Speaker 1 1:12

And I was like , okay , what's the issue ? Like really ready to solve it . And he showed me a bottle and basically the pasteurization baths are like putting your favorite mug in the dishwasher and all of the decoration just falls off . So he had all of these bottles and all of the decals had like boiled off in the pasteurization bath because the printing Hi , hi Lono Nation and welcome to this week's conversation on the Lono Drinker podcast .

Meeting Steph Elswood

Speaker 2 1:38

Today's episode is a conversation with a woman that you may well have come across on your mindful , drinking , sober , curious or wellness journeys , because she's a busy lady in all of those areas , and I'm chatting to the very lovely Steph Ellsworth . Now Steph is the founder of , among many other things , carouse , a pioneering non-alcoholic spirit brand that challenges the traditional notions of social drinking , and with her new liquid , steph is working to set a new bar for social imbibing Carouse Uplift and Carouse Drift which , if you're watching on YouTube you can see just behind me here which , if you're watching on YouTube , you can see just behind me here , are adaptogen and nootropic enhanced non-alcoholic spirits that create a drink to remember . So I'm excited to know more about the drinks . The journey that I know was full of ups and downs to bring these to market . But I can't also have Steph on the show and not talk to her about some of her other endeavors .

Speaker 2 2:37

Most interestingly to members of Lono Nation would be the dry disco clubbing event that she's put on with her very good friend , a lovely human , millie Gooch . So I definitely want to find out more about those . So there's lots to cover and not that much time , so I'll stop talking and say hello and welcome to Steph . Hi , steph , how are you ?

Speaker 1 2:54

Hello , I'm good , thank you . Thank you so much for such a lovely introduction .

Speaker 2 2:58

Oh , you're very , very welcome . Well , thanks for doing so many wonderful things for me to talk about . I mean , you are one busy lady , right ?

Speaker 1 3:07

Do you know what ? We were just speaking about , this before the podcast started . I feel like I enjoy being busy . I enjoy having things to do . I think I'd go a little bit stir crazy if I didn't . So sometimes , when I bite off more than I can chew and the stress kind of piles up , I just have to remind myself that this was my choice . I'd be grateful for it .

Speaker 2 3:25

Yeah , I did this to myself . Yeah , I'm the same . I'm one of those people I need to have a lot of things to do , because if I don't have things to do , I do nothing . Yeah , I find that , unless I've like , there's this , this saying that they say if you need a job doing , give it to a busy woman , because you just get things done . But if I've got nothing to do , I could quite easily sit on the sofa like watching bad tv , eating far too many crisps .

Speaker 1 3:48

so I'm like no , I need seven or eight different tasks in a day to keep me going it's so true , and I don't know about you , but anyone that I speak to that's on this sober journey or this alcohol-free journey definitely says they feel like they've unlocked time , because we're no longer losing it to like a hangover or disrupted sleep or anything like that . So I'm like let's use this superpower to the best of its ability .

Speaker 2 4:11

Yeah , do you know what time is ? The main thing that I think you get back first , isn't it ? Because it's not just the fact that you might not be going out , but you might not be going out till 3 am , you know , normally you're going by 10 o'clock . You're like OK , great , I've had a great time . I want to get some great sleep . It's not just the hangover , it's the extra days afterwards .

Speaker 2 4:37

I always found that for me , I'd have really bad hangovers and they might last 24 hours , but then for the next 48 hours after that I'd still just be quite subpar . So actually , it's amazing how much more time you get back just by whether you're giving up or cutting back . It's so true . It's so true , fantastic . Well , I would love to know more about what you've been doing with your time and find out about these fabulous drinks . But before we get to those , can we find out a bit more about your journey ? So start wherever you're comfortable to start . But what was it that led you to creating these amazing drinks in the first place ? Because , from my understanding , you don't come from a food and beverage background , do you ?

Speaker 1 5:21

No ,

The inspiration behind the brand

Speaker 1 5:21

I actually trained in musical theatre , so I trained in performing arts .

Speaker 1 5:25

Very , very different . This is not where I thought I would end up , but I'm just very grateful for the journey . I basically trained in musical theatre for the majority of my life and worked in the industry as a professional dancer theatre for the majority of my life and worked in the industry as a professional dancer , decided to remove myself from that industry for mental health reasons and set up an Instagram page kind of off the back of it . As part of my recovery journey from an eating disorder . I set up an Instagram called Healthy Chef Steph , and that was just a part-time project . That was a really personal journey and , for whatever reason , it started to pick up a following and slowly became a career that I couldn't even imagine and has led me to so many incredible experiences and opportunities . But , whether that's in work or self-development , it has just taken me on this journey that I never could have imagined and throughout that , I have been very explorative within my wellness journey and I felt like I'd made so many decisions around what makes me feel my best , whether it was movement , daylight , diet , whatever it was making these conscious choices that add positively to my life and in 2018 , 2019 , I was going out and drinking quite regularly . It would be kind of , in terms of the statistics , it would be classified as a binge in terms of how many units I was having per weekend or whatever , but I would never get super blackout drunk . So I never had an alcohol dependency , but I was definitely drinking in excess and it was never the night out where I was affected . I would never think that I'd gone too far or anything like that . It would be more so the days after , whether it was the hangover the next day that came with all of the anxiety and the fear and the worry about what I did and what I said , or if it was kind of the inconsistency and lack of motivation for the following days after that , and I felt like if I went out on a Friday and Saturday , I'd be hung over on Monday , I'd be tired sorry , I'd be hung over on Sunday , tired on the Monday , and I probably wouldn't feel myself again until maybe the Wednesday or Thursday and then I'd be going out again .

Speaker 1 7:31

So I was so aware of this wellness journey throughout all of the changes that I'd made since removing myself from the performing arts industry , and so in 2019 , my partner and I were going away for three weeks and I said to him look , it's just the two of us . I feel so safe in your company . I think I'm going to try this alcohol free . I'd love to do this entire trip alcohol free and if ever we're in an environment where I would usually have a cocktail or a glass of wine , I'm just gonna have a fresh coconut and just see how I feel .

Speaker 1 8:02

And I came back from that trip and I felt like the best possible version of myself and I wasn't sure if I was just in this holiday bubble where obviously you feel so calm and relaxed anyway because you're in a beautiful country and you're not working and you're so detached from reality anyway , because you're in a beautiful country and you're not working and you're so detached from reality . So then I decided to come back to the UK and test it in the UK to see if I could implement the same feelings of being so alert and feeling so awake and so disciplined in my everyday life . And so I think my last drink was on the 21st of June 2019 and every time I was like , oh , I'm gonna try it for a month . I just felt amazing and I told my friends from the offset I'm no longer drinking because this is like the best possible version of myself , and that was almost five years ago and I just haven't looked back .

Speaker 2 8:52

That's amazing . That's amazing because know , I think it's really great to hear stories like yours , because it's very similar to mine in that you don't have to hit a rock bottom to want to look at your relationship with alcohol and how it's affecting you . I think that TV and the movies they always show that people who need to , you know , fix their relationship with alcohol are , you know , falling down drunk and , and you know , living just a destitute lifestyle . But it's not the case . You know , your average everyday guy and girl like us can take that time to look at how it's impacting us and just if you would feel better if you drunk a bit less . You know and it's not to say that you have to everyone has to go teetotal and it's right for everybody . But could your life improve in some way if you drunk a little bit less alcohol ?

Speaker 1 9:41

No , it's so true , and the conversations that I've had with whether it's people online , my friends , my family since so many people have been really open In a group environment , it's slightly different . I feel like people are still very much in the sense of oh no , I'll still drink , because that's kind of what society has perpetuated for so long . But one-on-one conversations with people has shown me that actually none of us have ever had a unique experience like we all feel the same a day after drinking and it feels amazing whilst we're there . But I just feel like over the last five years the conversations have just got louder and it's really exciting to hear of so many people questioning the society that we have and the kind of memories that we make around drinking or lack of memories , should I say ?

Speaker 2 10:29

Yeah

Embarrassed to be non-drinker

Speaker 2 10:30

, you mentioned sort of speaking to people and your friends and your family .

Speaker 2 10:35

As I said to you before we hit record , obviously I've been having a look at some of the stuff that you've spoken about in the past and in one of your videos on your YouTube channel and I will link to your channel below for everyone so they can go and check out more about you .

Speaker 2 11:16

You mentioned that you were and this was a few years ago you you posted this um that you still felt a little bit insecure at times having that conversation with friends and saying to people or not even just friends or strangers , if you still felt a little bit insecure at times having that conversation with friends and saying to people or not even just friends or strangers , if you're in a wedding , perhaps , or an event and someone says , you know , would you like a glass of wine , at that time you were feeling quite insecure about replying with no thanks , I don't drink Because of that social stigma that you've been talking about , because of that expectation and I social stigma that you've been talking about because of that expectation .

Speaker 2 11:48

And I wonder , now that you've moved on to launching dry disco , to launching your own alcohol free range , has that changed for you and , if so , how did that go about ? Because I'm sure there'll be people who are listening who are in a similar situation . I know it's better for me , but my friend group is so based around us drinking and it's such the norm that I feel weird saying to people I don't drink . How has that progression been for you ?

Speaker 1 12:17

Yeah , I think , like you mentioned , when I first made that decision , even using the word sober felt really alien , because I never had a dependency with alcohol and I think sometimes it can come with a connotation that , oh , you must have had an issue to now not drink , and so explaining that to strangers can be quite challenging because , also , you don't want to suddenly open up a conversation about how it was mental health related or wellness related or whatever . So it can be quite a challenge , whereas now I'm so confident in my decision and I'm so proud of it because it's something that I did for myself , like it was for no one else . It was something that I knew would make me feel better in myself , in my work ethic and the benefits that I felt . I'm almost proud to say it and share it , and I don't know if that is because the conversations have got easier , because lots more people , especially of my age demographic , are speaking about it .

Speaker 1 13:11

But now I think , because it's been a part of my life for so long and has very much become my personality trait , it's something that I'm actually really proud of and it's a kind of before I saw it as a label that might have been judged by strangers , whereas now I see it as like a badge of honour , like I made this decision for myself and for my future and I haven't looked back . And it might not be what you agree with , but you can . I just I know that now if someone , if I was meeting someone for the first time and they were saying , oh , just have one , I can be like I've not needed to have one for five years and that's my decision . Like there's a phrase that I love and it's good for me and good for you too , and it's I can make this decision for myself without , hopefully , you judging yourself for not making the same . And I think I can now articulate myself in a way where I say this was a decision for me , but I'm not judging you .

Speaker 2 14:05

And I think that's a really important message to those out there who have friends and family who are going down this journey that just because somebody chooses to cut back or remove alcohol from themselves , it's not a statement on what they're doing . You know , I think a lot of people can find it a bit confronting . I know that my friends did when I was like , look , I don't want to drink the way that I used to . Friends did when I was like , look , I don't want to drink the way that I used to . And then I think they are then left with no choice but to look at how our relationship and how our drinking has panned out . But it's not a judgment on them , because how it affects me isn't necessarily how it's going to be affecting somebody else .

Speaker 1 14:41

It's so true . And I think we also forget that alcohol is a drug . And if I was to say something like , oh , I've decided I'm not doing class A drugs anymore , everyone would probably be like that's really good decision . Whereas when I first said , oh , I'm not drinking alcohol , everyone would be like , but why you're so boring ? And it's just that disconnect that actually it is an alien substance that does affect the way that we feel , think and act . And if that decision is for me like it doesn't affect anyone else , if anything , it benefits you because I'll drive you to the place that we feel , think and act . And if that decision is for me like it doesn't affect anyone else , if anything it benefits you because I'll drive you to the place that we're going to and you don't have to pay for a taxi .

Speaker 2 15:15

I heard somebody was . They were talking the other day and it was an interview with somebody and they said you know , do your friends not think that you're boring because you're not drinking ? And the guy's response was absolutely brilliant . He was like if you think that drinking makes you interesting or makes other people interesting , then try being around drinking people when you're sober .

Speaker 2 15:35

It's so you know you're watching people and again , this is not judgment , because I do this with my , my husband and my two best friends , or the four of us , often go out for dinner or something together and watching them as they start slowly getting more and more intoxicated . It's so funny because it only takes actually two or three drinks . And there's me always thinking like , yeah , I'm really hardcore , like I can drink loads actually . No , you can drink like two or three . Then it starts impacting you and watching somebody go through those stages it's quite interesting because I can watch them and I know exactly what I would have joined in the conversation and how I would have reacted in these ways . But then it gets to the other side , where you've heard the same story five times . You're like , okay , I think this is my cue to exit now .

Speaker 1 16:21

Yeah , I definitely can relate .

Speaker 2 16:23

So tell me about the brand , then let's have a chat about these wonderful , wonderful liquids . So I'm going to . For those who are watching on the video , I will pull the bottles down , but , um , for those who are listening on the audio , I'd highly recommend that when you get a chance , you go to the website , because these are beautiful bottles . I'm being extra careful because in the last interview that I did although I've done lots I managed to put a can back on the shelf and it fell , and then it cracked and I started spraying beer all over the place . And I'm in the middle of an interview . I'm like , okay , I might electrocute myself . So this one here is the Drift , and they are beautiful , beautiful bottles . I know you had some trouble with these bottles , though , didn't you ? When you started out . Can you tell us a bit about what ?

Speaker 1 17:15

happened .

£12k bottling disaster

Speaker 1 17:17

Do you know what I think , just throughout my lack of experience and knowledge and education in this entire industry . I think there's a way to get from A to B in developing a drink industry . I think there's a way to get from A to B in developing a drink , and I think I went up down left right and just did the longest way possible and made so many mistakes along the way . Um , just really grateful for the process , though , but basically it was in lockdown when I kind of had the idea , you know , when everyone was on zoom quizzes getting drunk , doing oh yeah , yeah , all of that that era .

Speaker 1 17:47

Um , there was nothing I was reaching for to drink at the time . There was nothing that I had . Fomo , obviously , of not being able to drink with everyone , and everyone was making cocktails and everything like that , but everything on the market at that time was either very heavily trying to replicate a gin or a vodka or a rum , or it was just very botanical and floral and just not catered to my taste buds . So I basically thought that someone needs to develop a drink and a range of products that taste delicious , first and foremost , but also the packaging looks and feels luxurious and , like a moment , like I don't want to just take a lemonade bottle and pour that , like I want it to feel like something Do you know what I mean ? Like you know that feeling of grabbing something off of a drinks shelf or out of your cupboard , measuring it out , pouring it into a nice glass and it really being a process that you enjoy . And I had looked into the kind of gaming industry and there was a huge rise in these nootropic , adaptogenic drinks , in energy drinks , the ones that can improve your focus or help your body adapt to stress , and I was thinking this is amazing . Why is this not being fused with the alcohol-free industry ?

Speaker 1 18:59

And I'd been documenting my alcohol-free journey online and the main questions that I got asked was what do you drink for pre-drinks on a night out or when you're going out partying , what do you drink ? And when you've had a long week to wind down what you drink ? And I thought , well , surely there's a way we could combine these extracts to have one that makes you feel calm and at ease and then one that makes you feel like you're really ready to get the party going . So that's where the concept of drift and uplift came , and so , kind of me having no previous experience , I literally googled how to find glass bottles , how to design a label , how to produce liquid , all of these things , just deep dive in google , whilst we were all locked down and we had all of the time in the world . Anyway , we managed to find all of those things .

Speaker 1 19:46

I found the name , so the name cruise is a spin on an old English word meaning a noisy , lively drinking party , and that's the kind of mood that I wanted to emulate through the drinks that you could still have this amazing time and still feel included even if you're not drinking . And we found someone to design the labels because , again , I wanted it to be really premium , like with the gold touches , and the logo itself is like a non-binary figure dancing into a martini glass , like really emulating my love for performing and wellness and bright colours and all of these things . And then we found somewhere to produce the liquid and we found someone to decorate our labels and it was quite clunky . I think when we first did our first production run , we must have had about 12 different suppliers supplying the lids , the labels , the bottles , the frosting , all of that kind of stuff . And the frosted bottle was something that I really wanted to get right , because there weren't many on the market at that time with a frosted bottle and I wanted to be quite unique in that sense .

Speaker 1 20:45

Anyway , we get to the first production day . It was honestly the best morning of my life . I walked in . I felt like Willy Wonka in the chocolate factory there were all , all of these moving parts .

Speaker 1 20:54

It was drift that we started with , and drift is a blend of summer fruits basil , echinacea , ashwagandha , goji berry . It's very fruity . The smell of it just to me is so calming . I walked in and there's these vats of the liquid that is just filling the factory with aroma . I'm walking around in a hairnet , bright blue hairnet . I'm having the best day seeing everything going . And then , because it's alcohol-free and because we're made with natural fruit extracts , we have to pasteurise the liquid , which basically means putting it in a bath and heating it to a certain temperature to kill off any germs , and then it's safe to be distributed . And so , after everything was bottled , all of the labels were printed onto the bottle at that time , so it was like a decal transfer , and they went into their little bathtubs .

Speaker 1 21:46

I went out for a snack and a coffee and then our head at the factory came out and said we have an issue . And I'm thinking right , really good , we'd overcome quite a few issues at that point anyway . So it had taken us a while to get to even production alone . And I was like , okay , what's the issue ? Like really ready to solve it . And he showed me a bottle and basically the pasteurization baths are like putting your favorite mug in the dishwasher and all of the decoration just falls off . So he had all of these bottles and all of the decals had like boiled off in the pasteurization bath because the printing company hadn't put on the finishing lacquer to hold it in place . So for every 10 bottles or 100 bottles that were in the pasteurization bath , for example , maybe only 10 were usable .

Speaker 1 22:35

Oh my goodness , it was honestly , I didn't know what to do . My brain just disconnected . I had no solution . I had no . It was the first day that we'd ever gone into production for a trial run . We were doing I think it was like 500 liters of liquid or something , maybe a little bit more , I can't remember , but I just had no idea what to do . Anyway , we calculated and it was about £12,000 worth of damage in terms of retailing stock . Oh my goodness . So obviously I panicked , having never been in this position before .

Speaker 1 23:02

We called the printing company and they tried to say that it was our fault because we never said that it was being pasteurized , which is a story for another time . But anyway , our factory were incredible . They basically have to test every liquid that they produce on the morning that they batch it to make sure that it's the right . They test it , they taste it and the head guy was like look , this is the best tasting liquid that we've produced in this factory . We really want to support you getting to market . Now this is in the January .

Speaker 1 23:33

We wanted to launch by the end of dry Jan , um , but obviously to print the number of bottles that we needed to reorder the ingredients for the liquid was going to take so much time .

Speaker 1 23:43

So anyway , he was like when you're ready , we will sort this , we will do another production day to replace these bottles , and luckily we could book one in for the March to then launch in the May . But it was just such a we had so many false starts that there was so many times I was like we should just quit . But there was something in me being like no , this is everything that I want in the industry , and for selfish reasons , so that I have a nice drink that I am proud to pour and enjoy . Like we need to make this happen . So basically , we just didn't give up , up , went back to the drawing board , found different solutions and and now we're at a place where we've got less a less clunky kind of procurement supply chain , um , and it's just a lot smoother and more reliable in terms of the finish of the products and everything like that . So it was a process , but we got there .

Speaker 2 24:37

I cannot imagine your heart must have just sank when you saw all of that .

Speaker 1 24:43

I think I just cried and I had a new assistant at the time and she'd been working for me maybe two months and she was virtual and we'd spent maybe three whole days in person together . So I'm just sobbing in the corner of this factory because I feel so at a loss . We'd been working on it at this point for about a year and a half and we'd only just got to the production and my assistant , just you could tell she just didn't know what to do , but we managed to find a solution . And then again , when we went back to the production day and the first bottles were coming through that production line , you just feel such a sense of achievement and I think , if everything went smooth sailing the whole time like you learn more from the things that go wrong than the things that go right . So even at the time it feels like the end of the world . I'm really grateful for the lessons that we learned .

Speaker 2 25:28

Yeah , yeah , absolutely , because you're right . You know , I can imagine at that time you haven't got a clue you know , I don't know what to do .

Speaker 2 25:34

I don't know what , how to describe this problem to anyone , let alone find a solution for it . But you just keep going , don't you ? What's the next logical step , because you can't give up . You've gotten that far . It would have been criminal to just walk away from it , as painful as it was . So I'm really glad that you managed to get back up off that factory floor after what was a well-deserved crying session and and to keep going , because I would have done exactly the same . I would have been pieces . Oh gosh , bless you . And so that was . So you've told us about the flavor of the .

Speaker 2 26:10

Uh , the drift and what about the , the uplift ? Because I did mention before that I've tried them both and I can attest they are both beautiful and you're the aroma of the drift . You're right , when you open that bottle it just engulfs you and it's so delicate and lovely , um taste wise . For me personally , for my palate , the uplift is where it's at . So tell us a little bit about what's in that one and what flavour

Flavours

Speaker 2 26:35

profile that's got .

Speaker 1 26:36

Yeah , of course . So for the Uplift , we wanted it to be a contrast . So for me the drift was more of like a spin on the Pimms , where you'd mix it with lemonade and lots of fruit and it would be more fruity in summary . And then for Uplift I wanted it to be . I wanted it to like pack a punch . So we blended citrus fruits with ginger and also like a subtle hint of chilli .

Speaker 1 26:56

So I loved the idea of , as you drink the liquid , the citrus hits your taste buds first , but then you get a warmth down the back of your throat that does emulate that feeling of alcohol , that feels a little bit more hearty and a little bit more adult than just like a soft drink , for example . So we went in with the chili extract in there , which , again , when we first developed the recipe , we had a chipotle extract that got discontinued and every time we tried to replicate it like for like with a different extract , it threw off the entire complexity of the drink and the whole balance of the drink was off . So we actually had to redevelop it to make sure that the levels were right . But again we've got it , so that you get that citrus fruit , you get that ginger , the bit of that zing , and then you also get the warmth at the back of your throat and that's got guarana , ginkgo biloba and obviously the adaptogenic extracts that then can have cognitive benefit to make you feel more alert , more energized .

Speaker 1 28:04

And it's just for me it's more of the like spicy , marg picante kind of category and I just love it . And it was for me like if ever I was going out , my drink would be a ginger beer and lime , and I wanted something that had that kind of more not savoury flavour , but do you know what I mean ? Like it's still sweet , but it's more there's a strength and a depth to it . That took a long time to get there , but I'm really proud of the flavour that we've now got .

Speaker 2 28:28

I think you're absolutely right . It's the citrus first , which I really like , sort of citrus , but I also love spice and so I'm quite glad that that chipotle extract didn't work out , because what you've got in there now it really does give that mouthfeel and give that warmth , and so you know you feel like you've got something with a bit of body to it , because a lot of the challenges , with a lot of the uh low and no drinks , is for those who want a replacement for alcohol is finding something that's got that body , that mouthfeel , that texture in it and that depth of flavour which , whilst yours doesn't you know , sort of it , doesn't taste like a gin or it's not trying to be a vodka , it does give that body that you could otherwise be missing , and that flavour , as it's going down , was absolutely lovely .

Speaker 1 29:13

Oh , that makes me so happy , thank you you're very well , thank you for making them .

Speaker 2 29:19

Um , so these your drinks now . They are , uh , been out . For how long have they been on the market now ?

Speaker 1 29:25

you said since march it was no , my anniversary was actually monday just gone . The 27th of may was when we launched to market um so , literally a whole year fantastic .

Speaker 2 29:36

Well , happy first birthday . Thank you , um . And since you've launched the drink , obviously people can buy it online at your beautiful website , which really , really matches the bottles . You know , it's definitely a feel of a journey and and bring things together , but you've also had them for people to try at events that you've um been a part of . You see where I'm going with this , because

Dry Disco

Speaker 2 30:00

they were available for those who are attending your dry disco event and I would love to know , obviously , how they were received , although I can guess from all the comments and things that I've seen , um how the dry disco uh itself came about . What is it , what can people know about it and how can they get involved in it ? Because it just sounds this isn't just a party , this isn't just like a few people coming together . You've got like , so many things going on . There's different spaces , there's different uh people coming to to talk to the crowd .

Speaker 1 30:33

Tell me all about it yeah , so , um , it kind of stems back to about . In 2017 , I launched a series of dance workshops and female empowerment workshops called stay sassy , in honor of my nan that had passed away , and the first event was going to be a one-off event to raise money for the hospice that looked after her before she passed away , and it was such a beautiful and vulnerable space for women that I thought I really want to grow and scale this . So we took an event where we had 20 people and we raised £500 for the charity , to then growing it to 50 women per event , 80 women per event , and then we have now anywhere between 80 to 100 at every single event raising money for different charities , and since 2017 , I think we've raised just shy of a hundred thousand pounds for different charities that the women volunteer . Um that congratulations thank you um , it's completely non-profit .

Speaker 1 31:28

Everyone that works the events do it out of the kindness of their heart and it's all about , um , feeling empowered , dancing and and pairing movement with wellness and and getting in a guest speaker to help facilitate that as well . And I had followed Millie Gooch , who , if you are in the sober space you need to follow immediately , like her knowledge around the science of what alcohol does to us , as well as , um , the community space that she's built through sober girl society is just . I'm in awe of her in every way and I'd followed her for a while . She actually gifted me her first book and I'd just gone sober at the time of her release and I read it and I it just really , really spoke to me . Anyway , I remember , um , I was on a podcast and she was the guest after me and I had to run , but I was like please . To the podcast host I said please , can you introduce me ? Like I really want to meet Millie . I'd love to do like a Sober Girl Society .

Speaker 1 32:25

Ex Stay Sassy collab , because so many people are like , how do you feel confident to get out on a dance floor without alcohol ? How do you lose your inhibitions without the substance ? So , anyway , we had a zoom call to just discuss a little event , and it was just going to be a one-off event . That was just her community , my community , combining the two topics and helping women to feel the best versions of themselves , and so she said , okay , so we definitely make this happen . Do you have an idea of a venue ? I said , well , I've always wanted to do a stay sassy in a club and I think that would really suit this concept , because if you can dance sober in a club in this environment , all you need to do is pick yourself up and go in a drunk environment , and it's the same thing .

Speaker 1 33:06

If anything , it's easier , because everyone's drunk and no one's going to be judging you anyway exactly then Millie , being Millie , was like , oh , I've got a contact at the Ministry of Sound and I was like , okay , right , go big or go home . So anyway , we spoke to them and they said , well , if you hire the Ministry of Sound , you can't hire just the club room , you have to hire all seven . So we were like , yeah , fine , we could do that . And we basically decided that if we were going to do this have to go full out . We have to come up with a new name , like start a new entity and really test the water to see if the market is ready for it or if if people want it . So we came up with the idea of dry disco and it was to be an alcohol-free day festival in a club environment where every room was used for something different . So we'd have a room where there would be a stay sassy workshop to show that you could dance without alcohol . We'd have a booze-less bar that you could still go up to and order and have a drink made for you , but completely alcohol-free . We'd have an area where there were breath workshops and conversations around anxiety management , because a lot of people drink to kind of escape their anxiety , around socialising . We'll have a pamper room so that you can learn how to wind down without alcohol . We'll put on panel talks where people will come to speak about confidence and mental health , as well as their sobriety journeys , and basically combine everything , all of the things that you'd usually turn to alcohol for whether it's connection , losing your inhibitions , to escape the everyday and bring that to a group of women in a completely alcohol-free environment , space that is usually predominantly serving alcohol . And we launched it .

Speaker 1 34:45

It was the 20th of May last year was our first event . We had over 300 people attend and it was honestly one of the best days of my life . It was incredible . So many people booked a ticket to come by themselves .

Speaker 1 34:57

You could see people making friendships and bonding over something , because going sober can be really lonely . If all of your friends and family drink , if all of your work colleagues socialize after work by going to the pub or a bar , it can feel really isolating and like you're the only one in your environment doing it . So watching these women arrive by themselves , making friends in the queue , exchanging instagrams and numbers and really being there with open minds and open hearts , it was honestly incredible . So then we put on a Christmas event last year , because obviously Christmas is heavily focused around booze Very similar atmosphere in terms of different rooms and everything like that . We actually ended up having BBC coming down and we had features all over the radio and BBC News and it was honestly incredible and I feel like it's the start of something that could definitely grow and scale and expand and be a safe place for women to do everything that they want from drinking , but in a safe , sober environment .

Speaker 2 35:58

I think it's wonderful , first and foremost , the venue that you've chosen . So for anyone who's listening , who doesn't know , ministry of is one of the biggest clubs , not only in london but one of the most famous clubs in the world , and it's famous for putting on amazing , amazing club nights with with world-class djs and and having lots of people go and have a great time . But also with that goes all the things that go with clubbing and and drinking and excess and drugs and late nights and debauchery of all sorts . I think it's wonderful that you've taken a venue that is synonymous with that kind of lifestyle and gone . Do you know what else you can do ? Here ? You can actually have this really life , affirming , positive , giving experience , where you get to meet people and make new friendships and start or progress on a new phase in your life . I think that's wonderful .

Speaker 2 36:48

It's lovely to hear that there are women who are going on their own , because this is a female-focused event . It is for women to come together and it's lovely to hear that there are people who are going on their own because , you're right , not only can it be a bit lonely if you're the only one in your friend group who's looking at their relationship with alcohol . But also , as we get older we get really bad at making friends . You know , when we're little I've got a four-year-old and a six-year-old and it's amazing watching them . Yeah , they're a bit shy to begin with but then they , you know , go and throw themselves in the dirt and roll around and you know for that two hours with someone that they're best friends . As adults we just don't have that abandon . We don't have that confidence to just start talking to someone . So to have an environment where people can come together without that Dutch courage and start having these conversations and build friendships no , I can see why you feel so pleased with how that manifested for people .

Speaker 1 37:49

Yeah , and we also found out , funnily enough , after booking the venue , the very first night that Ministry of Sound opened in London was completely alcohol-free because they didn't have an alcohol licence yet . So it felt like we were almost taking the club back to its roots , which was a really nice story to tell . And , and you're so right about us getting worse at making friends as we get older , and that's why I think why it was so beautiful , because there's a balcony in in the Ministry of Sound where you could just stand and look over and just watching people interact , whether it was bonding over a new drink they'd never tried before , or speaking about the panelists , they just listened to . Um , it was really beautiful . And to see women like cheering each other on and celebrating each other , it was such a powerful atmosphere and something that we definitely want to continue to , to grow amazing , amazing .

Speaker 1 38:40

So there will be more dry disco events , is what I'm hearing you say , then yes , and they may not always have the same format in terms of , like , different rooms that we're looking at doing some music events where we get sober DJs involved and it's a proper club night where there's just no alcohol in the entire venue . Looking at just really creating safe spaces , maybe even growing it to do mixed events and and really escalating it , taking it around the UK like we've got lots of plans , um and and big dreams for it that is very exciting .

Speaker 2 39:13

If people want to know and follow and see when the next events are what's , where can they go and find out more about dry disco ?

Speaker 1 39:19

so on instagram it's dry disco club and then if you want to sign up to our newsletter , you can do through drydiscocom .

Speaker 2 39:26

Amazing , amazing . Speaking of which Carouse , I think it's a liquid that people need to get on their lips and that's the most important thing with these low no drinks is that people get to try them , because there's a lot of preconceived ideas that people come at with low and no drinks and you know , often people say , oh , I tried an alcohol-free gin and I didn't like it , so I'm done so . Well , you don't just try one thing one time and then decide that it's not for you . You know , I often say if you have a favorite wine , think about how many glasses of wine you've tried before you got to that one . So let's get people trying carouse . Where shall they go to find out more about the brand , more about the drinks and to get hold of a bottle ?

Speaker 1 40:06

So to follow us on Instagram , it's drinkcarrousecom , where we share lots of assets around alcohol free living , as well as alcohol free cocktail recipes , and then , if you would like to purchase the product , drinkcarrousecom is where you can find us , and there's lots of information around our ingredients , flavor profile and everything like that on the website excellent and I will make sure that's all in the show notes for everyone so that they can go and grab a bottle .

Speaker 2 40:32

I've got one more question for you , steph , before I let you go , um , which is one that I ask everybody who I speak to on the podcast , because I'm all about spreading the love to lowono Nation . So we are coming into our summertime , although I think we might have had it with the two hot days that we had last week . But

Steph's BBQ drinks

Speaker 2 40:51

imagine you are off to a nice sunny barbecue with your nearest and dearest and on that day you're obviously not drinking alcohol and you brought a couple of drinks with you to enjoy for yourself and to introduce to your friends . First and foremost , carouse Uplift and and carouse drift will be top of the list , other than those two . What other low , no drinks do you enjoy drinking ?

Speaker 1 41:14

oh , um , I have a few , if that's okay yeah , you go , I've tried everything on the market in my journey to sobriety .

Speaker 1 41:22

Um , I love nozeco with a strawberry in . Um , that's a lovely like summery tipple I think , especially if you're having it in a champagne glass like it can really feel like a celebration . I know that I don't think they're really classified as like a no and low alcohol official drink , but I really love um trip in terms of their branding , even as a mixer to mix it with cruise , for example . But I love again , it's kind of that nootropic , adaptogenic route . Um , I love that you can either have it from the can , so you feel like you're having like a little tinny , or you can pour it into a nice glass and make it look pretty . Um , and I also really love the Kylie Wines 0% . It's really good . It's like a sparkling rosé wine , but I think it's kind of kombucha-esque where it's fermented and that is really really delicious , especially on a summery day .

Speaker 2 42:22

And I think people can get that in Sainsbury's yeah , you can definitely get that in Sainsbury's and and that's great , isn't it ?

Speaker 2 42:29

you know that we're starting to see these things on the supermarket and , yes , it's a wine by Kylie who's kind of a bit well known , so it might be a bit easier for her to get in there . But you know there's there's space being made for for more drinks in our supermarkets that are of the low , no and the light variety for whatever people are looking for . I like the . The tip about mixing uh trip with caroos now they've got a few different .

Speaker 2 42:53

I think they've got four or five different can flavors and then all the other cbd stuff that they do . Um , but that that would be quite interesting . I'd actually quite like to try that , because I think that if you get that sort of mix just right , it would be quite interesting . I'd actually quite like to try that , because I think that if you get that sort of mix just right , it would be quite a unique flavour profile .

Speaker 1 43:08

Yeah , and again feels really adult rather than just . I don't know about you , but when I first went sober there weren't many options on the market , so if I was drinking like a soft drink alternative , my teeth would feel furry by the end of the night because of the amount of sugar that I'd be consuming . So it's nice when you can enjoy something that's sparkling or something that's fruity , but without that horrible mouthfeel that comes after drinking a lot of them yeah , sugar is a big one because a lot of people who go um little or no might be doing it for their health .

Speaker 2 43:40

They might be doing it to lose weight , um , and then alcohol has so much sugar in it . You know , we're so used to all the sweetness in in standard alcohol that when you go low , no , and there's less sugar in there and no alcohol , a lot of the producers and manufacturers go , well , let's just add loads more sugar back in there to give people what they used to . But then you're right , you do end up . It wasn't for me furry teeth , but it was that cloying feeling in your mouth like there's , your mouth just felt full all the time , like coated with sweetness , like I've just been sort of eating the kids jelly babies all day and it's just too much it is too much , especially as well , because if you're at an environment where it is a barbecue and you're eating as well , you just get so full , so full , um .

Speaker 1 44:25

So I quite like having options that aren't as sugary and sweet for sure , amazing , amazing .

Speaker 2 44:33

Steph , thank you so much for joining me today . It has been absolutely lovely speaking to you and getting to know more about your journey , full of trials and tribulations . You're an an inspiration to never , ever , give up . Just keep going , and I know that you will keep going , and I can't wait to see what else we get from you going down the line . So thank you for joining me today .

Speaker 1 44:53

Amazing . Thank you so much for having me .