Living Kindness and Ditched the Drink
September 26, 2026 | Evansville, Wisconsin
As the harvest moon rose over Evansville, Wisconsin, 20 people gathered around a crackling bonfire. Strangers just hours before, the group had quickly become friends, and now they arrived at the fire ready to share their intentions for the season.
The event started earlier that day when guests were greeted at the door with alcohol-free Old Fashioneds, courtesy of sponsor Mock & Co. Each guest was assigned a partner they did not already know as a way of getting to know each other. Groups worked together in our own version of a mixology show to invent NA beverages based on an assigned theme: The Orchard, The Bonfire, The Garden, The Bog, or The Moon. Teams had 15 minutes to come up with their best offering using a variety of ingredients, tasting as they went, and then pitched their beverages to Christine, founder of Living Kindness. The winner was a cinnamon drink called the Cina. (See “The Flavor Edit: Cinnamon,” p12, for AFTER’s own cinnamon-inspired edit.)
The night ended by the fire under the harvest moon, where guests spoke their intentions and then released them into the flames. At the end of the evening, guests participated in a sharing circle and sealed in the warmth with a big group hug.
Photos courtesy of Ditched the Drink.
