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You know that sinking feeling when you wake up with a hangover and think: “I’m never doing this again”? We’ve all been there. But what happens when you follow through? Sonia Kahlon and Kathleen Killen can tell you, because they did it! They went from sisters-in-law, to Sisters in Sobriety.
In this podcast, Sonia and Kathleen invite you into their world, as they navigate the ups and downs of sobriety, explore stories of personal growth and share their journey of wellness and recovery.
Get ready for some real, honest conversations about sobriety, addiction, and everything in between. Episodes will cover topics such as: reaching emotional sobriety, how to make the decision to get sober, adopting a more mindful lifestyle, socializing without alcohol, and much more.
Whether you’re sober-curious, seeking inspiration and self-care through sobriety, or embracing the alcohol-free lifestyle already… Tune in for a weekly dose of vulnerability, mutual support and much needed comic relief. Together, let’s celebrate the transformative power of sisterhood in substance recovery!
Kathleen Killen is a registered psychotherapist (qualifying) and certified coach based in Ontario, Canada. Her practice is centered on relational therapy and she specializes in couples and working with individuals who are navigating their personal relationships.
Having been through many life transitions herself, Kathleen has made it her mission to help others find the support and communication they need in their closest relationships. To find out more about Kathleen’s work, check out her website.
Sonia Kahlon is a recovery coach and former addict. She grappled with high-functioning alcohol use disorder throughout her life, before getting sober in 2016. Sonia is now the founder of EverBlume, a digital tool that offers a unique approach to alcohol recovery support.
Over the last five years, she has appeared on successful sobriety platforms, such as the Story Exchange, the Sobriety Diaries podcast and the Sober Curator, to tell her story of empowerment and addiction recovery, discuss health and midlife sobriety, and share how she is thriving without alcohol.
Her online platform EverBlume launched in February 2023, and was featured in Recovery Today Magazine and deemed an ‘essential sobriety resource’ by the FemTech Insider.
The company champions self-improvement and mindful sobriety, with support groups designed by and for women struggling with alcohol.
So how can EverBlume help you meet your sober community? By offering deeply personalized support. Members get matched based on their profiles and life experiences, and take part in small group sessions (max. 16 people). In your support group, you will meet like-minded women, discuss your experiences, and gain confidence, knowing you can rely on your peers in times of need.
Whether you identify as a binge drinker, someone who developed a habit during the Covid-19 pandemic, a high-functioning alcoholic, or an anxious person using alcohol to self-soothe… There is a support group for you!
Current EverBlume members have praised the company’s unique approach to alcohol detox. “No one is judging me for not being sure I want to be sober for the rest of my life” ; “I felt so heard and understood and today I woke up feeling empowered to make the change in my life”.
Feeling inspired? Learn more about the EverBlume sobriety community at joineverblume.com, or simply listen to Sisters In Sobriety.
Your sobriety success story starts today, with Kathleen and Sonia. Just press play!
[00:00:00] Sonia: Wait, wait, wait! Before we start, just want to make sure we're clear here. While this podcast talks about sobriety, mental health, and addiction, it is not meant to replace professional medical advice. All clear? Alright, let's go then. Welcome to Sisters in Sobriety from Everbloom. The support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol.
[00:00:29] Kathleen: I'm Kathleen. And I'm Sonia. And we're ex sisters in law brought together in marriage and bonded through our sobriety
[00:00:35] Sonia: journey. Join us as we talk sobriety, addiction, and everything in between. You're in for quite a ride. How
[00:00:47] are you doing today, Kathleen? I'm good.
[00:00:51] Kathleen: Yesterday was my birthday. Yay! It was good. It was good. You and I saw each other over the [00:01:00] weekend. my pre birthday celebration. It was very low key, but fun.
[00:01:06] Sonia: It was, it was really fun. On Saturday, we had your birthday alcohol free. And so today we're going to talk about how to stay alcohol free during the Christmas holiday.
[00:01:18] Kathleen: So what are the main reasons that the holiday season is difficult for those avoiding alcohol? I think
[00:01:27] Sonia: The holidays are just like a minefield of triggers. I think you have the prevalence of alcohol. Alcohol is everywhere, depending also on your family. In some families, it's everywhere. It's for brunch.
[00:01:40] It's for Christmas Eve. And so, I think that's one. I also think, you know, complicated family dynamics. Like, we have a complicated family dynamic, and so that can be really stressful. For me, a big thing is my schedule being turned upside down. So sometimes you're traveling or you're just, you know, on a [00:02:00] Monday, you're not doing your regular work schedule and just throws you off.
[00:02:04] Like for me, my eating habits are thrown off. My exercise schedule is thrown off. And then too, there's a financial stress, right? A lot of people are stretching during the holidays. And so I think that can be a big trigger and just the regular stress of traveling or hosting. And to be honest, having to look like you're happy all the time can be really stressful.
[00:02:28] What do you think? Yeah. Yeah. Why do you think the holidays can be difficult? I think
[00:02:34] Kathleen: they can be difficult for all of the reasons that you said. And also, you know, past memories of drinking over the holidays, like sometimes when you go into a regular environment and before in that environment, you used to drink or be part of like, Your family drinking circle or whatever.
[00:02:54] And you go back into that and you're no longer drinking. That can be really difficult. I think [00:03:00] naturally stress with family, there's just more people around potentially, or there's no people around. So I think we have to remember that for some people, it's the holidays are extraordinarily lonely. And so either there's no people around or there's a lot of people around and that can really be difficult.
[00:03:20] And I also think that the holidays bring about unmet expectations in the sense that like people have expectations of what's going to happen or what it's going to be and, and then if it doesn't meet those that can be difficult too. So what might this mean for the listener, Sonia? I really think
[00:03:39] Sonia: it means that you need to be more mindful of what's going on in your body and in your mind.
[00:03:44] Um, you need to figure out what is triggering you and you really need to have some self awareness. You need to reflect. But I'm going to leave that more to you because you are our mindfulness expert. So how can mindfulness help with [00:04:00] triggers?
[00:04:01] Kathleen: Mindfulness brings you into the present moment. Basically, it's present moment awareness without judgment.
[00:04:09] So, the aim is not to get rid of the negative emotions or the triggers, but you want to learn how to let them come in and out. And I think of it like surfing. So if you think of triggers like waves in a storm or you're in the ocean and it's like choppy waters. Mindfulness to me or present moment awareness, if we don't want to use the word mindfulness, but present moment awareness.
[00:04:34] So being here right here, right now, experiencing the emotions and sensations in your body, that's like learning how to surf. So the thing with present moment awareness is that when you surf the waves or the triggers, eventually they pass. So, yeah, I think it can definitely help during the holiday season when you feel things [00:05:00] coming up like, Oh, I'm feeling some anxiety here with my brother in law or whatever, you know, family member and just noticing it.
[00:05:09] Oh, I feel that in my throat or I feel that in my heart feels like tension or tightness and just noticing it. Not judging it, not carrying on in a story with it, and then it will pass.
[00:05:22] Sonia: Yeah. So I feel like that really helps us identify some personal triggers during the holidays. What are some unexpected triggers that people might overlook?
[00:05:34] Kathleen: So I think, like we mentioned a little bit, environmental triggers. So a situation, a place, you know, you may have memories of a certain place or like a certain area of a town or whatever. So environmental triggers, I think certain people, certain things that people might say, you might not know it's a trigger for you until it happens sort of over and over again.
[00:05:58] And I think, you [00:06:00] know, what are also triggers is like, it's a comparison to others. And we see this a lot, obviously in social media, but you know, comparing your holidays or your family or yourself to others. So. I know this happens quite a bit in families where, oh, okay, I'm doing this, but I'm not as good as my cousin or my brother or my whatever.
[00:06:21] And so this comparison to others I think can also trigger us and, and that might be not something someone's going into their holiday season thinking that might trigger them.
[00:06:31] Sonia: I have unexpected triggers, for sure. I'm still figuring them out. What did you struggle with during your first sober holiday?
[00:06:39] Kathleen: Well, I wasn't a big cocaine user at my family Christmas, to be honest.
[00:06:43] There was no, like, pass the turkey and the blow, mom. There wasn't that going on. But I was majorly triggered by being at home. I was filled with a lot of anxiety and, you know, partly because I was hiding a lot of secrets. Not just drugs, [00:07:00] but boyfriends. For example, I hid that I was dating your brother for a while including over Christmas holidays.
[00:07:05] So Yeah So there was just like a lot of masking going on and that is exhausting So I remember feeling like I had a three day maximum And, not because my parents were awful, they weren't at all. It just, I had a hard time keeping up with the appearance of what I should be like.
[00:07:29] Sonia: Yeah, it's funny because I spent some time with your mom this weekend and we were talking about the podcast and she's like, what do you mean, Kathleen?
[00:07:38] You never had a problem with anything. You've always been kind of perfect. And I was like, what is she talking about? I
[00:07:44] Kathleen: know. I know. I know. Ha! I know it's so and so it's a really interesting you say that because it's not that I've hidden this Podcast from my mom or anything really like she's, she maybe didn't [00:08:00] know it, but she's seen me like high on drugs a lot of times, but maybe didn't realize I'm
[00:08:05] Sonia: assuming.
[00:08:06] She did not. She did not realize from that conversation Saturday night, she had no idea what we were talking
[00:08:12] Kathleen: about. I know. I know. And so it's funny because we had this conversation where. I just, first of all, my mom's a really private person and I said to her, you're welcome to listen to it. I just think that you will feel uncomfortable with the fact that I'm getting it out there.
[00:08:30] And it's interesting because we talked about why we're doing the podcast too, like how is it in service? You know? So. This goes back to the family holidays, like in a sense, my birthday was kind of like a holiday and we had people over and there are differing opinions on things and you have to really look at where someone else is coming from.
[00:08:53] And so I think once upon a time that really would have triggered me. That discussion with my mom would have really, [00:09:00] really, Oh yeah. That would have triggered me because it would have been like, how do you not know who I am? How do you still not know who I am? Like that would have been the trigger. But it wasn't because I just was like, my mom sees the very best in me and how great is that?
[00:09:17] She sees the very best in me. And so, yeah, she's welcome to listen. I'm not hiding it from her, but she gets to choose. Let's get to you though, Sonia. What did it mean for you to be sober through the holidays, especially at the beginning of your sobriety and how tough was it?
[00:09:35] Sonia: Yeah, for me, I think especially at the beginning, it was just guarding myself a little bit from triggers and then also figuring out what my triggers were.
[00:09:45] And so, Yeah. You know, for example, I avoided a lot at the beginning. My family is a big trigger for me. So I would, you know, my family's in Toronto, and I would sort of stay in the U. S. for Christmas and then [00:10:00] slowly start to figure out, like, what calmed me down, what was bothering me, and for me, just figuring out, like, what, what do I need?
[00:10:08] And so a big thing for me, turns out, I need a lot of time alone. And so, I need to sort of regroup and recharge. And so that's one of the things I learned
[00:10:19] Kathleen: during the first couple of years. Yeah, that's a good, good example is like taking that recharge time because I think a lot of You know, my daughter calls it refilling her social battery.
[00:10:31] Sonia: She does.
[00:10:34] Kathleen: She does. She'll come home like from an event, a birthday party and be like, mama, I need to recharge my social battery. And I think we do it too as adults. So, so Sonia, I know because I know you, you've had some pretty epic Christmas fails when you were still drinking,
[00:10:50] Sonia: right? Oh, I sure did. And. Even after the damage I had caused over certain holidays with my drinking, I still [00:11:00] continued right on drinking.
[00:11:10] Kathleen: Was there a particular Christmas that stands out in your memory? Oh
[00:11:13] Sonia: yeah, I talk about it a lot. Christmas 2007, but it was before you were in the picture.
[00:11:20] Kathleen: Well tell us about it.
[00:11:23] Sonia: Yeah, so my drinking really started escalating probably in like 2005, 2006, and by 2007, I was drinking pretty much daily. So even without triggers, I was using alcohol to get through the day and to fall asleep.
[00:11:38] And so that Christmas, I came home to Toronto and my brother was probably in the worst shape I had ever seen him. From the outside, everything looked good. He had a new house. He had two toddlers, wife. But his drinking was out of control and I remember the year before he had done a few [00:12:00] things like I'm only going to drink beer.
[00:12:02] Oh, and then it was like, I'm only going to drink wine. And so it would always just the volume would just escalate to something extreme like, I'm only drinking beer, but you're drinking 24 beers. And so by that Christmas, it seemed like he had given up on moderating. And so. I went over Christmas Eve to his new house that I hadn't been to and we started drinking wine in the afternoon.
[00:12:26] And then we migrated to his in law's house and we Pulled up in the basement and just drank whatever was there, uh, beer and wine and then we migrated back to his house and started just doing shots of tequila and, and so by the next morning, we were such a disaster. I don't even remember opening gifts with the girls and I don't remember him being engaged in the Christmas morning.
[00:12:58] activities. And [00:13:00] so by midday Christmas Day, we were at it drinking again. Oh,
[00:13:11] Kathleen: geez. That is like, that is, yeah, that's a lot. And what, what do you think triggered this for you? I
[00:13:19] Sonia: think that I was drinking daily, but then there were definitely like peaks, right? So this was a binge. And so, you know, I think, and I certainly am not blaming it on him, but I think seeing him in such bad shape and.
[00:13:33] Having to be around, like, his family dynamic was really uncomfortable. It was shortly before he would get divorced. Um, this Christmas was like a pivotal, those days were pivotal in his marriage because we really just behaved badly. And so, yeah, I think it was that. It was being around tension, but not being able.
[00:13:54] To recognize what it was just being like, well, I'm just going to drink and not realize like, look, I'm in the [00:14:00] middle of this tense family situation and my drinking is making this worse, but I'm still going to do it.
[00:14:10] Kathleen: Let's say that you were trying to get sober or let's say you weren't at the time for this story, but like, let's say you were, you were in early sobriety. What kind of coping mechanisms could you have used to not kind of fall into this binge?
[00:14:27] Sonia: Yeah, if I was in early sobriety, let's say, like that Christmas, I think a big thing would have been planning.
[00:14:35] And so I should have had a plan to get space and to not, for example, I shouldn't be staying with my brother who is drinking that heavily. And I should be able to take time out when, for example, let's say I'm there and, and he's having a tense family situation, should be able to step out of it. So I think.
[00:14:53] planning, um, and anticipating. And so you may not want to go participate in every activity. For [00:15:00] example, I wouldn't have gone there on Christmas Eve early in the day, right? And so now I noticed that I do that. I like, I'm there for a good time, not a long time. And so, you know, and that way I can also stick to a schedule of like, even if it's just working out for like 20 minutes or 15 minutes and having like a normal breakfast, that's a big deal for me.
[00:15:24] And then things like, you know, like you talk about stress management, like yoga, meditation, mindfulness. And then really important is, you know, making sure you have a support system, which we'll talk about a little bit later in the episode. And what coping mechanisms, Kathleen, do you recommend people can use during the holidays instead of alcohol?
[00:15:44] Kathleen: I think you need a toolbox, like I think you need to be filling that toolbox over time before the holidays, but I think setting boundaries and really in a sense, you're, what you're saying about keeping your routine is also setting boundaries. Because, you [00:16:00] know, you'll be like, well, I need to go now and you go, right?
[00:16:03] Or you'll be like, okay, I'll come at this time and then you leave at that time and that's setting boundaries too. So you know. With the family, you can see how people push boundaries again and again. Oh, just have the drink, blah, blah, blah. So you have to really set boundaries and then leaving specific situations or people are really important.
[00:16:26] And I think exactly what you said, carving out that alone time that you might need is, is huge. And, you know, last year, I think too. A Christmas party I went to and there were like 40 people there and, um, it's too much for me. It was too loud and like the sensory overload was too much and for my daughter too.
[00:16:45] And so we would just go into the spare bedroom just for like a few minutes and take a few deep breaths and then come back out. So I think any age, this is not just for people who are sober, but for any age we need to just [00:17:00] regulate our nervous systems when we're in all this.
[00:17:03] Sonia: Yeah, for me, you know, now that you say it, I realize like, I always bring my dogs like to your house for Christmas and sometimes just taking them for like a five minute walk will be like, ah, like a bit of a reset.
[00:17:21] Kathleen: So what was your last Christmas like? Because we just mentioned it, but obviously I know because we spent it together, but it was a really tough time for you. Looking back, it
[00:17:30] Sonia: almost seems like it was, it's surreal. It was my first holiday season without my ex husband. So on almost 20 years. Yeah. And. I don't know if you remember, but a few weeks before I was just like, just, just give me the list of, you know, what people want, I just didn't have the energy.
[00:17:45] And usually I love like buying gifts. And I was like, I'm not doing Christmas this year. I will show up, but I was just hoping I would fall asleep and wake up and it would be the new year. And, you know, that wasn't realistic, but [00:18:00] that's also my go to, right? To ignore numb emotions. And that's a pretty.
[00:18:05] dangerous area in my sobriety. So pretending Christmas wasn't happening last year was not a great idea. And eventually I did get into the swing of things. So
[00:18:17] Kathleen: what did you end up doing?
[00:18:20] Sonia: Yes. I mean, what I what I wanted to do was I just wanted to sit on my couch and cry and, you know, isolate myself and pretend it wasn't happening.
[00:18:29] But I made plans to spend it with you guys in Toronto. And for me, just. Showing up was half the battle and that has been the story right of my sobriety and also healing from my breakup is just show up that if I just show up and then once you're there, you keep putting one foot in front of the other.
[00:18:51] And for me, you know, I'm always like, I wish I was further along, but I am making. Progress. Like, I put one foot in front of the other. I try [00:19:00] not to stay stagnant for too long. And so, yeah, I would say that was one of the toughest sober holidays, sober Christmases I've ever had. And so I, yeah, I used all the tools.
[00:19:17] I was journaling. I was including a lot of gratitude in my journaling because I knew how lucky I was to have you guys. Um. And I took time for myself a lot. We had plenty of mocktails and I think a big thing is creating new traditions. And so I, so I had done it when I had been sober the first five years.
[00:19:42] And now with this divorce, it was time to create new traditions again. And your daughter and I, my niece, we make cookies for Santa now. And we watch the Nightmare Before Christmas. We have matching DJs. And. I remember putting on the PJs. I remember [00:20:00] just being like, I don't want to put these fucking PJs on and then putting them on and being so happy just being like this is awesome and I stay, I stayed in them for like two days.
[00:20:12] Um, but happily stayed in them for two days, not like in a depressing way. So, honestly, I look back at it and I don't know how you saw me during that time but it was a really great Christmas. And we're taking those traditions from last year and we're doing them again in a few weeks this year.
[00:20:29] Kathleen: We are because they are, were also new traditions that I started when I got divorced in a sense because you know, you have to start new traditions.
[00:20:39] And for me, when I look back at that Christmas, the only way I knew you were struggling really is because Yeah, you were like, I didn't get you a gift, Kathleen. And I was like, yeah, that's okay. You were like, I thought we weren't doing gifts. I was like, whatever. I don't need a gift. And like, you focused on my daughter, which [00:21:00] is great.
[00:21:00] But then we laughed so hard, actually. That Christmas Eve, like tears rolling down our face, laughed so hard. So I think, you know, I didn't know it was such a struggle for you going into it, I think, but I do remember it ending, ending well. I
[00:21:18] Sonia: try to explain this and sometimes it doesn't come out, but the joy that I had when we were laughing that Christmas Eve is beyond any joy I had when I was drinking, so yeah, I had the lows of feeling.
[00:21:34] Like, I was rebuilding my life, but I have those highs that I'd never had before. And so, I really, I can't recommend enough a sober Christmas. Well, we're going to do it again. We sure aren't.
[00:21:55] Holidays are tough. You know what? We talked about some people are alone and they're tough [00:22:00] in terms of support. And even though you may be surrounded by people, you may not feel supported. So what can people do to get that
[00:22:08] Kathleen: support? Yeah, I think the holidays can be a really, really tough time for people in terms of loneliness and feeling support.
[00:22:18] So I think, you know, even if you have a friend or someone that you can text or call now, I know calling is not always an option, you know, on Christmas, if other people are with family, but someone that you can just text. And establishing that beforehand and saying, you know, the holidays are tough for me.
[00:22:37] Is it okay if I reach out, you know, just establishing that. So you, like you said before, having a plan, having a plan to be able to call someone and also online groups to like ever bloom, for example, are you having meetings over the holidays? Yeah, we sure are. So having that support network that you know, there's going to be someone on the other end showing up, [00:23:00] um, listening to podcasts.
[00:23:02] I'm not trying to plug ours, but I'm just saying, I think that's can be helpful. Just having a quick break of getting information or listening to something or listening to music. Um, you know, and I know there's some people that go to in person meetings and depending on where you are, there might be. might be some for you there.
[00:23:21] So I think there's a lot of ways that you can get support. Yeah, I agree. How do you find support during the holidays, Sonia?
[00:23:29] Sonia: Yeah, I think for me, it's really about being honest with the people around you and not everyone. Like, for example, I would not be honest with my parents that I'm struggling staying sober this Christmas.
[00:23:42] That is not something you want to say to my parents. But whoever you do feel safe with, you can be honest with, and that's huge because you sometimes don't even realize that not everyone wants to drink during the holidays. Some people want to wake up on Christmas day and feel [00:24:00] refreshed and awake. And so people can really help you create that healthy environment.
[00:24:05] And some people are really just drinking because it's either expected or it's a habit. And so I think that just being honest, being authentic, letting people know you're struggling, and you'd be surprised. I mean, for example, we had our Mocktail Bellini recommendations. Sometimes people will be more than happy to provide you alcohol free alternatives, or you can bring your own alcohol free alternatives and share them with people.
[00:24:33] And also, for sure, going to meetings, I think, is huge. And I think that we have meetings throughout the holidays, but if you need more, there's always other meetings. There's always, like, if you just want to be around other people that are trying to stay sober. And so, you know what? An AA meeting is okay.
[00:24:51] You know, if AA is not your thing, But you're feeling rough at like midnight on Christmas Eve, jump on an AA meeting, jump on anything [00:25:00] that will help. I think that is not the time to be looking for maybe the perfect meeting, but just
[00:25:05] Kathleen: for Sober support. I think that's really, really good advice, actually. You know, when you're, let's say you're in a different place or it's late, yeah, you're not, you don't have to look for the exact perfect meeting.
[00:25:19] Just look for a community of other people trying to stay sober. So what resonated with you the most from today's episode?
[00:25:28] Sonia: I think what resonated with me is that we spent a lot of time talking about how to get through difficult family situations. But there is also that idea of isolation. And so it is easy to isolate yourself during the holidays.
[00:25:45] And some people really just by nature are going to be isolated either they're far away from their families. So I think that it's the people also that are isolated that have triggers that [00:26:00] We need to be talking about if you're feeling isolated, getting support is so important and you know, not letting yourself sort of spiral around certain thoughts and ideas.
[00:26:13] What about you? What resonated
[00:26:14] Kathleen: with you? I think what resonated with me is the planning aspect that you talked about, like to have a plan and so not to just go in it and just be like, well, I'm just going to fly by the seat of my pants and hopefully I stay sober. I think having a plan and being like, okay, I'm going to take these breaks or I'm going to use these tools.
[00:26:36] I think having a plan in your mind before you go into those situations can be so, so helpful.
[00:26:42] Sonia: Yeah, I agree. I love a good plan.
[00:26:50] Right. So before we wrap up on this week's episode, we have a little last minute treat, don't we, Kathleen? An early holiday gift, if you will. [00:27:00] Yes,
[00:27:00] Kathleen: this week we are mixing it up. We all know what the holidays are like. Family reunions, hours spent at the dinner table, staying up all night assembling kids presents, and avoiding feuds at all costs.
[00:27:13] It's really the season where we would
[00:27:15] Sonia: need a drink. But we are not doing it. No. We are finding new ways to cope, but still we want our cups to be full at the dinner table. So here's something to help. you through. Welcome to our mocktail hour.
[00:27:36] Kathleen: This is where we explore the world of non alcoholic beverages. And today we're diving into two unique options for our listeners who love the complexity of a cocktail without the alcohol. It's the tale of. Two Bellinis. So if you're looking for a Christmas morning beverage to go along with your pancakes, cinnamon rolls, and other brunch favorites, this
[00:27:58] Sonia: is it.[00:28:00]
[00:28:00] We just want to point out that this is not sponsored. These are our real opinions. I have tried these before and Kathleen is trying them for the first time, so you are getting her initial honest reaction.
[00:28:18] All right, Kathleen, so we are starting with the Cipriani White Peach Bellini, which I love because it has the Cipriani logo in the front, um, on the little six ounce bottle. So I have had this before. So I'm going to ask you a few questions as you taste this. For the very first time live. Okay,
[00:28:42] Kathleen: so, first of all, my first thing is, I had to get a bottle opener, and, what sober person still has a bottle opener, do you?
[00:28:52] Sonia: It's on my, um, it's on my can opener. Okay. I found
[00:28:57] Kathleen: one deep in my cupboard. Oh. Oh my [00:29:00] gosh. Okay. I'm not used to this. All right, here we go. Okay. I like the little cute bottle. No, and I have to tell you, I love a Bellini, so
[00:29:11] Sonia: I, oh,
[00:29:12] Kathleen: ooh. I smell the peach
[00:29:14] Sonia: right away. So do you wanna describe the first flavors that hit your palate when you are tasting it?
[00:29:22] Kathleen: So. Definitely I taste peach here. And yeah, it's a little bit of, it doesn't taste like fake fuzzy peach flavor, but it tastes peachy. And then I, I taste grapefruit, like pink grapefruit juice almost.
[00:29:38] Sonia: Okay, yeah, I agree. The peach flavor is pretty authentic and I think a big pitfall for a lot of mocktails is overly sweet and this is not overly sweet. This
[00:29:48] Kathleen: is not overly sweet. No. But you know what you could do with this? You could slush this up in a blender with some crushed ice and like, oh my gosh, that would be so good.
[00:29:58] Sonia: We should do that at Christmas. [00:30:00] Mm hmm. Okay, so how would you describe the flavor profile? Like, is it Well balanced.
[00:30:06] Kathleen: Oh my gosh. Are we really like the
[00:30:07] Sonia: flavor profile? I'm just asking you if it's well balanced
[00:30:13] Kathleen: It's It's sure it's well balanced. It's like fruity a little bit tangy Not too sweet heavy on the peach light.
[00:30:22] I feel like I really do taste grapefruit juice Okay
[00:30:26] Sonia: I'm gonna, right now, I'm gonna add some sparkling water to mine just to, like, make it even more fizzy. But it is fizzy. I think it's fizzy and smooth at the same time. Would you say that it has an aftertaste? Um,
[00:30:42] Kathleen: not really. Would you
[00:30:44] Sonia: think it does? I think it has a little, a little bit of a lingering like sweet aftertaste.
[00:30:52] Um, okay, on a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this
[00:30:55] Kathleen: mocktail? So I would say an 8, and then I would say a 10 [00:31:00] if you jazz it up. Like I really think that this would be beautiful with crushed ice, and you could do different things with this. How is it with the sparkling water? It's
[00:31:11] Sonia: really good.
[00:31:11] It's lighter, which is sort of my preference for mocktails. Any emotional, I feel like this is making me a little, like, it's making me remember, yeah, I used to drink peach Bellinis. This is so much better. Agree? Well,
[00:31:27] Kathleen: well, this is so much better. Yeah, I would say it's equal like in terms of I used to love peach bellinis, too And it tastes like a bellini.
[00:31:37] It just doesn't have the alcohol. We're gonna have to have this Christmas morning for
[00:31:41] Sonia: sure. Yeah, we should. All right. So next we have the mingle mocktails blackberry hibiscus bellini So, this one I came across. Mingle has a lot of Moth Tales, um, and I've tried most of them. I've tried, [00:32:00] like, the Moscow Mule.
[00:32:01] They have, um, a Blood Orange Elderflower Mimosa. Um, but I like that this is a Bellini and that we can test it out.
[00:32:11] Kathleen: I am personally very excited about this because I have, I love blackberries. They're my favorite berry. And then I have really amazing memories of hibiscus because I spent a lot of time in Egypt and I drank hibiscus tea all the time.
[00:32:26] So I am very excited. Okay.
[00:32:29] Sonia: Okay. Smell?
[00:32:32] Kathleen: I smell the blackberry. Okay. I don't smell hibiscus, but I see it in the red. It's kind of a red tinge.
[00:32:41] Sonia: Okay, first flavors in your palate.
[00:32:47] Kathleen: Oh, I like this one. It's definitely not sweet at all. No, it's not. It's not. I like it. It's, I definitely taste the blackberry.[00:33:00]
[00:33:00] Maybe not so much the hibiscus as strong.
[00:33:04] Sonia: This one has 5 percent juice, just so we know. So it is probably heavy on the blackberry. I like the color of it. I think it's very festive. Um, what do you think of the texture? It's
[00:33:15] Kathleen: very light fizzy. Like I think it's barely fizzy. It's a hint of fizz.
[00:33:19] Sonia: How do you feel like the balance is of the flavors?
[00:33:22] Kathleen: Now that I've had a number of sips, I would say I taste the hibiscus more now. It was definitely heavy on the blackberry at first, but it is light. And I would say that, yeah, that's a juicy light berry. It is not that strong. Yeah. I would drink this, I would drink this in the
[00:33:43] Sonia: summer. As compared to the peach Bellini, I feel like My niece, like your daughter, would drink this.
[00:33:50] Kathleen: Yeah, you're right. My daughter would drink this. It's kind of more like, it's not a complex flavor. I'd give it a six. Yeah, I would drink it in the summer. I don't know if I'd drink it for [00:34:00] Christmas morning or something. Like, I wouldn't be like, Here, let me take out the Bellini and serve this. Like, this is more like, oh, this would be nice to have in the fridge for a refreshing drink.
[00:34:08] Sonia: Okay, so, I don't know. It's not evoking any particular emotions for me. I don't think I've had I wasn't really a blackberry alcohol beverage drinker,
[00:34:20] Kathleen: so I wasn't if I had known about it I may have been but I know I would say it's like more like a Just a refreshing drink. I wouldn't say it's like I wouldn't call it a mocktail, you know all
[00:34:34] Sonia: right, so if we Compare and contrast the Cipriani White Peach Bellini and the Blackberry Hibiscus Bellini.
[00:34:45] What would you say?
[00:34:48] Kathleen: So I would serve the Cipriani Bellinis like a Bellini. Like I would serve it as a mocktail. Like we mentioned, I would serve it, you know, with brunch. I would serve it in the [00:35:00] summer. I would serve it like. With crushed ice, I would serve it in place of a cocktail, for sure. Um, the other one is more just like a refreshing drink.
[00:35:12] It's good. Like, it's not bad by any means. But I just don't think I would be like, Hmm, let's, what appetizer will we have with this? And the Bellini from Cipriani just really tastes like
[00:35:24] Sonia: a Bellini. Yeah, I would maybe have this with a dessert because it's not overly sweet. It might complement a dessert. I agree with you.
[00:35:32] Sounds
[00:35:32] Kathleen: like we have a winner today. The Virgin Bellini from Cipriani. Woohoo! Go out and pick this up wherever you get your mocktails and enjoy over the holidays.
[00:35:50] Thank you for listening and we'll see you next week where we will talk about New Year's Eve and how to stay sober on that. Big [00:36:00] drinking holiday.
[00:36:06] Sonia: This was Sisters in Sobriety, a podcast brought to you by Everbloom, where we help women change their relationship with alcohol. Thank you for
[00:36:13] Kathleen: listening and being with us
[00:36:14] Sonia: today. If you want to learn more about sobriety and meet your community, find us at joineverbloom. com.
[00:36:21] Kathleen: Are you a sister in sobriety?
[00:36:23] Then reach out on social media. We'd love to hear from you. If
[00:36:27] Sonia: you're feeling generous, leave us five stars and a review, and follow us wherever you listen.
[00:36:31] Kathleen: You'll never miss an episode until next time.
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