Move Over, Alcohol. This Nootropics Cocktail Gives You a Buzz – Without the Hangover

Sometimes, nothing quite takes the edge off after a long day like a glass of wine. But the not-so-fun part is the hangover the next day. Plus drinking regularly isn’t doing your health much good. So what do you do when you want to feel relaxed, minus the booze? Enter Kin Euphorics. This startup is hoping to disrupt the alcohol industry with its brain-boosting, stress-busting cocktails containing a blend of nootropics, adaptogens, botanics. This alcohol alternative claims to help you achieve a blissed-out state without sacrificing brain cells or performance the next day.

Find out exactly how this booze-free drink works, and whether it really can replace your regular nightcap.

Kin’s magic ingredient: Nootropics

Kin relies on a class of chemicals known as nootropics that safely switch on your brain and boost mental performance. These “smart drugs” can be either natural or synthetic, and they’ve exploded in popularity in recent years. First, Silicon Valley tech workers started gulping down nootropics concoctions before work to give them an edge, then college students started taking them to keep up during exam time. Now, nootropics are going mainstream for their ability to sweep away brain fog, lower stress, and boost creativity.

Modern living takes a lot of physical energy and brain power, so it’s no wonder people are looking for ways to keep up, while keeping their stress levels under control. Different nootropics work in different ways, but typically they increase the amount of feel-good chemicals like dopamine in the brain and spur the production of new brain cells. The result? Increased focus, a stronger memory, and a sense of calm.

How does Kin work?

When developing Kin’s signature drink High Rhode, the goal wasn’t to give you the same buzz as you get when drinking, say, a margarita, says Kin Founder Jen Batchelor.

Instead, she hoped to “inspire similar responses in the brain that delivered on the promise of relaxation and uninhibited social connection.” While that might help loosen you up, she “wanted it to be different from alcohol in that the drinker would always be in control of their experience and didn’t have to worry about paying the price later,” she adds.

So how does Kin actually work? Batchelor says the adaptogens in Kin — like rhodiola rosea — lower cortisol (your stress hormone) and activate your parasympathetic nervous system, the part of your body responsible for switching off your stress response, making you feel calm and relaxed.

Nootropics like GABA, phenylethylamine, and 5-HTP further calm the nervous system and replenish neurotransmitters in the brain, like dopamine and serotonin, that increase feelings of “pleasure, connectedness, empathy, and focus,” says Batchelor.

Kin also uses botanics like licorice, gentian, and orange peel for added nutrients like vitamin C and to aid digestion.^[1]

Creating Kin Euphorics was personal, says Batchelor. She wanted to be on her A-game during the day, not nursing a hangover.

“We were part of communities made up of innovators, change agents, activists, and wellness mavens that simply couldn’t afford not to show up in the world at 100%,” she says.

Still curious about nootropics?

If you’d prefer giving nootropics a try on their own, or if you’d like to target specific concerns, give these tried-and-true ingredients a go:

1. L-theanine: Eases mental stress, and when paired with caffeine, sharpens reaction time.^[2]
2. Nicotine: Nope, not cigarettes. A small amount of nicotine can improve short-term memory and increase brain power.^[3]
3. Theacrine: Wakes up your brain and boosts alertness in a similar way to coffee.^[4]
4. Forskolin: Increases cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), a molecule that’s vital for learning and memory.^[5]
5. Creatine: Helps grow new brain cells, boosts working memory, and lowers stress-induced depression.