If you’re new to NA spaces and you’re starting to feel the need to become a mixologist to truly enjoy your drink, McReynolds says you’re not alone. Sometimes the initial journey becomes overwhelming and people lose focus of what they’re searching for in these alternatives. Instead of feeling the need to master the skills, she says it’s best to approach NA beverages the same way you would its alcoholic brethren. For people who are starting to explore, “it's much more familiar and approachable to start with the non-alcoholic version of a drink that they already know that they like.”

And when it comes to reliable, well-liked beverages, there’s nothing cozier than a classic Old Fashioned. At Burden of Proof, they recommend from their shelves the Pathfinder whiskey alternative — a hemp and root botanical spirit.

“If you have a whiskey sized hole in your heart, the Pathfinder will fill it well.” McReynolds says. “It has the [same] complexity, the warming spices, and also the bite.”

Pathfinder Old Fashioned Recipe

To make the Pathfinder Old Fashion you will need:

2oz of Pathfinder Spirit
½ oz of demerara syrup or simple syrup
4 dashes of aromatic bitters (NA alternatives welcome as well)
1 orange peel for garnish

“Fear not, I even have a drink every now and then”

For McReynolds and Peterson, alternative bottle shops like theirs serve a crucial role for the growing NA movement — especially now with so many options available for sober curious consumers online. “ I think bottle shops are such an important place to go for education, to go to try things, to go for guidance,” she says.

Bottle shops like Burden of Proof can serve as important information centers for the NA community.

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Taylor Kealy/Taylor Kealy

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Despite the shop being only a few weeks old, McReynolds has already seen the fruits of its educational arm in action. “It’s really cool to see people in the shop start comparing notes and talking to each other” about alternative options they’ve tried and are recommending — people, she says, who are often casual alcoholic drinkers just scouting for another choice.

“I think it’s the most exciting part to just sort of see the little seeds of community being planted.”

And for those sober curious leaning into Dry January, skeptical about what the beginning of their journey means, McReynolds says, “Fear not, I even have a drink every now and then.” And at Burden of Proof, it’s not about giving up or condemning alcohol, she adds, “rather, we’re trying to just give people more choices.”