In keeping with prior years, B and I go dry for the month of January. It’s a nice little reset and after about two weeks, we both typically end up wondering why we ever drink at all. But this is New York, so somehow it is almost impossible to avoid. The tricky part about navigating dry January used to be making excuses about why I can’t go out with friends. Now that I have a 10 month old child, that is no longer a challenge. What I struggle with these days is figuring out what to drink when going out to eat. Yes, water is an option. I’m a huge fan of staying hydrated. In fact, I typically drink plenty of water when I’m out to eat, in addition to whatever else I’m imbibing. But when I’m dining, I like a beverage with some flavor that can compliment the food, or at least reset the palate.
Not since my teenage years have I really been a fan of soda. To me most mocktails just taste like a sweeter version (not sure how it is possible, but yes) of soda. I have tried to make myself like non-alcoholic beer, but I just haven’t really been able to get into it. Cue the “Michelada lite” that I discovered on the N/A drink menu at a local spot in Greenpoint. In 2025 “N/A” no longer means “not applicable,” it means “non-alcoholic.” This is because “non-alcoholic” has so many letters that it could not possibly be spelled out every time, let alone audibly pronounced. The Michelada lite was made with Athletic Brewing’s Mexican-Style Copper. It was poured over ice, mixed with a concoction of hot sauce, worcestershire sauce, and lime juice in a pint glass with a salted rim. I enjoyed it so much that I ended up ordering second round! I was inspired enough by the beverage that I have been mixing up my own version using Heineken 0.0 (A/K/A, the “Michelada ZPZ”) while upstate on the weekends.
I’ll start by admitting that the Athletic Mexican-Style Copper is actually a much better beer choice than Heinken 0.0 for this concoction, but when you are in the Catskills, N/A beer options can be limited. I have tried a few different recipes (all authored by me, naturally). The first iterations were heavy on Clamato (this is what Greenpoint Fish and Lobster uses in their micheladas) and some home brew hot sauce that was made by a friend of mine. Those ones were good, but very spicy and not a ton of texture. The one that I like the best, so far, is made with V8, Cholula and limes. I start with a giant ice cube; the kind they serve at whiskey bars. The reason that I use these is because it is the only type of ice tray that I have in the Catskills. I put the cube into a pint glass and coat it with three or four healthy spurts of Cholula. I then pour over V8 until the glass is about half full. I fill it the rest of the way with Heineken Zero Point Zero, give it a nice squeeze of lime, a little stir and enjoy through a straw.
One Saturday in Jan, B was off hiking all day so I had some time on my hands while the little guy was napping. I was enjoying a Michelada ZPZ and got the wise idea for this post, which would clearly need some photos. Since I’m not going to pretend like I’m some sort of food and beverage blogger, I’m sure that you, the reader, will forgive the fact that I didn’t put to much effort into styling these up. I mean, you can see in the first photo that the inside rim of the cup is still dirty from the remnants of ZPZ round 1. I didn’t start taking these photos until that one was already mostly down the hatch.
It gets worse from here, visually. I don’t have any normal pint glasses. I only have these vacuum insulated Filson ones that I impulse-bought during COVID. They are awesome for keeping beverages ice cold, but not awesome for trying to photograph their contents. So how about a shot from above?!
No? How about outside with me holding it while wearing gloves?
Still no? Nestled in the snow on the deck railing is the best I can do.
