By Jarred Dickie, Culture Advocate, Kommunity Brew

From the pick-me-up British cuppa and Italian double espresso, to the celebratory champagne and the Après-ski Glühwein, beverages have long been used to mark everything from special occasions to a mid-morning break. 

Like so many things, there’s a symbolism attached to them. A beginning. An end. An achievement. And then came wine o’clock.

Signalling the end of a busy week, a stressful day or a long to-do list, wine o’clock has slipped effortlessly into the modern lifestyle. And it’s easy to see why.

We’re often so busy that there are few natural pauses in our day. Instead, we find ourselves counting down the minutes until we can stop and reflect, glass in hand, on a job well done. It’s reward for all our hard work.  

You only need to look at the Japanese tea ceremony to see how making and serving a drink can take us away from the frenzied pace of life.

But unlike the age-old tea ceremony, wine o’clock has started to feel as if it’s more about the alcohol than the ritual. 

So what do you do if you want to enjoy that liquid end-of-the-day pause, but without the booze?

A naturally fizzy drink with grown-up flavours, kombucha looks the part and it tastes great. Here are our top tips if you’re keen to take the wine out of wine o’clock.

Recognise the symbolism. Take your time. Savour the moment. Take a deep breath and reflect on the day’s events.

Make it look the part. Kombucha is happy in anything from a beer glass to a wine glass, from a cocktail glass to a champagne flute. Pick and mix to suit your mood.

Stick to your routine. Keep the ritual the same, just switch your beverage. If you usually head to the bar fridge and crack open a beer before joining your mates in the alfresco, then head to the bar fridge and take the top off a bottle of ‘booch before joining your mates in the alfresco.

Pick your ’booch. Beer drinkers appreciate the hoppy flavours of Kommunity Brew Organic Tropical Hops, while wine-lovers tend to gravitate to the fruity green-grape flavours of Kommunity Brew Organic Wild Jasmine. For something different try our Organic Ginger and Turmeric or our Organic Raspberry Blossom kombucha.

Keep it interesting. Explore different flavours or try your hand at a ’booch-based mocktail.

Become a connoisseur. Discover the subtleties of flavour in kombucha, taking your taste buds on a journey, much as you would with a good wine.

Relax. Celebrate the fact that today, you’ve decided to make a healthy lifestyle choice.