Drinking to Better Health with Modern-Day Elixirs

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

Only in the last decade have we seen some of the most creative beverages emerge that omit preservatives, alcohol and added sugars. We’re talking about flavorful, healthy concoctions that cover a gamut of drinks using fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices and at times, vitamin and protein boosters.

Even today’s bar culture has jumped onto the bandwagon with a plethora of intriguing mocktails that carry all the panache of fancy cocktails, but minus the booze and commercial sodas.

Whether you’re sprinting out of the gym with an intense thirst, or looking for an alternative drink to wash down a meal, we found some wholesome options throughout San Diego County for refreshing your palate and improving your well-being.

Jane’s Cafe

591 Camino de la Reina, Mission Valley 619-380-2501, www.janescafemissionvalley.com

Located on the ground floor of a white high rise called Tower 591, this hidden cafe adheres to the mid-Century style seen in the building’s lobby. It also offers affordable prices that extend to smoothies and crafty fresh-juice concoctions. The “green apple detox” combines the semi-tart fruit with cucumbers, lemon, kale and ginger. Aside from a boatload of fiber, the vitamin-rich drink carries the heart benefits of green apples, which nutritionists say can also help reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. In addition, the pectin in green apples helps stabilize digestive issues.

Greens Please Wellness Kitchen

12202 Poway Road, Poway 858-842-1001, www.greensplease.com nana crème smoothie, it is enhanced with dark greens, apples, hemp seed, vanilla, and a few other natural additives. Customers will also find bottled “wellness shots” on the menu such as the “tummy tamer” and “turmeric tonic.”

Trilogy Sanctuary

7650 Girard Ave., La Jolla 858-633-3893, www.trilogysanctuary.com

A hot spot for wellness, where yoga classes and vegan-vegetarian catering are part of the equation, Trilogy Sanctuary also features a rooftop restaurant and outdoor cafe. Fresh smoothies made with organic ingredients rule the day. They are each tailored to specific areas of well being. The “goddess” for example, delivers an immunity boost with gogi berries, blueberries, bananas and almond milk while the “lust” smoothie is meant to kick up your libido with cacao, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and other ingredients. There are more than a dozen healthy smoothies to choose from.

Vitality Tap

650 First Ave., Downtown San Diego 619-237-7625

If you’re feeling a little crispy the day after imbibing in Downtown San Diego’s nightlife, Vitality Tap comes to the rescue. Nestled inside a Discount Nutrition store, customers can kick start their days with immunity-boosting fresh ginger shots, or rely on the flavorful “lunch box smoothie,” which features a rich blend of almond milk, berries, banana, date paste, and chia. The menu extends to a large choice of juices, shooters and other smoothies in a variety of sizes.

Sipz Vegetarian Kitchen protect the body against arthritis and diabetes. Other smoothies at the restaurant include mango and strawberry in addition to a meal-friendly watermelon-cucumber “refresher” accented with a touch of fresh mint.

Kindred

1503 30th St., South Park 619-546-9653, www.barkindred.com

Leave it to the hipster vegan haunt known as Kindred to be one of the first San Diego establishments to offer “zero-proof” cocktails from its stylish bar. Ingredients such as passion fruit, lemongrass and Thai basil find their way into the stimulating “miracle cure,” which at the very least wake up the senses. Even more intriguing is “the book of days,” which combines coconut water with matcha, lime and orange blossom. We’re not sure what bodily benefits the drink is supposed to provide, but you can bet that it’s a healthier option than Coke and Jack Daniels.

Senor Mango’s

4607 30th St., North Park 619-584-0041, www.senormangos.com

Imagine banana crème pie in the form of an ultra-healthy drink. This fast-casual vegan cafe offers a variety of “cleanse smoothies” that incorporate fresh fruits, leafy greens, flax seed, ginger and more. Their motto is: “We blend, not juice,” meaning the fiber is retained after breaking down many of the ingredients. And as we all know, fiber is a binding vehicle that moves toxins out of our bodies. As for the cafe’s ba-

3914 30th St., North Park 5501 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont 619-795-2889, www.sipz.com

The avocado smoothie at Sipz provides a good dose of fiber, potassium and healthy monounsaturated fat, considering that the greenish drink uses a medium-size avocado. It’s blended with almond milk, which is rich in Vitamin E to help counter in a festive display of bananas, pineapples, mangos, papayas and more at Senor Mango’s. Throughout any given day the fruits are turned into agua frescas and licuados (thick smoothies made with low-fat milk and shaved ice). The drinks are rich in vitamins and nutrients and serve as the perfect come-on for washing down the eatery’s famous salads and tortas. If you weren’t craving a healthy, juicy drink before walking in, you certainly will upon entering.

The Kitchen

700 Prospect St., La Jolla 619-880-8719, www.thekitchenatmsasd.com

This bright, attractive restaurant located within the renovated Contemporary Museum of Art San Diego in La Jolla conjures up equally eye-appealing elixirs under the menu’s “refresh” category. The rejuvenating drinks include the popular “aquazul” made with strawberries, lime, mint, ginger beer and a restrained measure of soda water. Or the “vacation exhibit” offers a blast of Vitamin C with its delicious combination of passion fruit, oranges and pineapples. Most of the drinks receive small measures of soda water for effervescence. There are also a couple of hearty, healthy smoothies available, along with the option of adding to them collagen peptides or a reishi mushroom blend, which is believed to protect brain cells.

Mnemonic Coffee

2604 Fifth Ave., Bankers Hill www.mnemonic.coffee

While dairy-free coffee drinks rule the day at this recently launched business, the owners were also adamant about offering a variety of cleverly named “mocktails” to the menu. “We love the cocktail culture and wanted to learn about drink styles, so we pulled from that by offering ‘zero-proof’ drinks made with coffee, tea or our housemade sodas and syrups,” said co-owner Gia Giambalvo. Among them is the soothing “lovesick punch” made with Assam tea, pomegranate, lime, and ginger-pepper syrup. Another, called “blue velvet” uses hibiscus foam to cap off a drink that brings together house-made limeade, blue jasmine tea and Luxardo cherries.

Frutimania Juices & Delights

330 W. Felicita Ave., Escondido

760-294-4782, www.frutimania-juices-and-delights.business.site

A plethora of smoothies and juice blends can be found at this small, unassuming cafe in Escondido. The benefits behind some of their blended drinks speak for themselves when you consider their names such as the “eye fixer elixir” made with a base of carrot juice, or the

“alkaline fuel cell” containing cucumber, kale, parsley, lemon and green apple. If you prefer your juice straight up, the choices include cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberry and more.