It’s Still Summertime — Let’s Rank Each Flavor Of Mood Brü By Slurpability

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Alcohol has never quite agreed with me. A lifetime lightweight, I get plastered dangerously quickly from a single cocktail or shot, making it a liability to drink on first dates, at work functions, or basically anywhere that isn’t entirely populated by trusted friends and loved ones willing to tolerate my spontaneous gyrating or over-friendly nuzzles. 

Since I only drink socially, COVID made this problem even more pronounced. After two straight years of not socializing (and thus not drinking), once I started again, there was an 85% chance that with any given alcoholic beverage, I’d end up nauseous, with a headache, or just falling asleep—if I was lucky. Thus, my body now has a Pavlovian avoidance of booze.  

Drinking may be physically uncomfortable for me, but not drinking is socially painful. Most people like alcohol, and any admission that you don’t puts them on edge, as though your disinterest is a personal attack on their lifestyle. Responses to sobriety can range from playfully affronted (such as my dad’s distress that I chose to live in substance-free housing for two years in college instead of partying) to actually threatened (like someone worrying that your sober presence will ruin a good time for everybody). 

Navigating social drinking situations has become a minefield. Was the right move to slowly sip a nasty beer? Roll the dice and hope a dive bar serves herbal tea? Stay home?

Everything changed for me one late and raucous night at the Fur Shop (RIP) when my friend Angela handed me a Mood Brü. “Try it, you’ll like it,” she said, and I started sipping a delicious and refreshing beverage that, bizarrely, did not give me a pounding headache. Only once I’d ordered a second did I learn it didn’t contain any alcohol!  

Mood Brü, founded in 2023, specializes exclusively in zero-proof drinks, which they brew in partnership with Nothing’s Left Brewery in our very own city of Tulsa. But the company’s offerings transcend the everyday mocktail through their innovative infusions of terpenes. Terpenes are naturally occurring elements in plants that are said to affect mood. 

“A lot of people associate terpenes with cannabis, but they’re actually in all plants,” says Necole Cantu, Owner and COO of Mood Brü. “For example, the reason people use lavender is because it’s calming, but it’s calming because it has a terpene called linalool in it. Terpenes in every form are very powerful, whether they come from cannabis or botanical plants like lavender or basil.”

Cantu first learned of terpenes through her previous business, which involved cannabis. After selling that company, she became interested in the non-alcoholic beverage space. “I felt like there was a big sober moment happening in Tulsa, but there was definitely a lack of options available. We just wanted to provide other options for people who were going out but didn’t necessarily want to drink. I think it’s a trend right now to drink moderately or be sober, especially in younger people,” says Cantu.  

Each Mood Brü flavor promises a corresponding emotion. Offered moods range from calm and mellow to energetic and aphrodisiac—which, as someone who loves any infused candle or tea that promises to completely change the course of my day, is immensely appealing. 

The sober scene has changed in the two years since Mood Brü was founded. Pretty much any nice restaurant or cocktail bar in Tulsa now has, in addition to several Mood Brüs, a respectable little mocktail menu. It’s hard to imagine that push didn’t, on some level, come from Necole Cantu’s company. 

“I really think because the cannabis movement in Oklahoma happened so quickly, people started to become familiar with terpenes on the cannabis side,” says Cantu. “A lot of the bars downtown have been receptive. It’s been harder to get into Oklahoma City; I don’t believe the sober movement is as strong there. Northwest Arkansas has been extremely receptive over there.” Today, more than 200 locations serve or sell Mood Brüs. 

What I really love about Mood Brü is the amount of choice it gives me. For most non-drinkers, to choose the N/A life means ordering a Diet Pepsi or cranberry juice at social functions and contenting yourself with a predictable, boring beverage. So much of the fun of drinking involves ordering a new wine or cocktail and enjoying it with someone you care about, not knowing quite what you’ll get. Mood Brü brings this experience to sober sipping through a wide range of flavors, gorgeously designed cans, and a mood that matches every occasion. Every Brü feels like an event.

“We get stories all the time of people going sober and this being what has helped them,” Cantu says. “We get a lot of stories from women who are pregnant who can no longer drink and this gets them through that period. We get a lot of feedback from different bands who are no longer drinking and they don’t want to have water onstage so they’re drinking Mood Brü. It’s been fun to watch.” 

I can’t say enough good things about Mood Brü. They’re entirely woman-owned! They’re a debt-free company! They’ve made me start saying the phrase “I need a Brüsky” to everyone I know, changing the English lexicon forever! 

But all of this matters so much because of what drinking really represents. We drink to celebrate, to commune, to be present with each other, and Mood Brüs help me do those things better than alcohol ever did. To drink booze was to obliterate whatever I was feeling in the moment; to drink a Mood Brü is to embrace those feelings and approach the most important moments with joy and intention—to be present for what matters.

As a burgeoning superfan of these beverages, I set a summer goal: drink and rate every flavor of Mood Brü. As a constraint, I wanted to encounter each flavor in the wild over the natural course of my social activities—rather than seeking them out at a liquor store—to ensure they were a viable option for the out-and-about socialite. 

It was easy. Comically easy. Mood Brüs are everywhere, and they’re perfect for summer. In just a few weeks of happy hours, open mics, plays, and birthday parties, I had consumed every single flavor and was ready to guide nonalcoholic newcomers into the Mood Brü world. 

Notably, I never drank alone on this quest. Sometimes my drinking companions were having alcohol, and sometimes they were enjoying Brüs themselves, but every single time I felt like part of the group. I wasn’t off to the side with an iced tea while everyone else clinked colorful cocktails. We were all enjoying something fun we wanted to drink, together.

Now, on to the ranking.

The Brüs

Please note that all Mood Brüs are fantastic and ratings are largely comparative between one Brü and another. I would gladly die for any of these colorful cans.

Raspberry Vanilla Spritz - Calm

This was my first-ever Brü and remains a fond and versatile friend, available at many bars and restaurants around town and suitable for all occasions. Calm is never the wrong energy to bring to a function, so you can knock this baby back at a bridal shower, a basement noise show, or your best friend’s annual pet clothing swap with confidence. The smooth, velvety flavor, where vanilla softens the edges of punchy fruit, is what the word “quaffable” was invented for. This Brü feels like a hug from your best friend and tastes like emotional safety. 

BEST FOR: Movie night with friends where everyone brings three times the necessary snacks, especially if you can be under blankets with the A/C blasting. 9/10 Slurps 

Lemonberry Ginger Ale - Energetic

Lemonberry is the affable dad of summer, comfortable anywhere and everywhere. This confident lemonade-forward flavor is like a more sophisticated Arnold Palmer, where the ginger ale provides an intriguing contrast between sweet and earthy. The soothing ginger makes it an excellent pick for hot outdoor days where delicate stomachs might need girding after too many undercooked hamburgers. 

BEST FOR: That coworker’s barbecue you said you'd stop by for 30 minutes but still find yourself at 4 hours later. 8/10 Slurps

Blackberry Mojito - Uplift

It seems like whenever I go to a fancy tasting, an accompanying beverage is described as “effervescent,” which is just a very fancy way of describing something as fizzy. That said, Blackberry Mojito rises to the level of effervescent because it has bubbles in a deeply classy way. Perhaps the Brü that most directly resembles a cocktail, Blackberry Mojito’s herbal flavors come through just as strongly as its fruity ones, making it an excellent choice if you don’t want your beverage too berry-saturated. 

BEST FOR: Wandering the farmer’s market and dreaming of recipes you’ll make with all your new produce (which you definitely won’t forget about in the vegetable drawer). 7/10 Slurps

Cherry Lime Fizz - Elevate

At first sip, this Brü makes me think about stopping by Sonic for a slush during happy hour in the best possible way. The cherry flavor hits immediately and is so full-bodied and sweet that all my tongue and brain can do is chant CHERRYcherrycherryCHERRYcherrycherry together. On subsequent sips, lime enters the party, joining in a foxtrot of flavors that remain constantly and effortlessly in step until the can is tragically empty. 

Cherry Lime Fizz is the burring of cicadas, the sweat on your neck as you walk somewhere you wish you could drive, the feeling that since school isn’t for five more weeks you’ll never have to be responsible again. It’s quintessentially summer, Oklahoma, and childhood all in one. If it doesn’t send you staring into space thinking about gentler times in the middle of a social function, then I pity your soul. 

BEST FOR: Hanging with your crush in an overlit parking lot at night, watching the moths dance and feeling like a teenager again. 10/10 Slurps

Apple Ginger Mule - Euphoria

I don’t know how else to say it, but I feel very adult drinking Apple Ginger Mule. It’s robust and bracing, even when slurped from a can instead of a copper mule mug. The apple ginger combination hints lightly at fall, but not so much that you can’t still enjoy one of these in the heart of August. Grab one and feel yourself suffused with the confidence that you can complete your taxes without a parent’s help this time. 

BEST FOR: An art opening where you don’t totally get the pieces on display, but at least the Brü justifies you putting on your Fancy Outing Beret. 8/10 Slurps

Key Lime Colada - Mellow

This Brü wins the award for prettiest label, which features a gorgeous shade of spring green flowing into an ocean scene on the lower rim of the can. This picture perfectly conveys the harmony that results from a refreshing combination of lime and coconut, and one imagines the two ingredients as affable pals in a basement apartment jamming together. They just hang out so well.

BEST FOR: When that aunt who tells long-winded stories comes over for dinner. 7.5/10 Slurps

Spicy Strawberry Mockarita - Aphrodisiac

Spicy Strawberry is the Samantha Jones of the Mood Brü lineup: sassy, spicy, and likely to get you into trouble. This bev absolutely nails the balance between flirty, fruit-forward strawberry and a subtle but satisfying kick of jalapeno. If you’re anything like me, you’ll start compulsively shimmying your shoulders when you have one of these in your hand; it’s just that delightful. On the rumors of its aphrodisiac qualities: this reporter doesn’t kiss and tell. Just be careful where you drink. 

BEST FOR: Dancing your ass off at St. Vitus but still making it to work on time the next morning. 9.5/10 Slurps

Peach Bellini - Bliss

Here’s the thing: peaches are my favorite fruit, but this Brü left me wanting more. My professional tasting opinion is that it’s because the joy of a peach is in its texture, its mouthfeel, if you will: the fuzz of the peel, the tender flesh yielding to your bite, the drip of juice down your chin. Getting the flavor alone isn’t quite as satisfying. Still, this Brü delivers a bright, jovial taste that’s perfect for hot days and long evenings. 

BEST FOR: Comedy shows where you only know one person in the lineup and they’re in the 11th performing slot. 6.5/10 Slurps

Melonberry Basil Spritz - Unwind

I made Melonberry Basil Spritz’s acquaintance after the miscalculation of drinking free alcohol at a book-signing event at LowDown, so I was relieved to encounter a friendly, sobering Brü at McNellie’s after the main event. Melonberry was friendly but struck me right away as too sweet; the alleged basil flavor didn’t come through. This Brü ended up coming home with me and living in the fridge for a day until I could finish it in small sips over the course of 36 hours. Still pretty good to the last sip, though. 

BEST FOR: Keeping the night going strong after you’ve already had a cocktail and gotten drunk way faster than everyone else. 7/10 Slurps

Paloma - Creative

I was elated to discover my elusive friend Paloma on the menu at The Brook. Finally sipping the last Brü of my quest tasted richly of low-stakes victory. Then it tasted like grapefruit, which I was less into. I’m tragically unsophisticated in that I don’t find most bitter flavors “complicating” but just bad, so I didn’t vibe very hard with this guy. But Necole cited Paloma as one of her two favorites (along with Blackberry Mojito), so take my philistine palate with a grain of salt.

BEST FOR: Strategizing about your next creative project with a friend but not having TOO much fun so you still have time to go home and work on your first draft. 6/10 Slurps

BONUS! Orange Cranberry Rosemary - Focus

Some have heard tell of this mysterious Brü that emerges only in the wintertime, but certain businesses (namely, the Spotlight Theatre) have reserve stock well into the summer, offering you the chance to celebrate Christmas in July. Drinking this one in the peak of summer was a jarring experience because it really does scream winter; who would seek out cranberry when the temps are above 65? But the blend is sophisticated and balanced, and I can sense the rosemary below the surface, whispering its holiday blessings.

BEST FOR: Closing your eyes, listening for jingle bells, and pretending the time for wearing sweaters is near. 7/10 Slurps (April-September), 8.5/10 Slurps (October-March)

Bonus Brü Superlatives

Hottest Brü Gossip: Two summer flavors will be rotated out for fall flavors soon. Keep an eye on your local watering hole in September and October!

Best Weird Brü Activity Out On the Town: Peel the can off the label and stick it to the front of your shirt to brag about which flavors you’ve drunk tonight.

Best Weird Brü Activity At Home: Cut out the cocktail pictures and stick them in your planner or on a card to a friend in a city that isn’t blessed with the Brü life. 

Best Brü- Themed Spotify Playlist: Creative

Tulsa Spot with the Best Brü Selection: YBR