Pop Cult

Forget pomegranate-tinis. The latest cult cocktail comes courtesy of Sharelle Klaus, a 38-year-old mother of four who couldn’t find an alternative to wine during her pregnancies. So in August 2005 she launched Dry Soda, nonalcoholic drinks infused with lavender, lemongrass, rhubarb or kumquat. In 2007 the drink sold at more than 800 venues in the West, and an eastward expansion is set for 2008. “The best was when the French Laundry asked for it,” says Klaus, who notes Dry Soda is now also on menus at Gary Danko in San Francisco and Craft in L.A. “I could never get a table, but then they called me.”

Bottles: courtesy of Dry Soda Co.