Not just Dry January: mocktails embraced by increasingly sober generation
Brian Kuhns, a bartender at Voodoo Brewing in Houston, sets his ingredients on the bar and fixes one of the many drinks he’ll whip up for patrons on a cold winter Tuesday.
The drink, a delightful golden concoction called passionfruit mule, is a combination of passionfruit, ginger beer and lime. He adds vitamin-rich turmeric to achieve the golden color.
Missing from the ingredients is alcohol. There’s not a drop of it in the glass.
Voodoo Brewing is among a growing number of bars and restaurants in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties, and across the country, that are turning Dry January nonalcoholic beverages into an everyday staple.
“It’s a huge trend. We’re seeing a very big movement toward mocktails,” said Mikey Stanley, the brewery’s general manager.
Dry January is a popular monthlong challenge to abstain from alcohol started a decade ago by the advocacy group Alcohol Change U.K. In 2023, more than 175,000 people signed up to participate in Dry January on the group’s website.
In the United States, 15% of adults – more than 260 million Americans – pledged to practice Dry January.
Interest in a sober life appears to be growing, as trends like Sober Curious and Mindful Drinking gain traction. Young Americans aged 18 to 23 are drinking less, according to a recent Gallup poll.
Studies show Gen Z drinks 20% less per capita than Millennials, who in turn drink less than Gen X and baby boomers.
Sales of nonalcoholic drinks reached $11 billion in 2022 and is projected to increase a third by 2026.
Bars and restaurants, along with breweries, wineries, distilleries and distributors, are paying attention.
“You’re seeing a lot of breweries like us trying to do something that listens to the demographic of people who say we might love alcohol, but we want to take a break,” said Stanley.
This month, Presidents Pub in Washington is promoting four spirit-free drinks alongside its alcohol-filled ones.
The roster includes a mango mocktini, watermelon cucumber mist, peachy pineapple, and watermelon ginger, for $7 each.
Presidents Pub bartender Jessica Calvert serves the mocktails in specialty glasses such as coupe, rocks, and martini glasses, with fresh, creative ingredients and garnishes that justify the price point.
“Just because it’s nonalcoholic doesn’t mean it’s any less of a drink than a cocktail,” said Calvert.
Last year, the restaurant offered nonalcoholic beverage flights, which were “a huge hit,” Calvert said.
This year, Presidents Pub opted for its slate of nonalcoholic drinks.
“I feel like people are just as excited about them as last year,” said Calvert. “I think people are partying so hard in November and December that come January, you’re ready to take a break and relax, but you still want to go out and socialize with your friends. Especially my generation, in our early 30s and 40s, all of us still want to go out and have fun without the repercussions of drinking, so I think it works out for us to be able to go out and socialize and have a good time without a hangover.”
J&D Cellars At the Street At the Meadows, too, offers spirit-free drinks, headlined by a selection of nonalcoholic slushies.
Holly McIntosh, general manager, has seen the no- and low-alcohol movement (called “NoLo” by some) grow since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through Jan. 31, J&D is hosting a pop-up Mean Girls event featuring nonalcoholic slushies with fun names like “On Wednesdays We Wear Pink” (watermelon sugar slushie with strawberry sauce, frozen fruit, whipped cream and sprinkles) and “I Can’t Help It I’m Popular” (white cranberry peach juice, sparkling peach cider and frozen fruit.)
“We have NA slushies and mocktails, and they are all as tasty; we’re just omitting alcohol. It’s really fun because I don’t think anyone feels left out. It’s easy for everyone to feel included,” said McIntosh. “Even outside of Dry January, there’s a huge demographic – including expectant moms and people who are older – who for health reasons and other reasons can’t drink alcoholic beverages, but want to come in to enjoy live music and entertainment, and come on man, let’s give them a nice drink. It helps them feel included and from a business perspective, it helps our bottom line.”
Reasons for abstaining from alcohol vary: some people are battling addiction, some are expectant moms, and some don’t like the taste, while others simply are looking to improve their health.
Research shows there are several benefits to giving up alcohol, from improving sleep and lowering blood pressure to dropping weight, reducing cancer risks, improving memory and mood, and reducing liver damage.
Stanley said there is less pushback associated with a sober lifestyle today.
“We are seeing a change in the way young people view drinking in Washington, Pa.,” he said. “We’ve struck gold with that.”
He noted that during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Jan. 15 playoff game against the Buffalo Bills, there were patrons who opted for the brewery’s nonalcoholic libations.
“It was phenomenal how during the Steelers game a lot of people did the mocktail thing. It’s wild how you would think it’s a heavy drinking day, but people ordered up the mocktails,” said Stanley.
Dunbar Distributor Co. in Connellsville offers an extensive list of nonalcoholic versions of beers from companies including Coors, O’Douls, Blue Moon, Corona, Heineken, Helltown, and Athletic, an exclusive NA beer producer. White Claw, a popular seltzer, now offers a nonalcoholic version, too.
“I would say we’ve seen an increase in demand, ranging from older people taking medication who like the taste of beer but can’t have alcohol, to people who don’t want alcohol for various reasons,” said Keith DeMichelis of Dunbar Distributor.
He noted Dry January and Lent are popular times for purchases of nonalcoholic beverages.
“According to the beverage industry, NAs will be the next up-and-coming thing. You are seeing more people drinking NA beverages as the years go by. I think it’s a good thing,” DeMichelis said. “Athletic is one of the top breweries in the country, and when you stop to think about the thousands of breweries in the U.S. and you have a nonalcoholic brewery ranking high, that says something.”
McIntosh, a vegetarian who has abstained from meat since the age of 14, compares having nonalcoholic options to offering vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free items on a menu.
“I haven’t had meat, chicken or fish for about 25 years, so I can connect to that, the necessity of offering choices for different demographics,” said McIntosh. “J&D Cellars is about building community and making everyone from all walks of life feel like they can have a space there. Anytime I see there is someone we might be leaving out of our community, I do everything I can to make space for that person in the community. And that’s what we do with our nonalcoholic options. There’s room for everybody.”
One of the driving forces behind the popularity of cocktails is the improving quality and availability of alcohol alternatives, with nonalcoholic spirits flavored like gin, tequila, and bourbon.
At Voodoo Brewery, Stanley and his staff infuse their zero-proof cocktails with ingredients like Liquid Death sparkling water, ginger beer, butterfly powder, dragonfruit powder, mint, and lime.
The goal is to hit the sweet spot of a beverage that looks appealing and tastes delicious.
“This younger generation wants something that looks good and is easy and pleasing to drink,” said Stanley. “The goal is to make it almost like Starbucks did for coffee. We’re selling mocktails that look gorgeous and we can charge a premium price for it. You can buy coffee anywhere, but like Starbucks did, it’s all about dressing it up and making it taste good.”
Calvert acknowledges Dry January and the nonalcoholic drink movement is here to stay.
“I think people sometimes get bored of Dry January because of not having options wherever you go,” said Calvert. “I think a lot of people will be more successful with Dry January because of the options now, and the opportunity to have a fun nonalcoholic drink with dinner. It’s all about going out and treating yourself, without the consequences.
“I had someone come in the other day and she had two or three of the mocktails, and she was giggling by the end, saying, ‘It feels like I’m out having a normal night.’ Even without the booze, she felt like she was a part of everything, going out and having fun and relaxing and letting loose. And that’s what people are looking for.”