We’d seen MUD/WTR ads, but it was only when a friend said it was transformational in his life that we decided to try it.

We ordered a kit that came with sample packets of decaf “:rest” blend and powdered coconut creamer in addition to the “:rise” blend cannister and hand-held electric frother. It’s not coffee or chai, but it’s tasty.

The MUD/WTR story goes something like this. Founder Shane Heath enjoyed drinking coffee, the ritual, the smell, the taste. But eventually, it played havoc with his sleep cycle and his energy and alertness. He decided to quit, but also craved something healthy and tasty to replace coffee.

Enter MUD/WTR, a chai-spiced drink powder with 1/7^th the caffeine (sourced from black tea) as well as cacao and medicinal mushrooms. It’s “muddy” and thick, but this viscous mix can transform your morning ritual.

My husband and I drink MUD/WTR with hot water and hot frothed oat milk, and add more water or milk to any sediment that remains and shake it back up. Adding MUD/WTR to our mornings has meant more clarity of mind and ability to remain calm throughout the day.

Just remember—it’s not coffee and doesn’t claim to be.

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Dry Fly gin will always be a Northwest favorite because it features a blend of botanicals like apple, coriander, mint, hops, and lavender that give it a distinctive flavor. When paired with fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice and poured over ice, it’s heavenly. If you find other blended cocktails too sweet or sour, the Dry Fly Grey-Hound “On The Fly” canned cocktail is a perfect balance between the two.

Each can is 4.8% ABV, and the citrus flavor is fairly muted. Just like other Dry Fly canned cocktail flavors, the Grey-Hound is ideal for pretty much any outdoor adventure. Mix and match your cooler with Dry Fly’s other genius canned-cocktail flavors on your next outing.

The Gin & Tonic features the distillery’s award-winning Washington gin, craft tonic syrup from Side Hustle Syrups, and house made bitters. The Moscow Mule features Dry Fly vodka, craft ginger syrup from Side Hustle Syrups, and lime juice that has a truly refreshing taste.

Find more Provisions stories in the Food & Drink lifestyle department.

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In 2020, a lot of home drinkers turned to n/a alternatives. As one of the owners of the mobile, non-alcoholic, pop-up Steady Bar in Coeur d’Alene , Idaho, since 2019, I have sipped my way through a lot of n/a liquids. I have also mastered my own Campari, vermouth, whiskey, and tonic alternatives. One of the first n/a spirits I ever tried was Seedlip®, and they remain my favorite to this day.

Instead of copying the flavors of an ABV liquor, Seedlip Distilled Non-Alcoholic Spirits are crafted to bring three distinct flavor profiles to a drink: herbal, citrus, and spice. Named after baskets used 300 years ago by English farmers to hand-sow seeds, Seedlip draws on the medicinal traditions from the same time period used to distill herbal remedies in copper stills.

Founder Ben Branson, frustrated by unimaginative, sugary n/a drinks and inspired by the recipes of 1651 physician John French, spent two years perfecting the sophisticated vegan, allergy-free, sugar-free, and calorie-free options available today: Garden 108 (blend of peas and hay with traditional home garden herbs), Grove 42 (blend of three types of oranges and spice distillates), and Spice 94 (blend of allspice berries, cardamom and two bark distillates).

My absolute favorite is Garden. On the nose, it is surprisingly intense with aromas of sweet peas, dewy grass, and herbal leaves fresh off the stem. Seedlip calls it a “celebration of the English Countryside.”

As a mixer, it deftly fills the space where gin might have been and adds balance to a fruit juice or sweet syrup. It’s deeply refreshing topped with tonic and lime on the rocks, but my favorite way to drink Garden is in a Steady Bar Peter Rabbit: muddled lime with 2-oz. Garden and 1-oz. Sugar Snap Pea Shrub, topped with club soda over ice. Garnish with a carrot shaving.

Order your Seedlip or get more recipes at seedlipdrinks.com.

Originally published as “What To Drink When You’re Not Drinking: Seedlip” in the January-February 2022 issue.

Find more product reviews and recommendations for beverages and other Provisions in the Food & Drink lifestyle department.

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While their coffee is stupendous, the thing that really caught my eye was this Tubbs Coffee Roasters post on Facebook: “Roasting coffee is as seasonal as the cherry that is harvested. We collect and process pre-roast data such as country and farm or co-op of origin, lot number, elevation, process method, ambient shop temp and humidity, plus green bean density, moisture content and temp before the hopper is loaded and roast is charged.”

At Tubbs, they work to create a balanced cup that preserves the natural sweetness and acidity of the coffee bean through varied drying phases. When everything lines up just right, they say, the result is “symphonic, blissful, and quite sublime.”            

The Double Eagle dark roast blend is just that. Sipping it reminds me of sipping coffee while watching bald eagles at Higgens Point. It tastes rich and dark and strong.

However, if it’s too strong, you might try the Teacher’s Pet blend. Even if you weren’t the teacher’s favorite, you can certainly appreciate a coffee blend that gets it right every cup.

Make a tasting bar reservation or place an order online at tubbscoffeeroasters.com.

Find more Provisions recipes and food & drink articles in the OTO column archives.

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The beer, described as a sad alternative to the original Fat Tire by New Belgium R&D brewer Cody Reif, is made from the type of limited ingredients that may be all that’s available in a not-to-distant climate-ravaged future: smoke-tainted water, dandelions, drought-resistant grains like buckwheat and millet, and malt and hops extract.

To add insult to injury, and to demonstrate what such climate change impacted beer of the future may cost, two 16oz 4-packs of Torched Earth Ale cost $40. Thankfully all profits from each purchase support the snow sports-loving, climate-change-fighting non-profit Protect Our Winters.

Order some for your next backyard barbecue or family get-together as a conversation starter. Hopefully Fat Tire Torched Earth Ale will inspire more beer lovers to get involved and take action on climate change.

Last year, the original Fat Tire became America’s first certified carbon neutral beer, and New Belgium is also moving forward with plans to achieve net-zero emissions across the entire company by 2030.

Now they want beer drinkers like you to step up and do your part by supporting the company’s “Last Call for Climate” campaign. As of this year, 70 percent of Fortune 500 companies lack a meaningful plan to address climate change by 2030, the year scientists say that climate change impacts could be irreversible.

Fat Tire has an easy online tool that allows you to see which companies are falling short and to Tweet your favorite brands to push for change. Learn more at www.drinksustainably.com.

To read more Food & Drink stories about craft beers, visit the OTO archives.

Other Provisions stories can be found in the column archive.

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Handcrafted with the essences of huckleberries, Warrior Liquor’s Huckleberry Cream tastes fantastic without being too sweet. The huckleberry is Idaho’s official state fruit, and huckleberry-picking is among the most popular outdoor activities in the Inland Northwest. Both cream drinks feature 17% ABV and should be refrigerated after opening.

More importantly, these drinks are small batch, premium-crafted spirits from veteran-owned, Warrior Liquor. Beginning in December 2017, owners Rich and Mary Clemson converted a warehouse near the U-District into a distillery and started creating some of the most genius spirits in the area.

Even better, their on-site tasting room gives you the opportunity to connect with the ingredients, the craftsmanship, and the people that produce these Warrior Liquor flavors.

If you’re a fan of Reese’s peanut butter cups, then I highly recommend you add some Warrior Peanut Butter Cream to some hot cocoa next time you’re sitting around a campfire. You can thank me later.

Read more beverage reviews and recommendations in the Provisions archives.

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Last spring in the midst of the pandemic lockdown, LINC launched a new way to connect people with locally-produced food. The LINC Market is an online grocery shopping service with a focus on a wide range of local, sustainable foods. Shoppers can then pick up their orders at one of several locations around the Spokane area.

New this year, to the cheers of Inland Northwest craft beer lovers, LINC is adding a Brewery Box, a curated local craft beer subscription. While the details were still being worked out as of late February, LINC crop promotions director Michelle Youngblom already had an excellent line-up of participating brewers: Single Hill Brewing, The Grain Shed, YaYa Brewing, Lumberbeard Brewing, Paramour Brewing, Whistle Punk, and potentially Big Barn Brewing and Paradise Creek.

“The Brewery Box will be offered solo as a Brewer’s Selection Variety, as well as an add-on to the LINC Box,” says Youngblom. LINC is also hoping to add local brews to the offerings available for online purchase through the LINC Market this spring. LINC is also planning to expand its pickup locations this year and possibly add home delivery options for both the LINC Box and Brewery Box.

Learn more about LINC Foods in this story from our June 2020 issue.

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Imperial IPAs (also referred to as Double IPAs) are a stronger, very hoppy variant of IPAs that typically have alcohol content above 7.5% by volume. New Belgium blends delta, bravo, centennial, cascade, calypso, and mosaic hops and brews a dark, smoky beer. It’s smooth, and tasty, and really inexpensive compared to any other Imperial IPAs. When poured into a glass, one can easily pick up the hop aroma, with pine and floral notes, and a hint of citrus peel.

If the Imperial IPA is a little too strong, give some of the other sarcastic Voodoo Rangers a try. Considering New Belgium recently added a Hazy Imperial IPA to the list of award-winning beers, NBB is taking its brewing innovations to the next level.

More Provision beverage ideas and recommendations.

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Even though temperatures are slowly rising, it can still be chilly outside. A chocolate beverage is always welcome for hydration and energy, and one with warming spices gives you the comfort you need to enjoy your time in the great outdoors.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• (For dairy free, use 2 cups total of nut milk of choice)
• 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2-3 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
• 1/2 teaspoon chaga mushroom powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

Heat the milk until steaming, but not boiling. Whisk in the cocoa powder then stir in the rest of the herbs and spices. Pour into your thermos or flask and off you go on your adventure. Feel free to adjust the amounts of cocoa powder and maple syrup or honey to suit personal taste preferences.

More Provision beverage ideas and recommendations.

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