Drink Like a Caveman at Just Be Kitchen

Perhaps you never put much thought into just how far you could get into the paleo lifestyle, the philosophy that involves eating the same (sort of) unprocessed, gluten- and grain-free foods that our caveman ancestors ate. But at Jennifer Peters's Just Be Kitchen (2354 15th Street), the paleo ideal goes all the way to the drinks she serves. And now, after getting a liquor license, that involves cocktails.

"We have built a restaurant to show that you do not need to 'strip away everything' in order to eat in a more mindful way, and we have also taken typical alcoholic drinks and made them grain-free with low or no sugar," says Peters, who adds that the drinks were designed without "without stripping taste or the experience of drinking."

On the Just Be Merry menu, libations are centered around grain-free gin, vodka and tequila. Each of these liquors gets mixed with carefully selected ingredients to make a superb drink free of refined sugar, perfect for those who want to imbibe like a caveman, have gluten allergies or just want something tasty and boozy in their mouth.

Peters developed the cocktails herself, and the list includes the Paleo Boat Drink with Ceroc vodka, coconut cream, lime juice, agave and pineapple; Mary Mary, a version of the Bloody Mary that includes the Real Dill's tomato-based mix, vodka and caraway-garlic dill pickles; gin and tonics made with Woody Creek gin and sugar-free tonic; and refreshing margaritas laced with lime and/or grapefruit. You can also order wine, a kombucha mimosa made with Health-Ade kombucha, or a New Planet grain-free beer. Heck, there's even a whiskey cocktail comprising Corsair Quinoa Whiskey (for those who may not be quite as strict about consuming grain-based products), bitters, orange juice, agave and lime soda.

"I put a message out on Facebook for my friends' favorite drinks and then modified those to be within our guidelines," she says. "For example, the Bonnie is my best friend’s mom's drink, and her name is Bonnie."

Of course, Just Be Kitchen also serves regular coffee by Copper Door Coffee Roasters and Method Roasters; as well as Bullet Coffee, a coffee drink blended with MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) oil and grass-fed butter to help give drinkers a slow release of caffeine. And we figure that, now that booze is available, you can also spike your coffee if you're so inspired.

Finally, there's a place where people with dietary restrictions can not only eat worry-free, but drink and be merry at the same time.