Whalebird Kombucha's Jasmine Bliss and Pendray's Distillery's Plum Liqueur 

It’s a whale! It’s a bird! It’s a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast! You can now get Whalebird Kombucha in so many locales around SLO County, including restaurants, supermarkets, (Kreuzberg Coffee Co., Bliss Café, and Lassens to name a few) and even the Thursday night Farmers’ Market. That means that there’s literally zero excuse not to try this fizzy, good-for-you summer sipper. A good starting point for you freaked out kombucha virgins: Jasmine Bliss, which is subtly floral and not-so-subtly refreshing. It’s 10 million times better than soda, and way better for you, too. With jasmine green tea, hibiscus flower, rose hips, black currants, and raisins—you might also be tempted to dab a bit behind your ears. That’s not traditionally what kombucha is used for, but hey, whatever gives you a quick afternoon pick-me-up.

• Whalebird Kombucha’s Jasmine Bliss—About $4 per cup; whalebirdkombucha.com.

Nature is rad, you guys. My backyard plum tree just exploded with hundreds of juicy sweet plums—better than candy and just as addictive (plus, nature’s candy is free)! Nom. Nom. Nom. Recently, the same thing happened to the good folks over at Pendray’s Distillery in Templeton. The difference? Instead of scarfing the fruit down like a bunch of gluttons, they smartly whipped their bumper crop into a killer plum liqueur, fab in mixed drinks or on the rocks. While I’m wishing I had canned a few of those juicy orbs for later, Pendray’s will be drinking the fruit of their sweet labors all summer (and winter) long. Well played, Pendray’s.

• Pendray’s Distillery’s Plum Liqueur—$40 a bottle; 95 Booker Road, Templeton. 

Hayley Thomas likes candy. Send backyard booze ideas to [email protected].