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In the increasingly crowded race to find the next best alcohol alternative, one ingredient has emerged as an unexpected frontrunner. And it’s not citrus or an esoteric bitter. It’s mushrooms. 

Think: Negronis, hold the alcohol—add lion’s mane. Reishi-spiked espresso martinis and Moscow Mules. Aperitifs, with notes of sage and … fungus? How did this happen? And more importantly, why?

It’s important to clarify that mushrooms’ current moment isn’t about the funky earth flavors that fungi can add to drinks. Distillers, winemakers and other potion-masters are more into the functional and adaptogenic traits—aka abilities to help the body manage stress—certain shrooms carry.

Mushrooms have been used in traditional medicines for thousands of years. Ancient Chinese scripts cited reishi as a crucial part of healing practices. Herbalists still use the fan-like mahogany mushroom to energize, lower cholesterol and bolster the immune system. There’s also chaga, bark-ish in appearance, which allegedly offers immunity-boosting and inflammation-busting benefits; and lion’s mane, a furry, white fungus said to improve cognitive function, gut health and symptoms of depression. Buddhist monks took lion’s mane tea to heighten their focus during meditation.

Modern brands caught wind of these supposed health benefits in the mid-aughts. SuperMush and Moon Juice started selling mushroom gummies and supplements with claims like “energy without the crash.” Clevr, Ryze, Mud/Wtr and other new-school (and grammatically upsetting) caffeine brands positioned mushroom mixes as simmered-down coffee substitutes. In 2023, Erewhon rolled out superfood smoothies spiked with lion’s mane (as a collaboration with model Bella Hadid, no less).

Along the way, non-alcoholic drinks were sucked into the functional drink space. Suddenly, zero-proof drinks weren’t just focused on mimicking a cocktail or wine. It was about what else you could provide. There are now mushroom drinks for seemingly every ailment and occasion. Some promise calming benefits for the anxiety-riddled. Others are marketed as party-starters—drinks to simulate a buzz or enliven the mood. They can be kissed with CBD, dosed with THC or crafted like a cocktail, granting a slight buzz in a gussied-up format. The following are mushroom-spiked beverages that are pretty fun, guys.

Aplós Mandora Negroni

The operative word at Aplós, a line of “functional” spirits and canned cocktails, is chill. Bottles are named things like Calme and Ease and infused with adaptogenic ingredients. “Serve alongside intro-spection,” the branding beckons.

Woo-woo? A little. So the brand turned its functional spirits into highly approachable and flavorful canned cocktails, including a single-serve Negroni. True to the classic Italian aperitivo drink, it’s bitter and bright, with a squeeze of mandarin and a kiss of spritz.

Less typically, this Negroni is infused with 100 mg of lion’s mane, plus l-theanine (an amino acid primarily found in tea) and magnesium. Sip it if you don’t want your happy hour to get hazy.

Ceybon Bright AF

In the middle of the pandemic, supply chain woes made it tricky for Dr. Giulietta Octavio—a clinical herbalist—to track down her medicinal herbs and mushrooms. So she looked local, strapping on her hiking boots and heading up into the NorCal hills behind her home to forage for herbs and other ingredients. She picked them, brought them to a Napa winery, then packed them into concentrated adaptogenic “elixirs.”

Each one has a purpose beyond taste: Bright AF, a vermouth-y aperitif, is meant to pick and pep you up, thanks to a blend of adaptogens and brain supplements called nootropics, namely reishi mushrooms, cinchona (a crucial ingredient in tonic), Grandiflora cactus, knotweed, nutgrass and damiana flower. It’s spiked with agave syrup for a subtle hit of sweetness, then packaged in a long-neck wine bottle.

Three Spirit Social

Self-described plant geek Dash Lilley’s main objective when cofounding Three Spirit was to fill a void between drinking and not. But he didn’t want just to strip away the booze in his favorite alcoholic drinks and sub in soda or water.He hired bartenders, herbalists and plant scientists who fermented, distilled, macerated and freeze-dried ingredients to extract flavor and potency until they built a line of highly functional and flavorful alcohol alternatives.

The Social elixir is floaty and flirty, full-bodied and bitter, made with lion’s mane mushroom (to unwind and relax), yerba mate (an antioxidant-packed tea) and damiana flower (an ancient Mexican aphrodisiac harvested from wild shrubs).

Brēz Flow

Brēz’s bright, breezy spritzes are a choose-your-own adventure. This lemon-elderflower sparkler infused with micronized lion’s mane mushroom is just enough to prompt clarity and act as an adaptogenic pick-me-up.

Seasoned psychonauts will appreciate the more, ahem, potent version. The OG Micro can is dosed with 2.5 mg THC, 5 mg CBD and 25 mg lion’s mane extract. It’s not overly high-inducing, more social and soothing—essentially, subtle enough for newbies to try. Up the ante with the extra-strength version (10 mg THC, 20 mg CBD and 33 mg of lion’s mane extract), which will have you floating off into outer space.

Little Saints Espresso Martini

Former hydroponic farmer Megan Klein tried Dry January, but her partying ways kept curbing her progress. She tried to use non-alcoholic drinks as a crutch, but found most were bolstered with sugar or more similar to sad sparkling waters than actual drinks with substance.

So she founded Little Saints, a line of canned not-cocktails made with damiana and reishi, an adaptogenic mushroom. Flavors are cocktail-ian in nature: Palomas, spicy margaritas and an earthy espresso martini. The last is creamy, frothy, chocolaty and, thanks to the reishi, helps loosen your grip on anxiety.