There's a whole team of people behind Club Soda, and in this Christmas Eve podcast episode, we're giving you a peek behind the curtain to introduce you to team members Ali, Nia, and Anja. All three Club Soda Elves have personal experiences with either sober Christmases or moderation during what is usually a booze-soaked time of year. 

This is a chance to get to know the Club Soda team and learn their tactics to navigate a successful hangover-free Christmas. If this is your first sober or mindful drinking Christmas, then this is a valuable listen. The Club Soda team discuss distractions, planning, how to find joy in other ways, favourite alcohol-free festive drinks, and whether or not sprouts really ruin a Christmas dinner or not...

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When Club Soda founder Laura gets an idea in her head, it usually turns into something pretty wonderful. We know this because as this podcast goes live, London's first-ever alcohol-free off-licence will have been open for a week!

Putting a little alcohol-free fun into the London Christmas shopping scene this December, Laura's big idea has caused quite a splash.  Listen to Laura talk to Dru live from the shop and discuss the fantastic brands and excellent masterclasses that you can expect to find in the UK's first every alcohol-free off-licence! 

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Whether we like it or not, if we've been drinking quite a lot for a long period of time, it's likely that drinking has become a part of who we are. But if we're not a drinker anymore, then who are we? That uncertainty regarding our identity without booze is a question many people who choose to go alcohol-free ask themselves.

In this week's podcast, the discussion is chaired by Claire Davy, a PhD student at Canterbury Christ Church University. Claire's guests are researcher and lecturer Dr Emily Nicholls, Head of Student Engagement David Gilani, drinking coach Sarah Connolly, Mikey Moss from Recovery Festival Bristol, and Hakeem Allen, founder of the Anti Racist Social Club.
This conversation was recorded in October 2021 as part of Club Soda's Global Mindful Drinking Festival.

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The low and no alcohol market has blossomed over the last few years, much to the delight of those of us who choose to cut down or quit the hard stuff. But the alcohol-free version of alcoholic drinks isn't for everyone. For some, the taste of the drinks they used to love is a real trigger and the sensory anxiety caused might be turning some non-drinkers off.

The soft drinks industry has responded with a plethora of tongue-tingling beverages to entice those who aren't so keen on the alcohol-free versions of alcoholic drinks. Laura talks to some of the best soft drinks producers on the market, including Frobishers, Karma Drinks, Nonsuch Shrubs, and Square Root.

This podcast is sponsored by the British Soft Drinks Association.

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We're in the run-up to Christmas. As we all get warm and cosy in our houses, then alcohol can become really very present either in our thinking or just in our kitchens and our drinks cabinets in a way that can really trip us up.  For some of us, the pandemic has meant that we've started drinking at home in the same way as we drank when we were out with friends.  For those of us who were home drinkers, the anxieties around the pandemic might have caused our home comfort drinking to spiral out of control.

So, now that the world has changed,  how do we stop drinking at home? What can we do to keep ourselves safe from temptation in our own homes? And how do we overcome boredom, social anxiety, and habit in a familiar environment?

This discussion was recorded at the Global mindful drinking festival in October 2021. It's led by Richard Piper, Chief Executive of Alcohol Change, and he's joined by community activist Laura Jerram, psychotherapist Emma Gilmore, Lateef Joseph-Maynard, founder of Off the Wagon, and Ian Bilik, Club Soda volunteer and blogger.

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We've chosen to kick off Season 3 of the podcast with one of our favourite festival conversations with the brilliant Tom from Wise Bartender. He chats with our founder Laura about how far the low alcohol and alcohol-free drinks industry has come over the last decade, and give tips and advice on their favourite wines, beers, botanicals, kombucha, and more!

As you know, we took a break during October to run our Global Mindful Drinking Festival. We had lots of great conversations with some fascinating, inspirational, and enthusiastic people, and you can still access over 30 hours of video content to download right here.

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We're taking a little hiatus from our podcast during October. But we're not just taking a break. We're thrilled to be running the Global Mindful Drinking Festival during the whole of October. Here are Club Soda co-founders Laura and Dru discussing what's on and why you should sign up to take part now!

What is the Global Mindful Drinking Festival?

The Global Mindful Drinking Festival is a busy month of live drinks tastings, discussion panels, expert Q&A and webinars. Discover delicious alcohol-free drinks. Troubleshoot your challenges with changing your drinking. And connect with others in the Club Soda community worldwide. Our October Global Mindful Drinking Festival is a month-long online and real-world celebration of all things mindful and alcohol-free.

Laura willoughby, co-founder of club soda

Who is the Global Mindful Drinking Festival for?

Are you:

• Interested in low and no alcohol drinks?
• Having a sober (or soberish) October?
• Thinking about your relationship with alcohol?
• Sober curious or considering going alcohol-free?
• Cutting down or moderating?
• Tackling your lockdown drinking?
• Or sustaining a life that doesn’t centre on alcohol?

Then the Global Mindful Drinking Festival is for you. Sign up for your very own festival pass here!

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A big part of University life is about getting drunk and skipping a load of lectures, right? Well, we don't think so. And neither do sober student societies across the UK who, alongside our student-focused initiative, #BeRebelAF, support and empower students who want to take control of their alcohol intake. Who said sober was boring? With #BeRebelAF, you can take advantage of all the fun of Freshers Week and beyond, just without the hangover!

If you're heading off to Uni with no intention of drinking then you're not alone! With one in four students choosing not to drink at all, sober societies allow students to make new sober friends right from the very first week of Uni. In this podcast, we speak to three student societies from the University of York, the University of Lancaster, and the Queen Mary University of London, and learn how they cater for sober and sober curious students.

Welcoming our three Sober Student Societies

With plenty of experience in student activities, in-house Club Soda student Lauren takes the lead on this podcast. Lauren speaks to the founders of three sober student societies from across the UK. Amy, founder and chair of York Sober Society, Ophelia, the president of Lancaster Uni's sober society, and Leilani, the new president of the sober society at QMUL all discuss how they've created alcohol-free zones for those who choose not to drink to fit right in.

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Our podcast this week is all about how to drink sustainably and how to make positive choices in what you drink when you go alcohol-free. Who better to guest edit this edition of our Sustainable September podcast than Danielle from Binary Botanical? Binary Botanical uses a waste ingredient - the hop leaf - to make their unique, tangy and herbal wine lover's beer. Try it for yourselves today with 20% off with code Club20. 

Danielle teams up with Jo from Giki Zero, an app that enables us to monitor and amend our carbon footprint and live a more sustainable lifestyle. This includes how we consume products like non-alcoholic drinks ethically, and how we can change our drinking habits as well as our environmental habits so that we drink sustainably.

Later in the podcast, Dru speaks to Danielle from Binary Botanical, Christine from HOLOS Kombucha, and Claire from Allotment Drinks about how their brands are doing their bit for sustainability.

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This week's podcast is sponsored and edited by our friend Natasha Steele from Urban Cordial. Unhappy with the sickly, sweet non-alcoholic drink offerings on the market, Natasha created Urban Cordial. This helped her, and ultimately others, to tackle both their alcohol and sugar consumption and. Because we don't just do one thing at a time, right? In this podcast, Natasha talks to dietician and all-around sugar expert, Laura Tilt about overhauling our drinks. Natasha also shares how to use Urban Cordial to create the most amazing alcohol-free mojito.

Who is Urban Cordial?

At Club Soda, we believe that being part of a community is the superfood of behaviour change. That's why we're thrilled to team up with Natasha from Urban Cordial. This fantastic range of low sugar cordials came about after Natasha became fed up with watching her colleagues getting smashed while she sipped on something syrupy sweet, full of sugar, and pretending to taste like fruit. 

Natasha Steele, Urban Cordial

For Natasha, the sugary syrup and fake flavours were enough to encourage her to create her own cordials to enjoy at home. It wasn't long until the success of her low sugar, foraged, healthy cordial recipes were being sold at her local farmers market, and demand exploded. Working with British Farms to ensure oddly-shaped but perfectly good fruit destined for landfill is used, Natasha has created an ethical, low sugar treat for those wanting a delicious drink when you're not drinking. Urban Cordial helps make space for a greater range of alcohol-free drinks behind the bar or in the fridge.

Sweet talking with Natasha and Laura Tilt

Laura Tilt is a Registered Dietitian and Health Writer. She is fascinated by how food makes us feel, think, and live, and she is passionate about helping us understand the relationship between what goes on our plates and in our glasses and what happens in our bodies. She was the perfect person for Natasha to talk to about their shared interest in sugar, sweeteners, and their potentially harmful effect on our health. Follow Laura on Instagram here.

Laura Tilt

This podcast between Natasha and Laura Tilt focuses on .why we crave sugar when changing our drinking. It looks at sugar in alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and whether sugar-free diets are really all that helpful. Then there's the big question: sweeteners - good or bad? The experts discuss what to do if you are diabetic, and how to read the food and drink labels so that you know how much sugar you are getting.

Natasha's Sublime Strawberry and Sage Mojito

Take 2-3 fresh strawberries and add to a cocktail shaker (or, failing that, use a large, empty jar).

Squeeze in the quarters of 1 lime, then drop as much of the flesh into the shaker as possible.

Muddle together (gently mash) the strawberries and the lime - a perfect pairing!

Add 30 ml of Strawberry & Sage Cordial. The sage replaces mint well in this distinctive and unusual mojito alternat

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