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Little Saints – St. Ember

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Price: $49.99
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St. Ember from Little Saints is a compelling non-alcoholic stand‑in for mezcal, especially if you love smoky, spicy agave cocktails but want to skip the alcohol and the hangover.

Within the past year, I decided to give adaptogen drinks a try as a way to help supplement my alcoholic intake and focus on better overall health.

One of the great joys I’ve discovered as being new to adaptogens is that while imbibing you feel clear-headed, and slightly energized. Unlike alcohol which leads to intoxication and sluggishness. Don’t get me wrong — I do enjoy a good alcoholic cocktail. This is just a different experience.

If you are new to mushroom drinks like this, the cost may seem a little high. However this is very in line with market prices from other brands.

Why St. Ember Scratches The Mezcal Itch

St. Ember was created specifically to echo the experience of mezcal and tequila, with a wild, woody aroma and a little smoke that feels familiar in classic agave cocktails. It slots easily into drinks like margaritas, palomas, or mezcal spritzes, giving you the ritual, complexity, and slow-sipping satisfaction of a “real” cocktail without the booze.

I will say in my experience, St. Ember does seem to work as a substitute in many mezcal drinks, I’m not certain it could be classified as a direct substitution. It seems to offer something slightly different than mezcal. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing… the taste is just a little different and that is ok. You may like it in some of your regular recipes and you may not. You won’t really know until you experiment try different things!

Flavor Profile: Smoke, Spice, And Depth

Instead of agave spirit, St. Ember builds its character from palo santo, ginger, peppers, and warm spices, which together create a smoky, peppery backbone reminiscent of mezcal’s earthy heat. Mezcal itself is known for layers of smoke, earth, herbal notes, and occasional fruit and spice, and St. Ember leans into those same cues with its woody aromatics and lingering spice on the palate. The ginger adds a nice refreshing zip that helps boost the brain.

Ingredients And Functional Benefits

St. Ember is alcohol‑free and sugar‑free, relying on botanicals and natural flavors rather than added sweeteners, so it fits well into low‑sugar or wellness‑focused lifestyles. It is also infused with organic lion’s mane mushroom extract, marketed for a subtle “brain boost,” adding a functional twist that traditional mezcal simply does not offer.

How To Use It In Place Of Mezcal

Because it was formulated to “mix like a mezcal,” St. Ember can usually be swapped 1:1 for mezcal in many cocktails, especially those that highlight smoke, citrus, and spice. Think smoky margaritas, palomas, mezcal mules, or even a zero‑proof mezcal negroni; the peppery bite and woody nose help these drinks feel grown‑up and satisfying rather than like simple juice or soda.

A Modern Non-Alcoholic Agave Alternative

Non-alcoholic agave spirits are an emerging category, born from the same love for mezcal’s flavor that you have but paired with a desire to drink less or not at all. In that landscape, St. Ember stands out by focusing on bold flavor, functional ingredients, and a mezcal-inspired profile, making it a strong everyday alternative for anyone craving the ritual of a mezcal cocktail without the alcohol.

Spicy NA Margarita
  • 4-6oz St. Ember
  • 6-8oz Trader Joe’s Jalapeno Limeade
  • Serve over Ice
“Ricky Ricardo”
  • 4oz St. Ember
  • 6oz Club Soda
  • Splash of lime juice
  • Serve over Ice
  • Garnish with mint

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Bird Buddy: A Gateway to Birding for Beginners

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Price: $299
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I believe in giving back to nature. When trees and natural habitats are cleared to build our homes, local wildlife loses shelter and food sources. If each of us “paid rent” back to the animals whose space we took, the world would be a kinder place. A smart bird feeder like Bird Buddy makes it fun and easy to give a little bit back.

I started using Bird Buddy in 2022, knowing almost nothing about birds. As someone who appreciates nature and technology, the idea of Bird Buddy sounded exciting so I backed the project on Kickstarter. Once I received BirdBuddy, setup was easy. When my Bird Buddy arrived, setup was quick and straightforward. The real challenge was attracting birds, and that’s normal: if you’ve never had feeders, it can take a few weeks for birds to discover a new food source and feel safe enough to visit.

One of the features that sold me on Bird Buddy was the built‑in AI bird identification. As a beginner, every visitor at first was just a “bird” to me, and the app’s species recognition helped me learn their names. Over time, seeing the same birds correctly identified again and again trained my eye so that now I can recognize many of the local species without checking the app. These days, the AI is most helpful for automatically grouping photos of each species, which keeps my post card collection neatly organized.

Another feature that I love about the bird feeder is the solar panel, which keeps the Bird Buddy camera almost completely self‑sustaining. In several years of use, I have only had to bring the camera indoors a few times to charge it manually, usually after long stretches of cloudy winter weather. Most of the time, I can simply leave the feeder outside, let the sun do the work, and focus on keeping the seed tray filled for my very hungry visitors.

Overall, Bird Buddy is an easy recommendation for anyone who enjoys nature and wants a beginner‑friendly way to get into birdwatching. It captures surprisingly sharp close‑up photos and videos, turning everyday backyard visits into memorable moments—like my favorite shot of an Eastern Bluebird pictured above!