This original non-alcoholic cocktail is built around a pairing that shouldn’t work as well as it does: Kava Haven and Three Spirit Livener. On their own, each spirit is bold—Kava Haven brings bright lemon, gentle earthiness, and the tongue-tingling bitterness of kava root, while Livener delivers tart watermelon and pomegranate, plus a subtle heat from cayenne. Bitter and spicy flavors tend to amplify each other, potentially creating a flavor that’s too intense to be enjoyable, but for some reason, this combination just clicks.
Yuzu juice and Meyer lemon syrup amplify the citrus profile, tying the two spirits together, while our Orange Cardamom bitters reinforce the fruit and spice notes already present in the drink. Sparkling water stretches this into a long, refreshing afternoon sipper, and thanks to Livener’s gentle caffeine content (about 55mg per serving), this non-alcoholic cocktail earns its name: it’s exactly what you want for a midday mood boost or to get the party started.
*Kava is not recommended during pregnancy or with certain medications.
Bright, bubbly, and energizing with a subtle lift from Livener and Kava Haven.
Ingredients
1 oz Kava Haven
1 ½ oz Three Spirit Livener
½ oz yuzu juice
½ oz Meyer lemon syrup
5 dashes ATB Orange Cardamom Bitters
3–4 oz sparkling water
Directions
Combine spirits, juice, syrup, and bitters in a shaker with ice and shake briefly.
Strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice.
Top with sparkling water, and stir gently to combine.
Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Recipe Note
ABOUT KAVA HAVEN Kava Haven is a lemon-forward kava spirit made for mixing—bright, zesty, and far more refined than traditional muddy kava tea. It works naturally with simple mixers like tonic, soda, ginger ale, or sparkling wine, and makes a terrific ingredient in more complex cocktails like our Lemon Drop and Blackberry Smash. You don’t need to mix Kava Haven, though—because of its big flavor and the natural bite of kava root, it’s one of the few non-alcoholic spirits that is enjoyable sipped straight.
ABOUT THREE SPIRIT LIVENER Three Spirit makes one of our favorite lineup of adaptogen spirits, perfectly tailored for every occasion with Livener, Social, and Nightcap. Featured here is Livener, meant to get the party started with 55mg of caffeine and energizing herbs like ginseng, guayusa, and schisandra berry. The flavor is fruit forward but balanced with watermelon, pomegranate, and cayenne pepper for zing. It’s one of the few NA spirits that makes sense to enjoy as a shot, but it also mixes easily with things like ginger ale or sparkling wine.
KAVA SAFETY: NOBLE ROOT ONLY Concerns about kava and liver toxicity come from early studies (that have since been refuted) using non-noble varieties of kava that contained stems, leaves, and other low-quality material. Kava Haven is made exclusively from noble kava root, the traditionally consumed and widely regarded safe form used for centuries in the South Pacific. Even so, kava is not recommended during pregnancy and may interact with certain medications—so consult your doctor if you’re unsure.
USING BITTERS IN MOCKTAILS Cocktail bitters provide depth and balance, rounding out sweet and sour flavors while adding bite. Since All The Bitter is completely 0% ABV (unlike traditional bitters, which are around 45% alcohol), you can use as much as you like to dial in the flavor and complexity of your non-alcoholic cocktails.
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