![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Alcohol pricing has always famously been inflated - and non-A drink manufacturers are following this lead. The often intense and/or surprisingly complex new concoctions provide at least some of the side pleasures of alcohol - the ceremonial and aesthetic the sense of specialness the chance to drink from fancy glassware.Īll of these new alcohol-free beverages, of course, are not soda-pop cheap. To create complex nonalcohol flavors, mixologists have turned to, among other things, the deep, strong flavors of botanicals like gentian, cinchona (quinine), elderberry and other fruit and flower essences, as well as yuzu, juniper berries, various herbs, spices and spice mixes, vinegars, verjus (unripened grape juice), flavored oils and specialty teas. Not only has there been a huge influx of new non-A beers, mocktails (now a retro term) have become more sophisticated. As European Supermarket Magazine reported this year, “Studies by multiple research institutions show that Generation Z consumers drink 20% less alcohol than Millennials - and that Millennials are already drinking less than Generation X and Baby Boomers.” ![]() What took so long? After all, it’s no longer news that in many countries around the world, young people are drinking less. Looking for mocktail options for the new year? Check out these Los Angeles spots that focus on nonalcoholic cocktails or the ingredients for at-home pours. spots to get nonalcoholic drinks in Dry January And for entrepreneurs there’s a whole new market to supply for alcohol-avoiding consumers, as well as those the industry likes to call “ the sober curious.” There’s a whole, wild new world of interesting liquids for sober drinkers. I’d occasionally be talked into a “mocktail,” which too often was just fruit juice and fizzy water.īut times have changed. Some waiters and bartenders apologized for not having any while others sneered at the request: “What’s the point?” they said. Still, a nonalcoholic beer might be what I ordered when others were having a cocktail - that is, if the restaurant bothered to stock it. And then - this was the strangest thing - I didn’t immediately want another one. I had my first nonalcoholic beer - in a pilsner glass! - when I was 10 years sober, and was doubly surprised: first, that it tasted like beer (at least according to my 10-year-old memory of beer). These Latines are normalizing alcohol-free spaces for la culturaĪlcohol-free spaces are a way to foster inclusion and well-being, while dismantling the standards of alcohol consumption that were rooted in colonialism. I have also missed the ceremonial, celebrational aspects of drinking - the measuring, stirring and garnishing - of mixed drinks. In sobriety, I have missed the complexity and depth of flavor in such drinks. In my drinking days, I liked good yeasty beers, wine that was dry and crisp or full-bodied (when I remembered to taste it), and the smoky, peaty taste of Scotch (when I remembered to sip it). Occasionally, a bartender served me a cranberry-and-soda. Or, on special occasions, Martinelli’s carbonated apple juice. So when others were sipping wine, mixed drinks or beer, I clutched a glass of fizzy water. I have not imbibed an alcoholic beverage for 36 years - although I had my share before then.įor the first 10 of my sober years, the thought of “replacing” an alcoholic beverage with a de-alcoholized one or a zero-proof simulacrum seemed risky, as if getting that close to the addictive substance would trigger a relapse. I mean, nonalcoholic peanut butter “stout,” anyone? With strong notes of vinegar, molasses and peanut butter? ![]()
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