Drink Like an Aquarius: 6 Beverages to Inspire, or Compensate for Overthinking
This is the dawning of the age of contrarians. I bet that finished differently than you expected. Which isn’t entirely fair to our Aquarius friends: though their assertive and opinionated nature tends to want to put the rest of us in our places, anyone who’s ever been close with an Aquarius knows that they are, rather annoyingly, usually right. If you think they are over-thinking your issues and pressing you constantly with “but what about…” scenarios, have pity, because they are totally turning that interrogation spotlight toward themselves with even higher brightness.
Aquarius, more than any other sign, really deserves a drink. In addition to their tendency to overthink, they are the progressive justice crusaders of the zodiac, the ones who, even though they are also the most likely to remove themselves from society and live off the grid, are the most determined to try to make the world a place where they would deign to dwell. There’s a built in optimism with Aquarians, along with an adaptive nature, that hasn’t given up on humanity and the planet which we share.
Since we are indeed at the dawning of the season of Aquarius, let’s raise one of the following drinks in their honor, whether you need more or less overthinking in your life.
Wine: Chilean Wine
There’s a lot to recommend about Chilean wines for Aquarian sensibilities. Chile, to start, is one of very few places on earth that wasn’t affected by phylloxera, a root louse that plagued most every other wine-producing country, meaning that Chilean vines are purer, ungrafted specimens. Second, there’s a certain iconoclasm to Chile’s wines: many winemakers there have been making stunning wines with Bordeaux varietals without all of the ostentatious fanfare and expense. Finally, did someone say sustainable and environmentally friendly? GEA by Root:1 is an example of all of the above: a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon and País blend made from ungrafted grapes with sustainable practices by expert winemaker Sergio Hormazábal. On top of which it is packaged in an eco- and budget-friendly 3-liter box. (Which adds up to a lot of nice drinks for a crusade-weary Aquarius.)
Beer: Aquarius Imperial Stout
Since Aquarius season is generally the coldest period of the year, and since we’ve previously established that Aquarians need help sometimes getting out of their own heads, how about something both hearty and high-octane for the occasion? I had already settled on Imperial Stout as the spirit beer for Aquarius—perfect to sip slowly while looking past you and thinking deep thoughts—when I found that Vermont’s 4 Quarters Brewing Company made such a brew with an Aquarius namesake. Written in the stars, I say.
Spirit: Pineau des Charentes
Appealing to Aquarius’ capacity for trivia and love of talking points, here’s a bunch about enigmatically-Aquarian Pineau des Charentes: this fortified wine is made in the Cognac region of France combining fresh grape juice with Cognac eau-de-vie. Yet untouched by corporate beverage conglomerates, Pineau des Charentes is made by grape-growers and Cognac producers mostly for themselves. (Until recently, when they decided to share their gifts with the world, but it still remains a scrappy, in-the-know choice.) While I’ve given Aquarians a lot of strong beverages to reckon with their strong personalities, here I suggest a different approach: Pineau des Charentes is a good reminder that strong and easy-going can combine beautifully for truly original results.
Cocktail: Aquarius Cocktail
I’d stake a lot of money on the fact that every zodiac sign has been represented many times over by a cocktail in some bar or blog, but only Aquarius can claim one with a spot in the Difford’s Guide. (Albeit an odd one.) One of my favorite written descriptions of Aquarius is “purposefully esoteric,” and here’s precisely that in cocktail form: scotch, cherry heering, and cranberry juice. I’d also stake money that whatever mad scientist came up with this potion was also an Aquarius, rubbing his or her hands together and going, “how can we make this weird?
Non-Alcoholic: Acid League Wine Proxies
As if free-spirited, offbeat Aquarians would just default to any typical non-alcoholic beverages like tea or lemonade for their corner of Dry January. While one might be tempted to ask whether non-alcoholic wine isn’t just grape juice, you’re not really thinking like an Aquarius. Innovative, offbeat, and frankly, tasty, Acid League’s Wine Proxies are designed to match the complexity of wine by combining juices, teas, spices, and bitters for unique flavor expressions. Plus, Acid League? The very name is super Aquarius.
Ready-to-Drink: Buzzbox
For on-the-go Aquarians en route to today’s save-the-planet endeavor, enter Buzzbox. Premium, all-natural cocktails are packaged like an adult Capri Sun for maximum portability, ecological responsibility, and Aquarian sensibility.
For more Drink Like the Zodiac content, see our previous roundups for Capricorn, Sagittarius, and Scorpio, or head over to our sister site Cheese Professor for 5 Gifts for Your Cheese Loving Aquarius Friends.