Raise a glass to Burden of Proof, a non-alcoholic bottle shop

This holiday season, discerning party hosts are rethinking their festive menus to include more non-alcoholic options.

To help with this task, Burden of Proof can serve as your sober sommelier. The bottle shop stocks more than 350 non-alcoholic (NA) beverages, along with mixers, snacks and gifts. Co-owners Obreanna McReynolds and Dean Peterson opened this no-hangover hangout just before Christmas 2024 in the charming South Pasadena Mission District.

“Many of the NAs we stock were created by sommeliers and former chefs to replace wine pairings, something to go with a really awesome meal,” says McReynolds.

Both millennials were living in Brooklyn and working in video content production in 2020 when they met on the dating app Hinge. “It was COVID [lockdown time] when all there really was to do was stay in and drink,” says McReynolds. “Hinge [and other new relationships] easily led to binge.” And cringe: waking up with a hangover.

A surprise atrial fibrillation (A-fib) diagnosis in 2022 motivated Peterson to quit drinking alcohol on the spot, since booze contributes to the heart flutters. That shift led to more changes, and the couple left their borough for Southern California in 2023.

Fond memories of Brooklyn’s Minus Moonshine, an NA hot spot, traveled west with McReynolds and Peterson as they imagined opening their own boozeless bodega.

In their shop, customers can enjoy two comfy upholstered chairs nestled against one wall under a gallery of customer dog photos. A well-stocked NA bar sets the scene for free tastings every Saturday afternoon. A refrigerator case crowned with their “So- BRRRRR” logo houses icy bevvies, perfect for grab-and-go with zero risk of DUI.

It’s an inviting setting, especially for the 49% of Americans who planned to drink less alcohol this year—a stunning 44% increase over 2023 responses, according to an NCSolutions report released in January.

“Sober curious” as a trend has risen over the past few years, though cited figures may be misleading from a lifestyle perspective since a significant percentage of millennials and Gen Z consumers are interested in cannabisinfused beverages in lieu of alcohol, according to the same report.

But Peterson assures me that the mushroom tea they stock is not psychoactive, though some products on their shelves contain kanna, a succulent-derived plant empathogen that’s not psychoactive but currently touted as nature’s MDMA.

“Many NA products are called functional, adaptogenic, nootropic,” he says, rocking “Jeopardy” game show–worthy terms for products engineered to reduce stress, regulate mood and promote relaxation—even euphoria.

Our parents might have said the same things about gin.

“It’s interesting to see the range of customers we’re getting,” says Peterson. “We do meet program (AA) people, and expectant moms who aren’t drinking while pregnant.

We also serve people whose religious beliefs prohibit alcohol, and many customers of Asian ethnicity because they experience allergic reactions to alcohol.”

Plus they have customers who are simply choosing not to drink or are looking to introduce more NA options because booze doesn’t serve them anymore.

For customers in recovery, the duo recommends RTDs—Readyto- Drink beverages—and NA spirits that are original, complex adult beverages that don’t try to mimic the taste of alcohol.

“It’s a totally personal decision what does and doesn’t work in someone’s recovery,” says McDonald, “but in general ‘non-analogues’ run the least risk of triggering.” In case you’re wondering, nothing in the store contains cannabis or will get you high.

This December, Burden of Proof co-owners Obreanna McReynolds and Dean Peterson will celebrate the one-year anniversary of the only non-alcoholic bottle shop in Pasadena, where they offer a wide variety of drinks for those who are sober, sober-curious, pregnant or just seeking no-buzz options.

WHAT TO PICK?

McReynolds and Peterson favor the entrepreneurial, the artisanal, the small-batch, including Ojai-based digestif Namari. Roots Divino is another fave, a zero-proof vermouth crafted using wormwood, lemon, thyme, rosemary and herbs by a 150-year-old, family-run distillery on the Grecian isle of Lesbos.

Add smoked olives from CR Citrus and, well, it’s an instant classic. An assortment of California- made, plastic-free Flowerhead Teas, soaps, snacks and even their own quirky branded candle and T-shirts round out the inventory.

One of their goals, says McReynolds, “is to give our customers that romantic experience of shopping for a special bottle for a special person or occasion. We’re keeping that important storytelling element.”

The Pathfinder gets top billing here for its intensely herbal hempand- root aromatic qualities and bitter herbal finish.

“For something bubbly, we love Woody’s Sparkling Blanc de Blanc, as well as SemiPlume, a super-dry brut with super-fine bubbles for an elevated, elegant drink,” says McReynolds. She explains that SemiPlume is made from four varieties of tea, their tannins creating a complexity and depth reminiscent of some wines.

Burden of Proof also recommends Rosata, an RSRV Collective Kenshō Cocktail that’s sophisticated and luxurious, even though it pours from a can. And try Brooklyn- born St. Agrestis Phony Negroni (in Peterson’s “top five or better”) and NA All the Bitter bitters (yes, conventional bitters contain alcohol, usually 35–45% ABV).

“Being sober, or even just reducing your alcohol, I think, can make the holidays more enjoyable, less stressful,” says Peterson. “We aren’t zealots, and we don’t judge. I just find that I am better able to cope with anything when I’m fully present.”

BURDEN OF PROOF
1012 Mission St., Unit B
South Pasadena
BurdenOfProofna.com