Meet Chelsea Mitchell, the creative genius behind Instagram's Present Mind Drinking. We delve into the pressures she faced from peers, the art of creating enticing mocktails, and the journey of establishing a social media presence.
Our discussion unravels the challenges and the unexpected delights of an alcohol-free lifestyle, especially in social situations where drinks often take center stage.
You'll learn to whip up her favorite mocktail – a tantalizing blend of ritual aperitif and fever tree blood orange ginger beer. From the benefits of heightened energy to the joy of crafting new beverages, Chelsea's insights will inspire your journey toward an alcohol-free lifestyle. So, whether you're seeking alcohol-free alternatives or wish to expand your drink repertoire, this episode is brimming with inspiration & practical advice.
Meet Chelsea Mitchell, the creative genius behind Instagram's Present Mind Drinking. We delve into the pressures she faced from peers, the art of creating enticing mocktails, and the journey of establishing a social media presence.
Our discussion unravels the challenges and the unexpected delights of an alcohol-free lifestyle, especially in social situations where drinks often take center stage.
You'll learn to whip up her favorite mocktail – a tantalizing blend of ritual aperitif and fever tree blood orange ginger beer. From the benefits of heightened energy to the joy of crafting new beverages, Chelsea's insights will inspire your journey toward an alcohol-free lifestyle. So, whether you're seeking alcohol-free alternatives or wish to expand your drink repertoire, this episode is brimming with inspiration & practical advice.
Welcome, friends, and welcome to the Thriving Alcohol Free podcast. I'm your host, deb, otherwise known as Mocktail Mom, a retired wine drinker that finally got sick and tired of spinning on Life's Broken Record called Detox to Retox. Let this podcast be an encouragement to you. If alcohol is maybe a form of self-care for you or you find yourself dragging through the day waiting to pour another glass, I am excited to share with you the fun of discovering new things to drink when you aren't drinking and the joy of waking up each day without a hangover. It is an honor to serve as your sober, fun guide. So sit back and relax or keep doing whatever it is you're doing. This show is produced for you with love from the great state of Kentucky. Thanks so much for being here and big time cheers. Hey friends, it's Deb. Welcome to Thriving Alcohol Free. I am so excited.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Today I have a guest I've never met before and I have followed her Instagram for a long time and she knows what she's doing making drinks. She knows what she's doing and I was like you need to come on the podcast and you need to share with the listeners, especially because it's dry July, what are you drinking when you're not drinking? So I want to introduce everybody to Chelsea Mitchell. She is Instagram handle present mind drinking. Did I say it right? Yep, you did. You got that right. It is so great to me. Okay, so are you in Georgia right now? You live in Georgia, I am.
Chelsea Mitchell :
I am. I am in the suburbs right now.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Okay. So how did you get into the non-alcoholic space?
Chelsea Mitchell :
It was a fluke. Honestly, I have an alcohol use disorder. I quit drinking about seven years ago, okay, and I just got really interested about five years into my sobriety about them. So about two years ago now I jumped in. I started with seed lip and some really terrible wine that I won't mention.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yes, we could do a whole list. We could do a whole list of you. The wine's not to try. Maybe that is an episode we should do.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Yeah, the wine that nothing is going to fix.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yes, no amount of bitters or anything. Yes, yes, that's good. Okay, so that was like.
Chelsea Mitchell :
so that was like what two years ago, then Two years ago. I've been doing this for two years and the Instagram thing just was social media pressure. People in my life were like you need to get on. Instagram and do this. So I created this Instagram account, didn't think through much.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yeah, yeah, here we go. I love it, I love it. Yeah, don't overthink it, right, just get just sometimes, just get started, right. Sometimes that's the most encouraging thing. Yeah, and how has it been? Sharing on Instagram for you? How's the experience been?
Chelsea Mitchell :
Instagram is fun. I like Instagram. I'm getting used to TikTok, uh-huh, blessed. It is difficult. I'm not taking a lot.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
They're a little. They're a little rougher over there. Yeah, they're a little rougher.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Mm-hmm, yep, and now you have what is threads? Threads, no, there's. I can't.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
I know, um um isn't that hilarious. It's like like we needed something else, we need nothing else, we don't need another thing. But I got on there too. So it's like, whatever, get on them all.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Oh, I'm, everybody got on. And my parents looked at me the other day and they're like, well, you're gonna do it right Now. It's like shush, yes, I'm gonna do.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yes, yes, yes, pure pressure. Okay well, there is Okay. So people were encouraging you to start your Instagram account. That is so interesting. Is it because you were making drinks for them, or they just knew? Do you have a background? I was like a bartender mixologist.
Chelsea Mitchell :
No, I was posting, um, just on Facebook daily mix up sort of stuff. Yeah, there was a couple of social media sites I was posting on, but just general me stuff and they were like you know, there's a following here. You should do something.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yes, yeah, so yes, oh, I'm so glad you did. I'm so glad you did. Your drinks inspire me. I mean they. You always have like so many fun things, so many good drinks. You're. You put out the best content, so I love following you. So definitely everybody needs to follow present mind drinking, if you're not already, I guess in all of the places, right, you're not just on Instagram.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Yes, I'm on TikTok now. It's fun, it's a little crazy.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Okay, so do you have maybe? Okay, so it's dry July. Let's talk a little bit about dry July for the folks. If they're listening right now, you know maybe what is something. Are there a couple like go to drinks or press the easy button drinks, or what would you recommend me people to try? Start trying Dip their toe in the mocktail world.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Yeah, go to an easy. I have one right here. I'm not going to show it because this is my best friend's laptop and getting any liquid near here is bad. But my go to is the ritual aperitif. Oh, the new ritual aperitif and the fever tree blood orange, ginger beer. Just a little bit of that in a bottle and I garnish it with dehydrated oranges or nothing if I'm being boring. Yeah, oh yeah, it's delicious. It's delicious. You don't always need a garnish. All of my things have garnishes. You don't always need to garnish.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
I agree with you. Yes, yes, I agree with you. Like, don't let a garnish stop you. You know you have one. Yeah, I never remember half the time. I'll like make that drink and I'm on to other things, yeah.
Chelsea Mitchell :
There's not always time. There's not always time. You just want to get your fix in. There you go.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yeah, and you know what I like, what you said about like the dehydrated, like fruit, so easy to do, and if you have like maybe limes that are about to go bad or oranges, like, just slice them up and you don't even need a dehydrated, you know machine, you know whatever appliance or anything. You can just put them in the oven. I think I did mine at like 200. I think it was like four hours. I like flipped them halfway. I did them a little long. They were a little crispy, a little too crunchy. Yeah, they'll crack and get all yeah.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Yeah, so is that how you do yours in the oven, I do mine in the oven. I have a convection oven, okay, so I have the fan going, so it's a little bit easier. And I do it on a baking tray, a wire baking tray, so I don't ever have to flip them. Oh, it's 200 for three to four hours, because I usually do a mass amount. Okay, the more you have in your oven, the more like moisture is going to be swirling around in there, so it takes a little longer.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
A little time, a little time, okay, okay. So what do you call that ritual? What do you call your blood fever treat, blood orange in the aperitif. Do you have a special name for it, or is that just a drink you made up?
Chelsea Mitchell :
It's something that, honestly, I was sitting around here the other day I was like what am I going to drink on this interview? Because I need something that I love.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
So I need something that's easy because people are going to ask me what I'm drinking. Yes, and.
Chelsea Mitchell :
I wanted to. Because it's a new product, I wanted to feature that one. It's so good.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
It is so good, it's very bitter. I think you have to get a little used to it, don't you think? Yeah, I think maybe it's a little surprising for some people.
Chelsea Mitchell :
It's like the Pathfinder bitter. If you've had the Pathfinder it's very. You have to get used to that. It has a little different flavor. There's one recipe floating around out there by Ian Blessing who loved him and he's got a. Pathfinder beverage and it's perfect because it's an intro to the bitters, the bitter flavors. I think it's a great product.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Awesome, that's awesome. Yes, love it. Is there another favorite that you have? Or you have so many. You have a lot in your repertoire here. Really hard, yeah, it is hard.
Chelsea Mitchell :
I just went through my bar and was just like, okay, choose, we need to. One, see what's expired and two, choose what goes in the bar. My favorite does all the bitter count? Sure, yes, it does. It's what I add to everything. Everything Across the bird as far as spirits go beer, wine spirits, honestly. So all the bitter, pretty much Okay, that'd be my favorite.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
And is there? Okay, so is it the orange. That's like your. You go to the New Orleans, the aromatic. I love the lavender, the new yeah.
Chelsea Mitchell :
It's hard to choose. I know it's like trying to pick your favorite.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
You like the lavender. If you go to the lavender or the New Orleans.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Just I have the little travel New Orleans. I love the whole travel pack and they go everywhere with me. They are in my purse at all times. They are my, they travel, they're my friends. I love it. And the little dinosaurs? Do the dinosaurs come?
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
with you too. Yes, I actually have one on my mantle. Oh, I love you have one on your mantle, yes, yeah, I've never ordered from all the bitter which most likely most everybody if you haven't. They're fantastic non-alcoholic bitters and Ian and Carly blessing are the founders of the company and we both love them. So shout out to Ian and Carly. But when you place your order, when you receive your order, there's always like a little tiny plastic dinosaur inside the box. Yeah, so it's like a little.
Chelsea Mitchell :
I don't know.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Get to peek around in there, find a dinosaur. I have a couple of different color dinosaurs here in the house.
Chelsea Mitchell :
And you can choose your favorite. You get to pick your favorite.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yeah, yes, okay. So how about like non-alcoholic wines? Okay, you mentioned there were tons that you don't like. Are there a few that you do love that maybe you'd recommend for people to try for dry July?
Chelsea Mitchell :
I was never a huge wine person back when I did drink, but Champagne Saturdays were a thing, oh. And so I love bubblies and the Naughty, the Rose for Naughty, or the regular de-alcoholic wine. The white is just lovely. I love both of those. Okay, because I don't like wine so much, juke's, that's like a wine alternative type thing Apple cider, vinegar based stuff. I love that they do a lot of food pairings which I'm big on.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Those are really good, and you just mix it with sparkling water, right? I mean, yeah, that's how.
Chelsea Mitchell :
I've been, and they have the ready to drink ones now. Oh, that's right, that's right.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yep, the cans. Yep, they're very good. Yes, and the apple cider vinegar gives it that little bit of bite. You know, yes, personally I was a wine drinker, so I missed that little bite from the wine. So that's really nice. Okay, so you like the juke's? Okay, yeah, all right. And how about? Are you a beer drinker?
Chelsea Mitchell :
I beer is sort of like a festival thing for me, Was always like a music thing for me. I associate that with music and a loved one who has passed on now and my favorite as an homage sort of to him would be the well-being brewing victory week wheat. Excuse me, he was a blue moon guy and I love blue moon because of him. And if you drink well-being with a lot or, excuse me, an orange, it just screams his mama's porch in the summer. It's just perfect, it's just the style of it.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
It's wonderful, so it brings back those wonderful memories.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Yes.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Without a hangover right.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Yes and there were so many hangovers back then.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yeah.
Chelsea Mitchell :
So many.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yeah.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Oh, I love that.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
That's actually Richard Loud's one of his favorites is the well-being victory. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Out there running and drinking a beer.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Love it.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yeah, yeah, isn't it? What do you love? The non-alcoholic, the sober community on Facebook and Instagram? I feel like it's a small community, like it's a small community even though we're all over the country, all over the world. It's amazing.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Yeah, it's wonderful to be able to connect in such a positive space.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yeah.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Because there's a lot out there in the world that's not so positive on the internet, and I agree. There are people out there who are gonna bring their own negativity, but as a whole, all of these spaces in the non-alcoholic like Facebook, instagram world are really positive.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
I agree, I agree. I feel like it's a very untainted part of the internet.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Yeah, we're not gonna let it get ruined. Yeah, let's hope it stays.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
It's gonna stay this way. We just have to protect, just. It's not about anything else, it's just about encouraging one another to remain alcohol-free or to you know, wherever we are on our journey, Some people wanna moderate, who listen to me, and that's great. You know, there's no judgment, but for me that's almost two and a half years Well, I guess over two and a half years now I'm gonna be alcohol-free. Yay, absolutely.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Yay, rock on.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yeah, yeah, oh, thank you, yes, yes, yeah, we're doing it right, we're just doing it. I thought the fun would be over and I thought there was nothing good to drink if I wasn't pouring Chardonnay every evening. Maybe that's you. Maybe you're thinking the fun is over. Maybe you're thinking what on earth will I drink if I'm not drinking?
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
So join me and the members of Thriving Alcohol-Free with Mocktail Mom. We are a community of like-minded women supporting one another. Not a sober program, just a place to connect and have a good time, to make some new friends that you can drink with. We have weekly happy half hours. We have daily connections, touch points where you can be supported wherever you are on your alcohol-free journey. There is no shame, whether it's day one or day 1,000, or you're just sober, curious and you wanna see what would this be like if I wasn't drinking? What options are there? So join us at ThrivingAlcoholFreecom Is the direct website, or you can go to MocktailMomcom and just click on membership and I would love to share with you some more details or reach out and we would love to be of support to you. Big time shares, okay. So when you go out to a restaurant, if you go into a place and there's not a Mocktail on the menu. Is there something you like to order or do you have a go-to Mocktail you like to order?
Chelsea Mitchell :
I'm a big gin girl and I'm big on looking on the menu to see what they've got. If they don't have a Mocktail menu, I'll look at their salads and see if they've got something with a cucumber on it like a chef's salad. Because if they've got cucumber they can make you a cucumber gimlet without any spirits in it, it's just lime club soda, simple muddled cucumber Like. It's really easy. That's my go-to Easy and so refreshing for the summer.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Yeah, I had one when I was in Kansas City the other day. It wasn't on their menu but I noticed they had a chef's salad and I was like, well, if they've got a cucumber we can do this we can just Okay.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
and how was the response? Because I know sometimes people feel very intimidated, like if there's not a Mocktail on the menu. They feel very intimidated like you know, what can I order? So how did you order it? And how was the response from the?
Chelsea Mitchell :
server. I have no idea how the bartender felt, but I do know the server came. I do know he came back with a question. He was like how do you want this substituted?
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
And that's also on me.
Chelsea Mitchell :
I should have come to this guy up front and said you know, I wanted the gin substituted with club soda. I just kind of shot off my order. Sure sure, Because at this point I feel like people should know how to do this.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, You're like.
Chelsea Mitchell :
I'm thinking about this all the time.
Chelsea Mitchell :
Yeah, they don't. I have plenty of bartender friends and bless them, they're watching this and I love them. But you have to teach people Like it's not common knowledge yet. So, yeah, I mean, it's not common knowledge and these people are learning and you have to have empathy and you have to come at it from a you just you're gonna get some bad drinks at first, unfortunately, I think. No, true, Yep, and you gotta, you gotta roll with the punches on that one. You can send a drink back. Send a drink back. It is not to your liking, Girl people. Just just send it back. It is not the end of the world. Get it to your liking. If it's too sweet, get some club soda in that.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yeah, it is okay good advice, very good advice, yeah, very good advice. And you're gonna have right. We're gonna have drinks that we don't like. You're gonna have to go through. You know, kiss some frogs, so to speak. Oh, yeah right.
Chelsea Mitchell :
To find the ones that you love. It's out there that I cannot stand and Great. Well, I can stomach almost anything if you mix it right. But you know you're just. You're gonna have a palette that maybe Not everybody has. You know you're gonna have to test out different things.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yeah, yeah, yeah, very true, that is very true. Okay, so are there, are there any sober first that you've had? That have been. Well, I'm sure you've had a lot of sober first, but what's been like the most exciting thing, kind of that you've done as a as a sober first?
Chelsea Mitchell :
Oh, I'm trying not to cry. It's been about a year and a half, but when I used to drink, I used to live in a bar. I still kind of live in a bar, but I used to sing. I love to sing, okay, and I don't sing sober in public.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Okay.
Chelsea Mitchell :
I did not do that and the other, or I guess about a year and a half ago, my friend was like nope, you're getting up there. My friend Haley and her, her brother, got up there with me and we sang in public in front of an audience and it is recorded. And I did that sober and that was probably the coolest thing I've ever done something. Go to New York to I.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Wanted New.
Chelsea Mitchell :
York sober, but that singing in public and traveling sober are.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Huge wild you experience, isn't it? Yeah, do you find traveling like? Is it hard to like go through airports like? I know a lot of people say like, go like, and I Feel that way, like it was like. Oh okay, I'm gonna have a glass of wine before I get on the plane or whatever, but like, is that is that? Is that hard for you airports? Or you mean like being out, like just traveling in general?
Chelsea Mitchell :
Airports world are kind of difficult because I associate the airports, associate airports with Jen and tonics, yeah, and I associate airplanes with massive amounts of alcohol. So I was traveling recently and it was I got flagged down Twice and patted down twice on this trip like it was going through TSA was wild this time very stressful, yeah, just traveling in general can be very stressful for me. And at the most recent traveling excursion I had, I went to KC and with my family, my siblings and it's, it was that's probably the hardest thing I've done. Sober recently. That's a sober first was good for you. That was hard.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Good for you, chelsea, you're doing it. Oh yeah, yeah, I love it. I love it. I love it. What advice maybe would you give to somebody who's just sober, curious or just maybe take? Maybe they're taking a break this month, you know, they're just kind of seeing how they feel Is there any advice you would give to them? Your, your seven plus years in?
Chelsea Mitchell :
Yeah, I actually have a loved one out there who is Doing the sober thing. Try to do the sober thing as we speak, and my advice to that person and that these people would be Go at it gently, you know, offer yourself some grace, because it's hard and we live in a culture, I, that glorifies alcohol. I would say that you know, if you're so curious, curious and you want to try completely sober living, you're gonna have some slip-ups. I don't really speak often about my slip-ups because I have a sort of on again. I was completely on alcohol and then one day I was almost completely off.
Chelsea Mitchell :
It was just like an overnight transformation for me personally. Yeah, kind of sorta. I didn't do a lot of relapse, but, like I don't know, just go at it with some empathy, some grace, knowing that there are setbacks and you can get back on the horse. Yeah, it's not all or nothing. You can go at it with some gray thinking. I'm not good at the gray area thinking Okay, I'm very black and white. So that's why my choice to get sober was a black and white sort of thing but most people it's not and be gentle.
Debbie Podlogar | Mocktail Mom :
Yeah, really really good advice to give yourself grace, because I think we beat ourselves up, especially when we know we're drinking more than we want to right, we're just putting ourselves down in our own mind, and so to be gentle with yourself as you walk towards a sober lifestyle, whatever that looks like, you know, and there are many people in the same boat as you like kind of very black and white, and so that's really really good advice. So thank you for that. Thank you Big time. Cheers to you for tuning into the Thriving Alcohol Free Podcast. I hope you will take something from today's episode and make one small change that will help you to thrive and have fun in life without alcohol. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, host about it on social, send up a flare or leave a rating and a review. I am cheering for you as you discover the world of non-alcoholic drinks and as you journey towards authentic freedom. See you in the next episode.