Recently we attended Expo West in Anaheim to scout connections and meet fellow liquid and farm sourcing artisans. It’s super rad to produce products that appeal to coffee folks, mixologists, non-alc mixologists, chefs, and at home folks. We love them equally and are excited to work with each of them. It’s interesting to see the range and scope of folks who are working to produce delicious CPG’s (consumer packaged goods in robot speak) that are healthy, sustainable, delicious, and beautifully packaged.
One of the newer brands that are working in this space is a RTD (ready to drink) non-alcoholic canned cocktail company called MIXOLOSHE. I reached out to their Founder and CEO Kristina Roth to hear her thoughts on the non alc movement. “The trend I am super excited about is what I call next generation non alcoholic drinks! They taste much better than the first gen and they emulate the real cocktail or spirits taste!” she wrote, punctuated with a :) symbol via linkedin DM, this seems to be a common thread among the N/A community: positivity, kindness, and a shared desire for improved and delicious flavor.
If there is a kind of ‘Generation’ to the state of non-alcoholic flavor development, it sounds as though it could mirror the ‘Waves’ in coffee culture. The first wave being the space of diner coffee culture, the second wave being the inclusion of branded chain locations, whipped cream, and $7 words like ‘frappuccino’. Finally the third wave, which focuses on the sourcing and direct payment of coffee beans to farmers, attention to roasting, modern interior design of the cafe, and hospitality. Perhaps in this vein, the ‘Mocktail’ is the OG (original gangster) generation of the non-alc world, the ‘grapefruit + ginger soda’ that is so ubiquitously offered up as a passable beverage to folks that don’t imbibe spirits.
Looking to the next generation of non-alcoholic beverages (maybe we need a better name- something cool like the sober 90’s punks called ‘Straightedge’ or the fun British word for people who don’t drink called ‘TeeTotallers’..we’ll workshop it), it is becoming clear that there is a demand for market share on menus for un boozy things. Studies (link) have shown that Gen Z is consuming 20% less than the average person, this can be mirrored in the spirits market with the acquisition of such non alcoholic brands as Seedlip by spirits companies like Diageo, showing that the numbers don’t lie.
This is exciting news for those of us that love going to bars, but don’t want to interact with tons of intoxicated people, we can look forward to late night social spaces that have an average total of folks who are maintaining a responsible (read as: legal) buzz level mixed with those that are ABV free to engage in socialization that maintains respect and safety for all parties. This is evident in menus at clubs such as Holocene in Portland Oregon, who keep half a dozen non-alcoholic beers on their shelves, as well as mocktails and yerba mate. I had a lovely non alc shandy there recently, and on a recent drop in to Houston’s most highly awarded cocktail bar, Anvil, I ordered a killer 0 proof Penicillin riff off of their menu made with non-alc Rye whiskey.
“But what are the best cocktail mixologists in the game thinking about the current state of non-alc? “
When it comes to advancements in bottled ingredients, we are seeing more ‘Liquor Alternatives’ as well as unique, regional and individual ingredients coming to light. “I think defining non-alcoholic as its own category instead of 1:1 copies of alcoholic drinks will be a core factor in how seriously people explore the concept of non-drinking - crafting something that has the same fine ingredients, craftsmanship and heritage as a fine spirit or wine” says my friend Lorin Winata, Founder and CEO of Melati Drinks, Asia’s first non-alcoholic spirit. She and I enjoy long talks about what she refers to as “getting people excited to try something new and different”.
This is a shared goal in the work that we do at Pink House, from the controlled use of alcohol based bitters in mocktails (below the ABV threshold of .05 % is considered non alcoholic in the world of beer and wine) to the use of our cold pressed shrubs as base ingredients, as well as the whole gambit of our direct trade (third wave) syrups and tonic. Last year we released a super small batch of N/A Arkansas Amaro, from muscadine grapes, infused with botanicals such as Gentian and Wormwood to create a robust vermouth vibe, and also reference the tradition of Arkansas wine makers. In this way we are working to create ‘primary colors’ for folks to be able to begin to paint with.
But what are the best cocktail mixologists in the game thinking about the current state of non-alc? I reached out to two of my heroes to get their opinion: LP O'Brien and Alex Jump who together make up the supergroup hospitality project ‘Focus On Health’ which is a podcast and resource for health in the hospitality industry. LP and Alex are both extremely accomplished in the spirits based cocktail world, (spoiler) LP won this year’s Drink Masters on Netflix, aside from being the CEO of Focus On Health and a member of the social justice fund committee for the RWCF and a spirits judge for TAG among a long list of other amazing accomplishments, who says “I love seeing this category expand and develop in real time. I hope to see more open conversations about the successes and failures that people have respectively experienced so that we can take advantage of solidifying this category in a United manner and way.
Alex, who previously ran the Denver branch of Death and Company, as well as being a finalist in Bombay Sapphire’s most imaginative bartender competition, among a long list of other amazing accomplishments makes the point “This year I am excited to see a growing curiosity and creativity happening in the non alcoholic space! From new products being released for use in N/A cocktails to bartenders pushing their creative limits. When it comes to cocktail development, I am truly excited to see this year the progress that will happen in the N/A space.”.
What is exciting to hear for the future of serious non alcoholic beverages, is that there are a great many extremely talented hands working hard in the space, from many angles to continue to provide beautiful options for beverages that not only substitute, but elevate the distinct absence of alcohol in a cocktail or wine glass, to let us get back to focusing on the most important part of what boutique beverages are intended to do: to create an opportunity to connect with others through the shared experience of flavor, dinner, happy hour or a time of celebration; safely and beautifully.
Words by Jared Weirman, Director, Wholesale and Special Projects
Photos by Kat Wilson, Director of Marketing
