These Canned Mocktails Are NYE-Ready & Just As Good As Any Boozy Drink

In a former life, I was on staff at a lovely cocktail magazine and yes, I did get to drink cocktails — and wine, and beer, and various other boozy delights — for (and sometimes at) work. I still enjoy an occasional beer or glass of Champagne, but now that I have two tiny kids, most of the time I’d rather feel totally clear-headed. Last year around this time, I wrote about trying this whole “drinking a lot less” thing, and De Soi kindly sent me some of their gorgeous canned mocktails. The gesture was sweet, but so, too, were the many canned mocktails I’d tried before. So, I stashed them away and forgot about them until one fateful night, a friend came over to watch a movie after bedtime. I offered various nighttime beverages — wine, beer, tea — and off-handedly, I also offered one of the De Soi cans (it was a Trés Rosé, I think). She took me up on it, and I decided I’d give it a go with her. If it was too sweet, I’d just switch back to seltzer. Readers, this truly tannic, obviously thoughtful, herbal, balanced beauty of a beverage stopped me in my tracks.

What did I love so much about De Soi? Right away, I felt that I’d finally — finally! — found a non-alcoholic cocktail just as artfully and thoughtfully made as any boozy counterpart. I felt understood, considered, catered to. It was surprising. It was unexpected. It was lovely in every way. And — while I love Martinelli’s as much as the next person — during the holiday season especially, it feels really nice to have something genuinely grown-up and a bit special to offer adults who don’t feel like drinking a boozy beverage.

Stats

• Price: $100 for a 16-pack 8 ounce cans (mixed varieties), $25 for a single 750 ml bottle (a standard wine bottle size), and $25 for a 4-pack
• Flavors: For now, De Soi comes in four varieties — Champignon Dreams, Purple Lune, Trés Rosé, and Golden Hour
• Who it’s for: Pregnant people (with your OB’s approval), sober people, and anyone who wants something delicious and non-alcoholic to drink.
• When to use: Any hour, but especially happy hour.

The backstory

Co-founded by Katy Perry and Morgan McLachlan, De Soi was dreamt up to meet a shared need. In their own words, “as creative professionals and busy moms with a shared love for a spritz, we wanted a drink that was bubbly and delicious, but that didn’t get in the way of early mornings and long nights.” As a mom who also doesn’t want to drink anymore but also still wants that lovely feeling — the one that Perry and McLachlan conjure with nudges to enjoy De Soi at spritz hour, or Apéro hour — sipping these beautifully balanced drinks felt a little like being cared for. Not drinking alcohol so often means settling — for seltzer, or a ginger ale. But not on Perry and McLachlan’s watch.

What’s up with the adaptogens in De Soi’s mocktails?

All of De Soi’s varieties are made with adaptogens — the word the brand uses to describe herbs and supplements that are believed to reduce stress. “Adaptogen” is a word that’s quite broadly defined — and used in many ways by many people — but usually includes functional mushrooms, some herbs, and even amino acids like L-theanine.

De Soi dabbles in the thorny world of so-called adaptogens and their possible benefits with lightness and a bit of a shoulder-shrug. Does it sound nice that lemon balm has been said to “enhance mood and boost libido,” as they say on their “botanical glossary” page? Sure! Do I believe that sipping 8 ounces of a beverage with some (probably small) dose of lemon balm extract in it will actually, immediately do those things? Not really. They are generally not well studied in terms of actual efficacy, but may promote feelings of relaxation — a can’t-hurt bonus for most.

Is De Soi safe for kids and pregnant people? That’s probably another story — anyone with special health conditions, or who is pregnant, should probably talk with their care provider about the ingredients in De Soi before consuming them.

Do you really feel the effects of the adaptogens?

I don’t think I have felt much, but every body is a little different. While things like ashwaganda, rieshi mushroom, and green tea (the L-theanine in De Soi comes from green tea extract) have been valued as medicinal or healing in many cultures for centuries, their adaptogenic — meaning stress-relieving, or healing — benefits and mechanisms are generally not as known or as rigourously studied as their pharmaceutical counterparts. That does not mean they don’t work in the way that people believe they do — it means that if and how they work is not super well-proven, in terms of clinical data.

What dosages might provide the most benefit or desired effect? Typically, it’s hard to find strong clinical evidence answering this question. It’s also likely that some of these ingredients — like rieshi or Lion’s Mane — need to be built up in the system in order to offer much benefit, and a one-off dose may not produce much effect. Long story short: For most healthy adults, these ingredients might provide a bit of a relaxing sensation. Or they might not.

What do De Soi mocktails taste like?

Powerfully herbaceous, these alcoholic apertifs really are made to be sipped — they earned my attention by demanding it. Here’s the low-down on each of the flavors:

• Purple Lune: Made with black currant and tart cherry juice, and punched up with rose petals, balsamic vinegar, myrrh, and pine, Purple Lune is evocative of a great glass of red (though, like all De Soi beverages, it is lightly fizzy, so maybe make that Lambrusco). Ashwagandha and L-theanine are the adaptogens here, so it may have some relaxing qualities, though I have never noticed anything dramatic after drinking it. In short, this is the one I’d probably keep on hand most often — it’s so tannic it’s nearly savory, and it’s everything I never thought I’d find in a non-alcoholic drink.
• Golden Hour: Light, herbal and citrus-forward, this is kinda-sorta the white wine lookalike of the bunch. Made with yuzu, lemongrass, bergamot, lemon balm, and chamomile, it’s flowery and bright. Black tea extract gives a tannic appeal, and L-theanine will likely be the cause of any sense of unwinding that you have after drinking this one.
• Trés Rosé: Light, summery and juicy (but not sweet) De Soi’s Trés Rosé is (you guessed it) the De Soi rosé dupe. Lychee, grapefruit and raspberry juices are balanced with the zing of Champagne vinegar. Rooibos, oak, ginger, and cardamom extract lend complexity, dryness, and the tannic hit I need anything promising to be a non-alcoholic aperitif to have. The adaptogenic offerings here are complex, too — Lion’s Mane mushrooms, saffron, and trusty old L-theanine.
• Champignon Dreams: Peach, currant and grapefruit juices are the base here, with sherry vinegar, fenugreek, and juniper giving lots of earthiness to this heady botanical blend. L-theanine, reishi mushroom, and tulsi offer some classic adaptogenic qualities, too. This one seems especially festive to order in the larger-format 750 ml bottle and serve on traditional drinking holidays, like New Year’s Eve.

How to enjoy or serve De Soi

McLachlan and Perry emphasize that however you enjoy De Soi is fine. Sip it chilled, straight from the can, or pour it over ice in a highball glass. Add a garnish if you want, or don’t. For a super festive vibe, I think it’s lovely to serve them in the wine glasses that reflect the variety — Champignon Dreams might be fun to sip from a flute, and Purple Lune tastes even more like a lovely red wine in a Bordeaux glass. But truly, there’s no wrong way. If you’re having a casual holiday party, you might want to just display a bunch of the lovely cans in a large, ice-filled bowl and let guests help themselves.

Pros & cons

Pros:

• They’re truly, aggressively apéritif-like.
• They hit the cocktail spot, with no hangover.
• De Soi is really nice to serve at parties, so the non-drinkers feel hosted, too.

Cons:

• These are pricey. But if you think of the price of high-quality alcoholic drinks, they’re generally pretty comparable.
• Occasionally my cans have arrived dented. The company is young, so I understand they’re still working out some kinks with shipping, and they were quick to replace them.

The final verdict

If you’re not drinking, but missing the ritual, I really think that De Soi is the best of the best that’s available in the ready-to-drink canned mocktail world. This non-alcoholic apértif is a dead-ringer for the kind of grown up sip that you crave once the kids are in bed. Herbal, tannic, complex, and beautiful in a glass, they’re the headache-free indulgence we totally deserve.

The TL;DR

A mellow-wind down at night, a bubbly, complex beverage in your hand, and zero headaches the next day.

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