We had the good fortune of connecting with Salia Phan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Salia, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I was never much of a drinker, especially once I started to take my health seriously. I would get really bad anxiety, break out in rashes, and instantly get a migraine. I hated how it made me feel but I also didn’t like feeling left out in social situations. Knowing what I know about functional plant medicine and how it has all these amazing benefits of decreasing stress, boosting your mood, regulating your hormones, and supporting your gut, I wondered what it would be like if I added these ingredients to mocktail drinks instead of opting for alcohol to feel the “buzz”. After some testing, I found that they give a body “buzz” but didn’t alter my cognition and actually made me feel amazing. It allowed me to have something in hand when I’m out socially and opened a door of positive communication around my personal choice of being alcohol-free. From there, I knew I wasn’t the only person that lived a health-focused life that also wanted to stop drinking. I decided to share my recipes on my blog which allowed me to work with incredible wellness brands that are creating mixes and tinctures that can be added to mocktails. To make these drinks more accessible in social situations, I also work with resorts, lounges, and wellness spaces to curate a functional mocktail menu.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Holistic Cocktails focuses on bridging the gap of sobriety and wellness. We don’t just focus on creating mocktails, we aim to bring different health benefits into our body through the use of fun non-alcoholic cocktails. Mocktail does not mean healthy, and a lot of time mocktails tend to have an excess amount of sugar and preservatives in their drinks and products. We provide clarity and showcase how to actually make them healthy and good for us.

We find and partner with companies that provide beverages that meets our ingredients standard, or that provide a wellness item that can be added to a mocktail such as tinctures, powders, etc, that maintain the same health values that we carry. We also want to make these drinks more accessible by providing recipes on the blog or through social media, as well as partnering with different resorts, lounges, and wellness spaces to curate a mocktail menu for us sober friends that want something a little more elevated when we’re out.

My biggest tip on growing the business is to network and put yourself out there. There were days where I was sending out over 100 cold emails to dream companies and clients, and now a lot of my clients come from word-of-mouth or through social media. At the end of the day, we’re in the people business of wanting to help people and this is our little niche of how to do that. Finding people that align and resonate makes a world of difference in growing the business, but also spreading the message.

It hasn’t always been a smooth ride in my personal business journey. It was a lot of trial and error in the beginning before I got the hang of it, and some times it’s still like that. At the end of the day, it’s just putting one foot in front of the other, and keep going.

I’m excited to see how the non-alcoholic movement will continue to grow and help people opt for something other than alcohol. It will give them the space and tools to add more plant medicine into their routine that can be beneficial short and long term.

I want people to know that living alcohol-free is just as fun, if not even more fun, than a life with alcohol. No hangovers, blackouts, and waking up with regrets. There are alternatives that are just as good, or better, than alcohol that still gives you a body buzz without the boozy side-effects. We’re here to spread the knowledge of what that looks like and make it more accessible to you by sharing recipes, partnering with like-minded businesses, and curating incredible mocktails at our favorite spaces.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If you’re looking for a wellness-y week, primarily in West LA, I’ve got you covered. First stop would have to be MUD/WTR:gather’s new spot in Santa Monica. It’s the perfect place to get mushroom coffee and hanging out with other likeminded people. Kinn in Venice is also a really fun co-working space that caters towards conscious entrepreneurs and hosts tons of events. Other great places to meet people are with the Venice Run Club that hosts regular runs 3x a week, and Swim and Social, which organizes sunrise cold plunges in the ocean every week.

To check out some fun non-alcoholic drinks, you’d have to check out some of the local bottle shops we have. New Bar in Venice if you want to stay west of the 405, but there’s also Boisson in Brentwood and Soft Spirits in Silverlake. While you’re at it, check out a the new non-alcoholic bar, Stay, in Chinatown.

To support our locals and get find some healthy food and pantry items, the Mar Vista and Santa Monica farmer’s markets are perfect. And it wouldn’t be a wellness week without stopping by Erewhon to check out all the cool companies and goodies they carry. I recommend grabbing Wild Tonic’s Non-alcoholic Paloma, Botanic Tonics, and some sushi while you’re there.

Other places for great food would be Sunlife Organics for their acai bowls, and Urth cafe and Kreation are just a staples you can’t miss. There’s also Goop Kitchen, which has the most delicious Spring Roll Salad. For a place for mocktails and dinner, Calabra located in the Santa Monica Proper hotel, Fig, and Elephante all have an amazing selection of drinks and food!

To find some fun ingredients for mocktails, Anima Mundi and Moon Juice in Venice are perfect for stocking up on supplements to add to your non-alcoholic bar. Lastly, going to a space where you can really just relax and get grounded, some of my favorite spaces are Den Mother, Pause, Open, and Remedy Place.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The person that comes to mind is Tracy Duhs, the founder of the Hydrate Podcast. She has been pivotal in being a mentor and friend to me as I navigate the space of beverages and wellness. Her expertise is in structured water and biohacking, which has helped me gain a deeper knowledge for beverages and how it can affect our bodies in a positive and negative standpoint. She has been there to encourage me in my business and in my personal life. She’s also one of the very few people I know in the wellness space that walks along side of my faith in Jesus, and helps me pursue spirituality and healing from a Christian standpoint.

Website: www.holisticcocktails.com, www.agency.holisticcocktails.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/holisticcocktails

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