(parentheses)

This artisanal, vinegar-based botanical beverage is the brainchild of two sober entrepreneurs: Nick, a fermentation enthusiast with sommelier skills, and @tawnymlara , a queer woman in recovery who has been reporting on the sober and sober curious space since 2015. In the ever-evolving landscape of non-alcoholic beverages, @recoverygirlmn says @drinkparentheses emerges as a bold pioneer, challenging our perceptions of what a sophisticated drink can be. Have a rec of your own to share? DM us 💌 #nonalcoholic #alcoholfree #nonalcoholicspirits #botanical #sobercurious #sober

(we’re in @insiderbusiness !) “Nick and I actively tried not to work together because we obviously both knew that mixing business with pleasure could be risky. But hey, starting a business is one of the riskiest adventures anyway. Go hard or go home, right? We built such a strong foundation as a couple that the possibility of anything, especially work, breaking down our bond felt overwhelming. Then we asked ourselves an important question: Who else could sell this extremely niche seaweed vinegar non-alcoholic drink we created but us? That realization gave us the courage to start a business together. We started a non-alcoholic drink brand called (parentheses) that was born out of our own personal recovery journeys. Nick and I met in an AA meeting when we both had a few years of sobriety under our belts. Those years before we met (and after!) were filled with peer support and mental health support, unpacking why we each relied on alcohol so heavily in the past. Clear communication only works when you trust the person you’re communicating with. How clear can your communication be without honesty? Nick and I learned that admitting that we needed to reevaluate our relationships with booze requires a great deal of honesty with ourselves and others — a virtue we bring into the ethos of our business. That humility also taught us an even more valuable lesson: It’s OK to ask for help. We ask for help all the time, both as a couple and as business partners. Whether asking for assistance with a project or getting advice from people more established in our industry, we don’t feel “weak” for knowing we can’t do it all. We know which skills we each have, which skills the other has, and which skills we need to outsource or learn.” #businessinsider #indiebusiness #nonalc

🍹 (it’s shrub season) As the temperatures rise, it’s a great time to slip slowly on our new ready-to-drink shrubs—before dusk and after midnight. Each 8oz bottle contains two ready-to-drink 4oz shrubs. 🌇 before dusk is a handmade botanical aperitif. Invigorate your senses by slowly savoring this complex, mouth-stimulating drink on the rocks. 🔮 after midnight is a handmade botanical shrub. Connect with your senses by slow-sipping this balanced blend of botanicals on the rocks. And it’s purple!! 🛒 @drinkparentheses is available at drinkparentheses.com and at the following retailers: @minusmoonshine @burdenofproof @draydrinks @dryhumour_bklyn @allthebitter Tasting Lounge, @buzzfreebk_n.a , @gemlifeandbar , @highstreettonics and @tastenygrandcentral

Cinderella ✨ Light, soft, a little dreamy Egg white, watermelon, lavender bitters, rose Lifted with Kavahol and (Parentheses) Before Euphoric & light, finished with a rose petal 🌹

🥃 It’s time to slow down with slow-sipping literary cocktails and an innovative literary clock 🕰️ @drinkparentheses is a non-alcoholic, artisanal drink brand designed for slow sipping in an analog world. These literary cocktails, before dusk and after midnight, are handmade in Brooklyn by author @tawnymlara and her sommelier spouse, Nick Mechak. @authorand.co are the makers of Author Clock, an innovative, e-paper clock that tells the time through literary quotes. 👀 Tag a buddy who needs to know about these groovy new literary products

🍃 420-Friendly Herbs 🍃 Did you know that our Before and Before Dusk contain Prickly Ash, Spilanthes, and Green Sichuan? These herbs stimulate the salivary glands, making @drinkparentheses the perfect slow sipper for dry mouth. 🛒 @drinkparentheses is available at drinkparentheses.com and at the following retailers:

🎉🐾 We’re turning ONE! And drinks are on us! 🥃 Sip, snack, and party with: 🍹 Drinks from @drinkparentheses , crafted by @tawnymlara (The Sober Sexpert) & Nick Mechak – a husband-and-wife duo shaking up the sober-curious scene in NYC. 🍰 Cake for humans & pups 🥂 Food & bites 🎁 Giveaways 🐶 Dog-friendly fun for everyone This birthday is especially meaningful to the owner of @bestfriendsboardingnyc — celebrating community, connection, and courage. As a business, we proudly offer free services to those choosing treatment and a journey of sobriety, because we know how brave that decision is. A little about parentheses’ founders: • Tawny, a former whiskey lover, has reported on the sober curious and mindful drinking movement since 2015, craving bold flavors in NA drinks. • Nick turned his passion for vinegar into Sour Humanoid, fermenting small-batch vinegars with Maine seaweed & botanicals, creating the bite Tawny always wanted. • Together, they built parentheses — a drink you can enjoy neat, on the rocks, or in your favorite mixers — and have been featured in Business Insider for their indie approach in a venture-capital world. Raise a glass (or paw!) to a year of community, courage, pups, and unforgettable moments — what better way to celebrate?

📣 Sobriety + Entrepreneurship I moderated a panel on sobriety and entrepreneurship at @servingdryvibes in Philly. This intersection is important to me because @drinkparentheses wouldn’t succeed if I didn’t take care of my mental health first. Every damn day. A few topics we touched on: 🤝🏽 Community Support: How asking for help in getting sober taught us how to ask for help as entrepreneurs. Community is everything, y’all! 🫣 Transfer Addiction: Yeah, we quit drinking, but some of us transferred that manic energy into growing our businesses. We discussed work/life balance when wearing multiple hats. ✨ Standing out: I spoke about being an indie founder in a VC-heavy space, especially how we lean into being a scrappy brand through our marketing materials. Stop trying to be like everyone else and lean into what makes your brand truly unique. Shout out to my amazing conversation partners Laura Taylor (@minglemocktails ), @bestfriendaaronweakley + Aaron Tyrell (@tedsegersbrew ), and the iconic @drewdavisbeauty for putting this panel (and all of Dry Vibes!!) together. pics: @rylott_photos

🪶 @drinkparentheses is all about engaging your senses. 🌿 Prickly Ash in Before creates an instant tongue tingle 🌬️ Black Cardamom in After offers a smooth, natural smokiness 🤎 We’re not a wellness shot or a “functional” drink. We’re an artisanal, sommelier-led brand that prioritizes flavor. Slow tf down by sipping mindfully. We dare you. Happy Valentine’s/Galentine’s from your fav artisanal NA drink brand.

🗞️ Why We Made a Zine @drinkparentheses is a small-batch, independently-owned, artisanal drink brand so we wanted our marketing materials to be handmade, too. When we launched in 2023, we went the digital marketing route by creating recipe cards, stickers, and countless social media posts. But after two years of operations and uninspired content getting lost in algorithms, we’ve changed our marketing approach entirely. Leaning into the handmade craftsmanship that makes (parentheses) unique inspires us as people, which in turn inspires us as founders, which ultimately leads to more sales. ✍🏽 I started drawing about a year ago, inspired by how horrible AI “art” is. I thought, if people are impressed by this garbage, why not try making my own shitty art? Drawing and collaging have been creative, analog outlets in my increasingly digital life. When launching our RTDs, we wanted marketing materials that reflected our punk rock ethos as founders and the uniqueness of our handmade drink. Enter... zines! #Zines are the perfect way to celebrate an analog life by embracing imperfect art and creativity. Vol. 1 focuses on botanical-themed bands we completely made up because why not?!? This issue includes Apothecarrie Bradshaw, The Rhizomes, DJ Oxymel, and more. Fun Fact: There’s an easter egg in this issue that celebrates a leading figure in the NA world. Can you find it? 👀 📰 All orders over $25 receive volume 1 of our limited edition zine! 🏬 Bottleshops and retailers also receive our Sales Guide zine! 🛒 Order at drinkparentheses.com

📣 Our Function is Flavor Why do we need our drinks to perform for us?!?! What happened to drinking something because it tastes good?!? Every time we do a @drinkparentheses tasting, we’re asked about “function” and “benefits” and “adaptogens.” My skin gets itchy and I want to go on a long rant that “botanical” isn’t a synonym for “functional” and that there are only 9 true adaptogens and for someone to actually benefit from adaptogens they need to consume them for at least 30 days to *maybe* notice marginal benefits because the real magic happens after 90+ days. I believe in herbal medicine. I study herbal medicine. I learn from herbal medicine. But my herbal drink is *not* herbal medicine. My hubby/cofounder Nick Mechak often jokes that he’s just a dude in a hoodie selling artisanal goods at a farmer’s market, not a doctor. We selected the herbs used in @drinkparentheses based on flavor profile. That’s it. Isn’t that enough? Asking our drinks to perform for us leads to mass-produced mimicry in the NA space rather than flavor-first innovation. xo, @tawnymlara

🚨 RTDs Available NOW! @drinkparentheses new artisanal shrubs, before dusk and after midnight, are available now at drinkparentheses.com. Each 8oz bottle contains two small-batch 4oz NA cocktails. 🗞️We’ve also made limited-edition zines (!!!) that come with orders over $25. Each order over $25 includes Volume 1 of our limited-edition, handmade zine. The first issue focuses on botanical-themed bands we completely made up because why not? This issue includes Apothecarrie Bradshaw, The Rhizomes, DJ Oxymel, and more! Each page is filled with our drawings, collages, and other fun surprises. 📣 Shout out to the amazing humans who helped make this launch happen: graphic designer @Lifenineart , NA strategist @thelaurasilverman , product photographer, @rudeinkart , zine photographer, rajadain, assistant @virtually.sarah , and of course, my cofounder/hubby, Nick Mechak for making something truly unique in the NA space. @drinkparentheses is a mom-n-pop brand that formulates, produces, bottles, labels, and fulfills every order. I even handwrite the expiration date on each label. Support us by ordering at drinkparentheses.com. For wholesale, we self-distribute, and we’re also available on @airgoods . Plz share/Tag your favorite NA bottleshops and bars, suggesting they carry us. Tag any friends that may dig our new shrubs! ✊🏽 SUPPORT INDIE!