Grains Gone Wild 🌾

Quinoa: it's not just for your overpriced salad.

While most of us are used to seeing the ancient seed piled next to kale or roasted sweet potatoes, folks in Peru have been brewing and distilling it for centuries. Now, a new wave of beer and spirits is tapping into quinoa’s gluten-free magic — and bringing some serious clean-drinking credentials with it.

From crisp beers to cocktail-ready vodkas, these drinks hit different — not just because they’re light and refreshing, but because they skip the gluten, added sugars and mystery ingredients.

Wellness win? We think yes.

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Meli

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Imagine a Belgian wheat beer, but cleaner and lighter. Meli, the first 100% organic quinoa beer brewed in the U.S., was created by Samara Oster to make the beer aisle a little more wellness-friendly. It’s crisp, aromatic, has a whisper of sweetness and clocks in at 4.4% ABV — no added sugar, no gluten, no drama. “Meli was created to bring the better-for-you movement to the beer aisle,” says Oster. Mission accomplished.

Miski Brewing

Canadian-made, Peruvian-inspired. Miski beer leans into tradition with a modern, award-winning take that’s dry, smooth and keeps the bitterness to a minimum.

Brooklyn Brewery Fonio

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Okay, not quinoa — but close cousin fonio deserves a shout. This ancient West African grain powers a gluten-free brew that’s light, fruit-forward and begging for a beach day.  

FAIR Quinoa Vodka

A collab between French distillers and Bolivian quinoa farmers? We’re listening. FAIR’s vodka is clean and citrusy, with just enough minerality to shine in your next mule. Pro tip: keep it cold, keep it neat, keep it coming.

Quri Quinoa Vodka

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“Quri” means gold in Quechua — and this bottle earns the name. Distilled with Andean glacier water and filtered through volcanic stone, Quri hits crisp and complex. It’s smooth enough to sip but adds dimension to whatever you’re mixing.

Bottom line: Gluten-free drinkers (and anyone who likes their booze with a bonus), this is your moment.

Quinoa isn’t merely a grain, it’s a level-up for your bar cart.