Kin Euphorics: The Non-Alcoholic Drink That Relaxes You

After years of living in New York, I've come to learn a few universal truths. You cry only the first time your new boots get soaked by the spray of a swerving taxi, you start blaming the train for, well, everything, and—the biggest lesson of all—eventually, somehow, alcohol infiltrates itself into almost every aspect of your life. Yes, typing that out sounds bleak, but I'm facing up to the fact that most of the socializing I partake in ends up involving alcohol.

So what if you want to see your friends, go to happy hour, meet up with someone—but you don’t want to imbibe? Honestly, in a city like New York (and I’m sure many others), it’s really hard.

This all goes to say that when I received an email in my inbox about a beverage that uses "a blend of botanicals, nootropics, and adaptogens" to give you a buzz without actually containing any alcohol, I was intrigued—then dubious. It sounded too good to be true. Was it full of drugs not yet regulated by the FDA?

This is how I found myself giggling in a conference room with a stranger at 4 p.m. on a Wednesday. Kin Euphorics co-founder Jen Batchelor had just poured me a “cocktail” made with Kin Euphorics and a blend of...other things people used to make cocktails with and suddenly, everything in life was amusing. The drink didn’t taste amazing—like a slightly-bitter blend of herbs—but then again, neither does a Casamigos on the rocks (at first). But I didn’t care about the taste. I was more marveling at the fact that it felt like someone had pressed a button and tension that I didn’t even know I was holding suddenly flowed out of me. My mind felt light and exuberant. Unlike the unfortunate edible I had during my junior year of college, this “high” feeling didn’t make me want to close my eyes sleepily and cocoon myself for the next few hours.

Instead, I found myself smiling like the Cheshire cat and talking animatedly with Batchelor about how exactly Kin works. I wanted to know everything. I can best compare what I felt after a Kin cocktail to a combination of being wine-buzzed while also taking half a shot of espresso. After experiencing Kin for myself and understanding how it works, I can firmly say: Kin Euphorics might just make the world a nicer place.

Keep scrolling to find out what exactly Kin Euphorics does and how it works. 

What is Kin?

First things first: what exactly is in Kin? The website claims it’s made with a blend of “mind-nourishing nootropics”—like GABA, phenibut, 5-HTP, tyrosine, and more—and the “body-balancing adaptogen,” Rhodiola Rosea. Plus, a whole bunch of “replenishing botanicals,” like hibiscus, orange peel and licorice, and some natural sweeteners. All of these have been carefully chosen and work together to give you the most relaxing, mood-boosting effect.

Why Kin Was Created

As I sipped my happy juice, Batchelor continued to tell me more about her journey to Kin. She had worked in the wellness industry for years and was growing tired of the whole “detox to re-tox” cycle. You know the one: you wean yourself off something unhealthy for a few days or weeks, only to reward yourself for all of your valiant efforts with a well-deserved drink (which usually leads to another, and another). Around the same time, she noticed more and more friends posting solo shots in the bathtub, usually with a glass of Merlot in hand. “Social media was making us less social, while making drinking more glamorous? The irony was heartbreaking,” she tells me.

Thus, her mission was clear: create something for stress relief that was fun and sophisticated and wouldn’t leave you with a raging hangover the next day. And thus, Kin Euphorics was born.

The Benefits of Kin

Batchelor says that nootropics and adaptogens can both be helpful in reducing stress, but differ in a couple of major ways. “Nootropics are geared towards optimizing neural chemistry and performance, while adaptogens are geared towards balancing the adrenals, thereby returning the system to physiological homeostasis,” she explains. In layman’s terms: nootropics are meant to boost your brain function, while adaptogens balance your brain and body. The science behind all of this is murky at best—there have been some studies about the effect of adaptogens on stress, but they were done on animals, while the American Medical Association explicitly says there’s no such thing as “smart drugs” that improve cognitive function. But Kin doesn’t claim to make you smarter—rather, all it wants to do is make you feel good.

“Where most supplementary nootropics usage is intended for daytime focus and performance optimization, at Kin we use nootropics to activate brain functions that produce feelings of bliss in the brain,” Batchelor explains. “It's important to note that our nootropics don't act alone in this. Our proprietary nootropic, adaptogenic, and botanic blend of functional herbs are combined to incite a replenishing dose of dopamine, serotonin, and GABA in the parts of the brain responsible for helping us feel relaxed, open, curious, and connected.” Honestly, if I hadn’t tried Kin firsthand, I would’ve called B.S. But considering the fact I was suddenly feeling very relaxed and blissful at work, I now consider myself Team Nootropic for life. And Team Adaptogen. And Team Kin.

Kin Today

Since Kin's inception in 2017, Batchelor has tested hundreds of variations of the product and narrowed it down to three functional favorites. From there, she shared the three concoctions with a couple of hundred people through a secret beta program and finally came to market with just one. Currently, you can but several Kin products—including High Rhode (a nod to Rhodiola, its star ingredient), Dream Light, Lightwave, Actual Sunshine, Kin Bloom, and Kin Spritz—through the brand's website, Amazon, or health retailers like the Vitamin Shoppe. You can even shop Kin Euphorics in different bundles and variety packs to experience all of the flavors.

Oh, and in September of 2021, model Bella Hadid joined Kin Euphorics in the role of co-founder and partner.

The Final Takeaway

At the end of the day, Kin is meant to help you connect. “The world is becoming ever more lonely,” Batchelor says. “Kin is aiming to be a remedy for this by creating a new revelry experience, one that taps into our bliss network—allowing us more opportunities for pleasurable exchanges, curiosity, enhanced cognition, and long-lasting memories.” In other words, all the nice feelings you’d get from catching up with a close friend over a glass (or bottle) of wine, with none of the negative effects. A hangover-free world where people are nicer and more open? Whether or not you believe in it, it’s still a happy thought.