Meet the shopAGA Artist | JoAnne Pearce

EDMONTON, AB  |  A graphic designer and marketing consultant, JoAnne started making mocktails as a way to keep her hands busy every day at 5pm during a 90 day alcohol-free challenge. The habits stuck - both of living sober and inventing mocktails. 

JoAnne believes that just about everything is an invitation to be creative, and she hopes Mock-Ups will inspre people to get a little weird in the kitchen. She also hopes that this project will inspire the sober-curious to see abstention as something exciting, rather than an exercise in deprivation. 

Mock-Ups Mocktails has since grown, partnering with local company Token Bitters. Together, their products blend to create an amazing collection of non-alcoholic beverages, featuring local farm-grown ingredients. 

Why a Mocktail?

With a mocktail, you’ve got to think like a chef. The ingredients need to stand up by themselves and work together. The possibilities are limitless. All assumptions about how a beverage should taste get tossed out the window when you remove the common denominator of alcohol. This, to me, is what makes mocktails so exciting and ultimately more grown-up and sophisticated than their boozy counterparts. After a while, adding alcohol just starts to feel like cheating. I mean, you can add booze to any mocktail and it still works, but the same can’t be said for taking booze out of any cocktail. This is why I think that any bartender worth their sleeve garters should learn to throw mocks before cocks. Walk before you rum (so to speak).

You can add booze to any mocktail and it still works, but the same can’t be said for taking booze out of any cocktail.

A mocktail is also an opportunity to learn something about self-care. It’s like pouring a tiny bath for yourself in a pretty glass. Tasty, beautiful and hydrating, a mocktail is a reminder that you, too, deserve nice things, regardless of your budget. It’s also about learning that making healthier choices for yourself is the opposite of deprivation. It’s the carrot and not the stick. Taking a night, a week or a month off drinking is something to celebrate. Well done you! Allow me to offer many crisp high fives and even more crisp and delicious beverages…