Two “non-alcoholic” options on the rocks: the growth of alcohol-free choices

My solution? A little trick, with the help of the bartenders who work with me. I put together a simple cocktail: soda with a dash of bitters, with large, clear ice cubes to make it look more like a cocktail. I gave it a name, Vampire, so I can order it without drawing attention to the fact that I'm not drinking.

It worked perfectly. The surprise was that so many people were looking for something similar! We had a cocktail event, and several of my colleagues asked me what I was drinking. When I explained, they gave me that "Yes, please, finally something non-alcoholic" look, and we ended up drinking Vampiros all night.

Looking at the numbers, it's not so surprising. According to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, the non-alcoholic or dealcoholized beverage market grew by 9% in 2022 and is projected to continue growing. The fastest-growing subcategory? Dealcoholized beers and wines.

Dealcoholized beers and wines are based on the same alcoholic bases, with an additional process to remove the alcohol without significantly affecting their aroma and flavor. "The same brewers work with both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages," Miguel Ángel Quesada told the newspaper El Correo. Quesada owns La Taberna Sin in Seville, one of the first shops in Spain dedicated exclusively to non-alcoholic drinks. They still contain a minimal amount of alcohol, usually less than 0.05%.

These options, among the oldest on the market, become extremely important for people who are not drinking and want to continue participating in social rituals around alcohol, such as going out to dinner with friends and ordering a glass of wine, or going out to a party with a beer in hand.

“Non-alcoholic beer became very important to me when I stopped drinking, because it gave me the chance to have something in my hand in a social setting that resembles a drink. It helps you fit in with the group, to blend in,” says Andrés Encinales, founding partner of the Takami restaurant group in Bogotá, Colombia. He hasn't had a drink in two and a half years. “Alcohol is so ingrained in our society that it's extremely strange when someone doesn't drink.”

"You realize that very few restaurants have [zero beer]," he says.

Andrés isn't alone. The number of teetotalers has increased in recent years in 9 out of 10 of the markets studied. Offering a diverse and appealing selection of non-alcoholic beverages is becoming a matter of good customer service—and for all customers. This is especially true for establishments hoping to attract younger customers: Generation X is drinking 20% ​​less than previous generations. Why?

Having a diverse and attractive selection of non-alcoholic beverages becomes a matter of good customer service.

Some do it for health reasons. Many fitness influencers, life coaches, and digital therapists on social media recommend quitting alcohol to take care of your mental health… and your vanity. It's not just TikTok gurus; in 2023, the WHO (World Health Organization) published a report that states, unequivocally, “No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health.”

Others, because they already have other options more to their liking… and with less of a hangover. With the growing legalization of marijuana, some consumers have a legal alternative to alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine.

Simultaneously, the legal possibilities for psychedelics and their therapeutic properties continue to expand. In 2017, the US FDA placed MDMA and psilocybin on a “fast track” for regulatory approval in medical treatments, and in 2019, it approved the dissociative psychedelic ketamine to treat chronic depression—a policy shift that was unimaginable in the fervor of the war on drugs just 20 years earlier.

Even people who still drink are looking for alternatives to alcohol. Among millennials, people born between 1982 and 1994, 78% of consumers who order non-alcoholic drinks also drink alcohol.

"What still surprises me is the number of people who consume non-alcoholic cocktails during the evening service," explains Tom Hydzik, partner and head bartender at the celebrated Mesa Franca restaurant in Bogotá.

Tom offers creative cocktails using local ingredients, and his bar is an integral part of Mesa's vibe and service. It's one of the few places here in Bogotá that offers non-alcoholic cocktails that aren't just juices or lemonades. They include one of my favorites, their Radicchio Spritz, a bubbly and refreshing cocktail that uses a non-alcoholic radicchio vermouth to approximate the famous Italian bitters.

I ask him how he came to develop his non-alcoholic beverage offering.

"I was bored with the same old non-alcoholic cocktail offerings in bars and restaurants. For example, the non-alcoholic lulo mojito or the passion fruit mojito, etc. I thought I could do something more interesting."

Bars and distilleries are realizing that the offering can be more interesting, and it's getting more interesting.

Like Hydzik, several bars and distilleries have realized that the offerings can be more interesting, and they're getting more interesting. In 2020, the celebrated American bar The Aviary published Zero, an exclusive recipe book of non-alcoholic cocktails and spirits. Its marketing humbly states: "It's the definitive word on modern non-alcoholic drinks." It is undoubtedly a comprehensive book on the subject, including not only cocktail recipes but also guides for making zero-alcohol versions of vermouth, Campari, Chartreuse, and other essential cocktail spirits.

We may be entering the golden age of non-alcoholic drinks, with a rapidly growing offering, more diverse than ever, taking advantage of all the technical advances of recent years, as well as recreating ancient traditions of fermentation and distillation.

The market now offers several brands of non-alcoholic spirits to suit all tastes. They resemble rums, bourbons, and gins, among others. You might wonder why a bottle that is essentially just distilled water with botanicals and other flavorings costs 20 or 30 euros. Like dealcoholized beers and wines, these spirits begin with alcoholic distillates to faithfully capture the flavors of the spirits. They then redistill the spirit to reduce it to less than 0.5% alcohol; a costly process with a relatively low yield. The best ones, in the words of bartender and Speed ​​Rack co-founder Lynnette Marrero, "deliver more than just a flavored water experience."

Experiences beyond taste abound in this new market. Demand for CBD-infused beverages, made with an extract of hemp or marijuana that relaxes the body without the psychoactive effects of marijuana, continues to rise. A 27% growth in CBD beverage sales is projected over the next five years. "The appeal of CBD lies in its increasing availability combined with the health trend, with many consumers choosing 'good for you' alternatives to sugary drinks," explains Financial News Media.

CBD beverage producers are talking about "mindful" spaces and "relaxing" drinks, which they believe can bridge the gap between today's bars and the mindful spaces of the future. These are places that allow people to unwind and enjoy themselves without losing control or feeling unwell afterward. "We doubt consumers want to be angry, tense, or incoherent... or so sick they're hugging the toilet," wrote Chris Kelly, founder of the London-based CBD company Goodrays, in TimeOut.

They show a palpable trend towards drinks that aim to be not only fun but also healing.

"We anticipate that the future of social drinking will include beverages made with types of plants and medicinal herbs that positively impact mental and physical health, allowing the power of community and connection to shine in social settings."

This interest in 'good for you' drinks isn't limited to CBD. "Highs" are a new class of beverages that combine nootropics, antioxidants, and adaptogens—natural compounds that supposedly boost energy, reduce stress, balance the body, or enhance brain function.

Popularized by the body-hacking culture, which seeks to optimize body functions through supplements and interventions, many nootropics and adaptogens still need to have their benefits, or risks, definitively proven.

However, they show a palpable trend toward drinks that claim to be not only fun but also therapeutic. Perhaps leaving alcohol behind will mark a new stage in our history, a reversal of a human society that has had such a deep and complicated relationship with this intoxicant throughout the centuries. Perhaps it will pass, like other food fads.

What is clear is that many people who distance themselves from alcohol do so believing that they will be healthier and happier without it.

“What opens up in your life when you’re 100% in your body, without camouflage, without anesthesia, without filters, is supremely interesting. Sobriety is supremely interesting,” Encinales says. “Although I had some great times with alcohol, now, for me, it’s more fun not to drink than to drink. And there’s no moral or physical hangover.”