Q&A with Dominique Gonzales from Root Elixirs

Our Spellbound non-alcoholic cocktail kit features a gorgeous Pomegranate Citrus mix that’s already been blended to perfection before we even open the can. We thoroughly enjoy it on its own, but it also makes an amazing mixer in our North Star recipe. Its well-constructed blend brings the drink to life, balancing the flavors of the main spirit while drawing out qualities that might otherwise sit in the background.

And we have Root Elixirs to thank for that.

This is actually our second time chatting with Dominique Gonzales, founder of Root Elixirs. This time, we’re going deeper into Root Elixirs, the role these cans can play in your home bar, the expertise and years of experience behind them, and so much more.

And if this read leaves you craving a little more, feel free to check out our first Q&A with Dominique here.

Let’s jump in!

You spent years behind the bar before creating Root Elixirs. What did you want to bring from the bar experience into people's homes?

Root Elixirs really came from realizing that what makes a great cocktail taste great usually happens before the drink ever reaches the guest.

I spent about 15 years working in bars and restaurants across California, and behind the bar you're constantly thinking about balance—fresh citrus, sweetness, fruit, aromatics, texture, dilution, and how all of those pieces work together.

At home, that's where things start to get complicated. A really good cocktail can mean squeezing citrus, making syrup, buying several ingredients, measuring everything correctly, and then actually knowing how to balance it.

I created Root Elixirs to do that part for you.

Each Root Elixirs flavor is built with a bartender's approach to balance, using real fruit, real citrus, and botanicals, so making a bar-quality cocktail at home can be as simple as Root Elixirs + ice + your favorite spirit.

And if you're not drinking alcohol, don't add it. Root Elixirs is designed to have enough flavor and structure to make a beautiful zero-proof drink on its own.

The idea behind Root Elixirs has always been simple: bring the care of the bar into real life.

With so many mixers to choose from these days, what do you think makes Root Elixirs stand out?

I think of Root Elixirs as more than something you simply top a spirit with. We're trying to recreate much more of the cocktail experience inside the can.

Traditional mixers like tonic water, soda, or ginger beer are usually one component of a drink. You still have to decide what else goes into the cocktail.

With Root Elixirs, we've already thought through the fruit, citrus, sweetness, acidity, botanicals, and carbonation together. The flavors are inspired by the kinds of combinations I would actually want to work with behind a bar—Strawberry Lavender, Grapefruit Jalapeño, Pineapple Passionfruit, and Pomegranate Citrus.

That means you don't need a shaker, simple syrup, bottles of juice, and a complicated recipe to make something that tastes intentional.

Add tequila to Root Elixirs Grapefruit Jalapeño and you have the foundation of a bright, spicy Paloma-style cocktail. Add gin to Root Elixirs Strawberry Lavender and you've instantly got fruit, citrus, florals, and bubbles working together. Or skip the spirit completely and both still feel like finished drinks.

Root Elixirs does more of the bartending for you.

That's the experience I want people to associate with the brand.

What actually makes something taste “bar-quality,” and how do you build that into Root Elixirs?

For me, bar-quality doesn't mean complicated. It means balanced.

A good bartender is constantly balancing sweet against acid, fruit against bitterness or spice, aroma against what's actually happening on your palate. A cocktail shouldn't just taste sweet or fruity—it should have enough contrast that you want to take another sip. That's how I approach Root Elixirs.

We use real fruit and real citrus as the foundation of the flavors, and then build around them. Root Elixirs Grapefruit Jalapeño isn't simply grapefruit soda with heat—it has grapefruit, lemon, lime, agave, and jalapeño working together. Root Elixirs Strawberry Lavender combines strawberry, lemon, and lavender so you get fruit, acidity, and aroma rather than just sweetness. Root Elixirs Pineapple Passionfruit uses passionfruit, pineapple, orange, and lime to create layers of tropical flavor.

It's the same thought process I learned behind the bar, just translated into something you can open at home.

That's also why our simplest serve is so simple: chill, pour over ice, and add your favorite spirit if you want one.

The work already happened before you opened the can.

How do you use Root Elixirs at home, especially when you're serving people who drink differently?

This might be my favorite thing about Root Elixirs because the answer is almost ridiculously easy.

For a cocktail, pour Root Elixirs over a glass of ice and add your favorite spirit. For a zero-proof cocktail, pour Root Elixirs over ice and don't.

That's it.

You can absolutely add a beautiful garnish or get more creative if that's something you enjoy, but you don't have to.

And I think that flexibility really reflects the way people are drinking now. At one dinner table, you can have someone who wants tequila, someone who's taking a break from alcohol, someone who's sober, and someone who just wants one drink.

I don't think the host should have to create four separate beverage programs for them.
Put Root Elixirs on ice, put out spirits if you want them, add some citrus or herbs for garnish, and everyone can build a drink that feels equally considered.

That's why I see Root Elixirs not only as a cocktail mixer but as a home-bar and hosting staple. It takes something that can normally feel like work and turns it back into hospitality.

We’re mixing with Pomegranate Citrus in our Spellbound box, paired with a non-alcoholic aperitif. If someone wants to keep experimenting once they’ve made the box recipes, where would you point them next? Any favorite combinations or ways you personally like to serve it?

Heading into fall, I also love pairing it with NA whiskey and adding a cinnamon-sugar or clove-sugar rim. It gives the drink a warmer, seasonal feel while still keeping it really simple.

What do you ultimately want Root Elixirs to change about making cocktails and zero-proof cocktails at home?

I want to close the gap between the drink you order at a really good bar and the drink you're willing to make for yourself on a Tuesday night.

People shouldn't need bartending experience—or ten ingredients—to have something genuinely good in their glass.

That's where I think Root Elixirs can be different.

We're not trying to replace the creativity of making cocktails. I love that world; it's where I came from. We're taking the knowledge that normally lives behind the bar and making it more accessible.

Root Elixirs gives you real fruit, real citrus, botanicals, bubbles, and bartender-built balance in one pour. You can use Root Elixirs to make an effortless cocktail, an elevated mocktail, serve Root Elixirs at a dinner party, bring Root Elixirs to a girls' night, or simply keep a few cans cold for yourself.

My goal is for someone to open their refrigerator and think, “I can make a really good drink right now.” No shaker. No complicated recipe. No compromise because you're choosing not to drink alcohol. Just a better drinking experience at home.

What’s happening in the world of Root Elixirs right now that has you raising your glass?

We’re heading into one of my favorite times of year for Root Elixirs — holiday hosting and gifting. We’re working on some new, giftable ways to bring Root Elixirs into gatherings, hostess gifts, and easy at-home cocktails.

So much of the brand has always been about making it easier to serve something that feels thoughtful and bar-quality without spending the whole night making drinks. I’m excited to keep building around that this season and finding more ways for Root Elixirs to fit into real-life hosting and celebrations.