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Last year, I tasted more than 20 nonalcoholic (NA) spirits, sampled over 30 different NA beers, and spent weeks profiling the people creating these spirit-free libations. A year later, I’ve arrived at two conclusions: One, many of these drinks are delicious on their own; and two, they’re even better when combined with actual alcohol.
The latter conclusion sprung from necessity. This past June, while vacationing in Ojai—a town two hours north of Los Angeles that’s best at citrus, restaurants, and reminding tourists that the sun always gets its way—I became very, very hot. In search of refreshment (and a breath of fresh air conditioning), I sprinted into a hotel lobby and panic-ordered iced water, light beer, and Ghia’s canned Le Spritz Lime & Salt.
