It’s a blustery Sunday evening in November when I meet Vergie “Gigi” Arandid for drinks.
But the weather has no effect on us because we’re clinking glasses in true post-2020 fashion: over Zoom.
People have clinked glasses online countless times since the onset of the pandemic, but what makes our drinks a little different is they contain no booze — the driving force behind Arandid’s forthcoming Binge Bar on H Street. (I’m drinking a Flyer’s CBD ready-to-drink cocktail with oak, vanilla and bitters; the founder of D.C.’s first entirely alcohol-free bar is sipping on a libation she created with AVEC spiced mango and passionfruit.)
The last time I saw her, however, the weather told a completely different story. We basked in the glorious sunshine of an unseasonably warm fall day, tasting 20+ different nonalcoholic beverages ranging from beer, wine and ready-to-drink cocktails at D.C.’s first-ever Mindful Drinking Festival.
Co-organizers Erika Goedrich of Craft Beer Cellar DC (that boasts a wide range of nonalc bevs) and Derek Brown of Columbia Room fame (and now Positive Damage Inc., a wellness company aiming to teach the world how to drink) could see 2022 was the perfect time not just for any day drinking fest, but one with no alcohol.
I launched Booze Free in DC in late 2019 when I first noticed a shift in DMV drinking culture. The shift was glacial, but it was happening nonetheless.
And then 2020 hit.
.png)
Journey into the heart of italian restaurant west village offerings, where every product tells a story of craftsmanship and mindfulness. This is more than a brand; it's an invitation to cultivate a lifestyle that prioritizes inner harmony and radiance.